Steel Cactus in Shadyside is a place more typically known for drinks than food, yet, I found myself there hungry and waiting for drinks. The cactus thing in their name is somehow connected to the fact that they serve Mexican food and I was skeptical not only because it was primarily a drinking place, but also because Pittsburgh isn’t quite known as a bastion of Mexican food.
I decided on the queso asada burrito, which came with beef, rice and pico de gallo, then was topped with a queso sauce. I love me some queso sauce, so I had high hopes for this and ordered with chipotle salsa instead of the pico de gallo. It arrived looking pretty good. Well at least the burrito itself. On the plate was a bunch of lettuce that was not only unmentioned, but unwelcome as well because some of the lettuce stuck to the queso and killed those little bits of sauce.
When I dug in, there was also drama, as the burrito was loaded with big chunks of tomato. Tomato completely blended into a salsa is acceptable, but this was no such thing and made it difficult to eat the burrito. I must admit that I did like the non-vegetable parts. But the food was a bit pricey and not exactly something I would seek out again unless I was in a bind.
