‘Bars’
I’m not sure a soul in the world exists that doesn’t like Mac and Cheese. Sure, some might not be able to eat it for lactose, gluten or (shudder) vegan reasons, but I am sure those people all still wish they could eat it. After all, it is quite possibly the ultimate comfort food. So when Pop City called out Kelly’s Bar & Lounge as Pittsburgh’s best mac and cheese (apparently a very poorly-kept secret), I made my way there as quickly as possible.
EDIT: Stack’d II quickly became The Ave which quickly became the Tipsy Cow. Gone are the sandwiches, but you can read about the Tipsy Cow here.
While the list of great sequels is quite short, a few stand out. And joining the ranks of X-Men 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze is Stack’d II (hopefully someday they’ll update their site to include this). As you may recall, I once paid a visit to Stack’d in Shadyside, a build-your-own burger concept that found success on sales of beer, keeping their burgers cheap and not by the quality of burgers being pumped out. In fact, this was so successful that they made a sequel that swapped burgers for cheesesteaks.
EDIT: The place has been bought out and is going to be converted to a Southern Restaurant called Buford’s. Hopefully it still appreciates its Michigan folk.
We Michigan people are everywhere. And I mean everywhere. So it stands to reason that my brethren can be found in Pittsburgh, which is just a few short hours on the turnpike from America’s High Five. Owned by a fellow Michigander, Blue Line Grille sits across the street from Consol Arena and has decided to play host to Michigan games. As you might expect, this place was already a winner in my heart, but I still had to try the food to ensure I would be coming back for meals or just drink specials.
While gastropubs may not be a growing industry in Pittsburgh, a quick trip to Brooklyn showed me that they are still alive and kicking. Take, for example, Black Swan, a semi-divey bar that serves a brunch that brought me in. With standard gastropub fare, I made a rare move to not go with the burger that seemed overloaded with vegetables and instead went with wings. And not swan wings like you may expect from a place with such a name.
Just like most towns, Pittsburgh has its fair share of sports legends. Roberto Clemente may be the biggest, but unfortunately he did not live long enough to start a Puerto Rican restaurant. Ben Roethlisberger is also pretty huge, but claims of molestation may stop him from opening up his very own burger joint. Then there’s Jerome Bettis. Also known as The Bus, Bettis found his way to Pittsburgh from Detroit and eventually got into the restaurant business with a spot just out of Heinz Field called Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36.
East Lansing, Michigan isn’t exactly known as a bastion of culture. Harboring the state’s foremost safety school is basically the city’s only claim to fame. Well, that and the fact that students of the school are known to riot whether their teams win or lose. Nonetheless, I found myself in that small agricultural village in need of food after a rough football game. This led me to Dublin Square, an Irish Pub with a sizable food menu.
For my last meal in Seattle, I met up with a buddy of mine at a place called DeLuxe Bar & Grill in Capitol Hill. This is not to be confused with Delux in Phoenix, a place known to make subpar burgers. DeLuxe in Seattle has been around since 1962 and serves up some great beers and a variety of bar food to join those drinks. Per usual, my eyes darted to the burgers (all grass-fed on account of being in Seattle) and there was quite a variety to choose from.
With a name like Bites and Brews, you kind of know what to expect when walking into the place. And let me tell you right here: the place does not disappoint. If all you are seeking is something to eat and something to drink, Bites and Brews has you covered. With a beer menu including about 30 brews starting at $3 and a food menu ranging from bar staples to hoagies, the name of the place is certainly apt.
There are few regional food items that become so popular that they take on a life of their own outside of said region. And I’m not talking about Mexican food leaving Mexico or pizza making its way into the US from Italy. No, I’m talking Buffalo Wings, New England Clam Chowder and Chicago-Style Deep Dish. Now, there’s a new one that seems poised to join that elite club: the Jucy Lucy. This creation has gone as far to inspire a restaurant dedicated to the Jucy Lucy in LA called Juicy Lucy (note the different spelling) and Jucy Lucy’s can be found on restaurant menus all around the nation. So it may be surprising that the Jucy Lucy, a cheese-stuffed burger, came from a little dive bar called Matt’s in Minneapolis.
While Walnut Street in Shadyside is the typical haunt of my fellow students, Highland is another street in Shadyside that has a lot to offer. One of those offerings is Buffalo Blues, a sports bar with a fair amount of food options that you might expect at such a place. Wings dominate the menu, but there are also burgers, sandwiches and a few other things for those not so inclined towards the wings.