Seeing Pittsburgh Through a Food Lovers' Eyes

I was very excited when the opportunity to move to Pittsburgh came about. I had heard so much about this great city and was so curious to see what it had to offer.

I liked the nicknames given to my future home: the Steel City and the City of Bridges! There is a certain charm associated with these monikers.

This was a town where people are friendly, proud of their roots and have a great deal of pride in the town they live in. I was ready to embrace my new life as a Pittsburgher.

I knew some essential bits of information about Pittsburgh and some of the things that they were famous for—the Immaculate Reception and the Steel Curtain, Primanti Brothers, the Strip District and steel manufacturing.

When I finally moved and finished unpacking, I sought out some of the key establishments to the city. I soon realized that these places are what make Pittsburgh so special. I loved the simple elegance that the city had to offer. There was so much to see and do—I was excited by the whole experience.

I researched and continually asked questions about what to do here in the 'Burgh. All the while, I slowly began to eat my way through the city.

I am always so curious about local delicacies and regional ethnic cuisines. Pittsburgh is filled with so many out-of-the-way places and little hidden foodie gems. I began to keep a running list of foodie places that I wanted to visit.

I hit some of the more well-known places that offered local favorites. I do like The O (The Original Hot Dog Shop), Primanti Brothers sandwiches, Vincent’s Pizza and Mineo’s Pizza, Pamela’s Dinner and the LeMont restaurant.

However, I wanted to know more. I always felt like there were more restaurants and local spots to eat and visit. I knew that these places existed but either I could not find them, or I did not know the exact names of these restaurants. 

I also hated to travel to a new restaurant and then become disappointed if I did not like what I had eaten.

Yes, I am a spoiled gastronomic princess like that. I hate to eat a bad meal because it always puts me into a bad mood. Who wants to see a crabby, unhappy Italian woman?

I searched around the local food blogs and restaurant reviews, but it was sporadic and not what I was looking for. What I needed was like a Fodor’s foodies guide to the city, but alas there was nothing like this out there.

I continued to eat around at different spots. I still carried a running list of places that I have been to and new restaurants to try.

However, what I really wanted was a book. Some sort of a reference guide to help me on my epicurean journey. I am old school and I like to have in my possession an actual book to read—something that I could carry around and take with me when I was out.

I kept searching for something like this, but this magical book that I was looking for just did not exist.

Several weeks ago, I saw a blog about a new book that was put together by some local food bloggers. It was written by the bloggers at eatPGH.com. They created a food guide for the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.

This had my attention because it was something that I was interested in. Could this be a wish come true? Was there an actual book that I could hold, touch and read all about the restaurants in Pittsburgh?

These four friends turned bloggers had eaten their way around the city and the suburbs. They would blog about their experiences. Their posts are witty, informative and concise. They eventually published a book about their foodie adventures.

I began to investigate their blog and their restaurant reviews. It helped me take the guess work out of eating at new restaurants. I wanted to avoid being disappointed with eating a bad meal and these wonderful ladies at eatPGH had helped me do this.

I agreed with several of their reviews, so now I could trust their palates! If their blog is this incredible, what must their book be like?

I need to clarify something here so I do not offend anyone. There were restaurant guides/reviews out there, but they were just not what I wanted. I wanted a guide to help me see what this city has to offer, and not necessarily a book of restaurant reviews.

I wanted to be able to explore this city through a foodie’s eyes.

I think that I had finally stumbled upon the book of my dreams. Food Lovers' Guide to Pittsburgh: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings by Sarah Sudar, Julia Gongaware, Amanda McFadden and Laura Zorch. 

Yes, I needed to have this book! It was just I wanted!

I was able to get an early copy of this book so I could review it for my blog. I must tell you that I just love it because it is exactly what I was looking for.

Amazing is the only word that I can use to describe this book. To say it is just a simple restaurant guide to eating, that would be an understatement. It truly is a food lovers' guide to the city.

The book highlights food festivals, farmers markets and specialty shops. There is a section about local libations and stadium food from around the major sporting venues. The bonus for me is the recipes section. There are several recipes included in the book from top local chefs.

There is just so much useful and informative information in this book. It is a must read for area foodies. It is a wonderful resource to have if you are curious about eating, food shopping and food events happening in Pittsburgh.

I asked these wonderful women at eatPGH to share a recipe for my blog. Happily, they gave me one of their favorites. They assured me that this appetizer was easy to make and perfect for any party. They also told me that it is a favorite of theirs to make for football parties.

This is a recipe comes from Sarah Sudar; it is her recipe for Pepperoni Dip. 

According to Sarah, this is a dip “for the times you need to bring a dip to a party and someone else is already bringing the Buffalo Chicken Dip, I give you the recipe for Pepperoni Dip brought to you by some good people I know. I know it doesn’t look the most appetizing, but it is 'OMG so amazing!'"

Directions: 

Combine 1/2 pound of grated pepperoni (use a Cuisinart)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use cream of celery soup since I hate mushrooms.)
1 8 oz. pack of cream cheese

Mix all together, place in a baking dish and bake at 250 degrees for an hour.

Dive in with Frito Scoops or tortilla chips. 

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Check out these phenomenal bloggers and learn more about their book at eatpgh.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eatPGH. Their book was officially released Tuesday and is available online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

Editor's Note: Nicky D Cooks is a resident and cooking instructor.