If you have ever lived anywhere near Pittsburgh, you will undoubtedly recognize these magical words: Jeet jet? No, j’ou?
I did eat, and quite well, at this year’s annual gathering of childhood friends in Pittsburgh. From ice cream at Dave and Andy’s in Oakland to french fry-stuffed sandwiches at Primanti Bros. in the Strip District, Ann, Jen, Marilee, Nickie and I gorged ourselves on some of the Steel City’s finest classic foods.
Our culinary tour de force began at Girasole in Shadyside. Located in a basement level, former coffee house on Copeland Street, this cozy bistro featured Northern Italian cuisine dished out in an intimate, exposed stone-walled dining room.
On this particular Friday evening Girasole was a blur of activity. A packed house didn’t prevent us from receiving attentive service and delightful meals, though. Each entree came with a house salad, two words that invariably make me cringe. At most restaurants “complimentary house salad” translates into limp iceberg lettuce topped with slivers of pink tomatoes and a scattering of carrot confetti. At Girasole it meant plates brimming with mixed greens, whole cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, crumbles of gorganzola cheese and sunflower vinaigrette. Such a treat!
Pasta lovers, we ordered such entrees as penne marinara with chicken, spinach and ricotta ravioli in a tomato cream sauce, gnocchi and spinach spaghetti with nubs of fresh corn, sliced cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella. Talk about a night of pleasant surprises. My meal, the room temperature spinach spaghetti, provided an intriguing mix of textures — melt-in-your-mouth cheese, crunchy corn, al dente pasta — and flavors. Yet another hit.
For dessert we indulged Ann’s love of cheesecake and split a slice of chocolate cheesecake five ways. From the dark chocolate crust to the cocoa whipped cream and the chocolate-infused cake, fresh blueberries and strawberries in between, this was a to-stop-your-diet-for dream.
The sweet delicacies didn’t end here. At Dave and Andy’s Ice Cream Shop on Atwood Street it was love at first lick. Homemade mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream or cookie dough spooned into crisp waffle cones or a generous bowl of birthday cake ice cream pleased our overheated palates on this sultry summer night. Likewise, the delicate peanut butter-iced chocolate cupcake from the Warhol Cafe provided the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Served on rose Fiestaware, it looked as pretty as a Wayne Thiebaud painting and was just as tasty as it appeared.