Michelle T.

Primanti Brothers Restaurant

Primantis is a Pittsburgh staple. This location off of Steubenville Pike is pretty good (although you can't beat the experience of going to the Strip location!), although it feels like a sports bar. Primantis sandwiches are an acquired taste (that is if you order it the *right* way). You have a large selection of different sandwiches and what makes Primantis unique is what they load them up with: slaw, fries and/or egg. Now, you can opt not to have these items on your sandwich, but it wouldn't be the actual Primantis experience. I'm not originally from Pittsburgh, and though I do choose not to have the additional items on my sandwich, it's still worth it, just to try it once. It really is pretty good! The prices are pretty good, as is the service. Go ahead, give it a try! Definately a good place to meet friends and watch the local sporting events.

Groovy

Groovy is located in the heart of the South Side, on east Carson street. A good place to relive memories of your childhood; toys, action figures, lunchboxes galore. Most items are in pretty decent shape, but not priced too friendly. I think this store is a really good find for the hardcore collectors, and some casual shoppers. Definately worth the trip to see the toys and gadgets from your youth!

Fat Heads South Shore Saloon

This place is great! Have you ever had to chase the waitress away several times when she comes to take your order just because the menu is so extensive?? You will at Fat Heads. Everytime I've gone, I can't seem to make up my mind, there's so much to choose from, the menu is huge (not to mention the beer selection)! I always get the Garlic Parmesan wings, what a great find! Coated in shredded parmesan and cooked to a nice crispness, you can't go wrong. Also, give the Fried Pierogies a try! The salads and sandwiches are also great choices, but I haven't found a favorite yet. VERY generous in their portions. Fat Heads is always crowded and remodeled in the past few years, there's more room to allow more customers. Pricing is pretty decent too. For two people you could spend about $30 average.

Sapporo Japanese Steakhouse

This place is a typical Japanese restaurant, they cook the food right at your table. Nothing new and inventive, but still a good place to try. Located in Crafton on Steubenville Pike, in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Motel (yes, really!).
The food is pretty good, pricing comparable to other Japanese restaurants, but you can usually find them in the Entertainment Book (buy one, get one free). Although I typically go more than just using the Entertainment book, but for a party of four, you could probably end up shelling out about $100. The portions are generous, with dinner you usually get the salad, soup, dinner and a desert. Nice combo's of steak, chicken or seafood. The service is always pretty good, the cooks always entertaining! Don't forget to make a reservation (not always needed) for the weekend nights, the tables always fill up pretty fast!

El Campesino

Driving through North Hills tonight, looking for someplace to eat, happened upon this by accident. On a whim we went in, and were very glad we did.
Full menu of authentic mexican fare, priced very reasonably. When you sit down you get the basket of chips and salsa (which I loved, it was more saucy than chunky). I ordered the margarita to start off with, great choice, very good! And for dinner I ordered the Steak tacos. The meat was cooked to perfection. It came with an additonal (large) plate of rice and refried beans. Way too much to eat in one sitting, I had to take most of my food home with me. The service was pretty good too. I definately recommend this place if you're looking for some GOOD authentic mexican food in the "burgh.

Rusty Nail

This small restaurant located in Bellvue is pretty good. A nice sized menu with steaks, sandwiches, pasta dishes, some chicken, seafood, and nice sized salads. I can't say I have a favorite dish here yet. Each time I go I try something different. And that's because they have daily specials (and they have numerous selections to choose from).
All the dishes they serve are very generous portions (even from the breakfast menu) and I never leave without a doggy bag! And when they serve you drinks, the cups are huge, you never have to get a refill! The only downfall to this restaurant is it's size. Incredibley small. They've been there 25 years I think? Too bad they haven't been able to expand, it's quite crowded most of the times, the tables are very close together, but the atmosphere is still pretty nice. Give it a try if you're in the neighborhood!

Red River Barbeque & Grille

This BBQ restaurant located in the North Hills near North Park is pretty good. It has a pretty big menu, but I wouldn't actually compare it to a Southern style BBQ restaurant. The best item on the menu is their Beef Brisket dish. You can order a small or larger portion and comes with a cole slaw/cranberry (I think?) mixture (very good) and a side of baked beans with a generously sized corn muffin. In fact they give you a basket of muffins that has some sort of a sweet butter mixture-very nice! Other offerings are steaks, some seafood choices and of course some chicken dishes and you can't forget the pulled pork! Prices are okay, for two people you can average about $30. Sitting in the bar section you get to play the TV trivia games which is kinda fun. With also a few TV's scattered around, and 1 largescreen TV for sports viewing. For such a big bar area, they didn't seem to have much of a beer selection, nothing out of the ordinary anyway. Nice atmosphere though.

House Of Lee Restaurant

House of Lee is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant . Located in Emsworth off of Ohio River Blvd/65, it's open 7 days a week, and I think every single holiday. They deliver too! My fave dish is the Crispy Sesame Almond Chicken. Cooked crispy and put in a sort of honey glaze, this dish is the best Chinese dish I've ever tried. Although I do order other item menus (and liked every single thing I've tried) from time to time, this dish is my favorite. The egg rolls are not too bad either, although you do pay extra for them, but definately worth it. Their fried rice selections are out of this world, give the Pork fried rice a try. In the past few years they've started doing sushi. I've never tried it, but I'm sure they do it well. I've never had a bad dish/experience in this place!

PROS: The prices are comparable to other Chinese restaurants in town.
CONS:

Philip Pelusi Hair Salons

I love Philip Pelusi. I've been going for almost 9 years to the same person. And even though I've seen the same stylist for 9 years, she never fails to sit me down to look at my hair, and to actually talk to me about my hair and ask what *I* want. That's what I love about this salon. They talk and they listen. That's what's kept me going back.

PROS:
CONS: A little on the pricey side, but worth every penny.

Sharp Edge Creekhouse

The Sharp Edge Creekhouse, located in Crafton, is wonderful!
This restaurant is located beside a creek, in an old 3 story house that's large enough to have a bar, porch and a couple of nice seating areas (one being upstairs). The menu is outstanding with so many great choices of entrees, appetizers, sandwiches and Panini sandwiches, pizza's, pasta's...and a monthly specials menu. And not to mention, their beer specials are constantly changing. I've NEVER been disappointed in the recommendations our servers have given us regarding the beer specials. And with the amount of beer they have (many coolers and taps of beers from all over the world-specializing in Belgian beers too!), I'm pretty sure I've never ordered the same beer twice.
The food is outstanding. They have a Blackened Chicken Penne that is wonderful. It's in a cream sauce and comes in a large bowl/platter that is too much to eat in one sitting. Their Panini sandwiches are great too. Please try the BBQ Pulled Pork Panini. The bread is nicely done, with a generous serving of pork. Team it up with the Sweet Potato Fries (warning, you have to pay extra for these, but it is worth it!). Appetizers-I always get the same thing, the Buffalo Bites. They come out nice and crisp (boneless) with the right amount of sauce, never soggy. And I think there are about 10 choices of sauces, you can never be disappointed! It comes with a side of your choice of Bleu Cheese or Ranch dressing and some celery. The perfect starter!
I've never gotten around to desert (never enough room!). But it looks like they have some great choices-Framboise Cheesecake, Belgian Waffles, even a Sundae Bar that they bring right to the table. I keep telling myself each trip I won't try to fill up on the appetizers and entrees, but I do it every time.
The atmosphere is great. The staff has always been nice and friendly (that keeps us going back too!) and the pricing is not too bad. For two people, we've averaged arounf $30-40 each time.

PROS: This restaurant is great! The portions are generous and so is the staff!
CONS: No cons whatsoever. This place is fabulous.