Industry Public House is pretty much the first gastropub I have come across in Pittsburgh. This is shocking, because I have been here for more than 9 months and I couldn’t go more than 9 blocks in the last city I lived in without coming across one. And, as much as I tired of every new gastropub’s attempt to find unique craft beers and craft burgers, I must say I was happy to find both at Industry Public House.

So, with a Bell’s Oberon to drink, I went ahead and ordered their Farmed Out Burgher. And no, that is not a typo. Because I live in Pittsburgh. Get it? Alas, this burger came topped with white cheddar, wild boar bacon, a fried egg and BBQ sauce. I ordered medium-rare, got some fries on the side and also made sure to confirm with the bartender that there would be no vegetables on my burger. Alas, I made the fateful mistake of not confirming that there wouldn’t be a pickle on the side, because lo and behold when my burger arrived I found one. And not only was it on the side, it was atop numerous fries now soaked in pickle juice that would have to be sacrificed to the white walkers.

But once I got past this, I found myself face-to-face with an exquisitely prepared burger. The egg was nice and runny, the bacon was crispy (and just like any other bacon despite originating in a wild boar) and the meat was nice and pink inside. It was also so juicy that I wished I had a Burger Lift and was relegated to placing the burger atop my fries between bites. And while the burger was prepared perfectly, it also came with a price I had once grown used to at such establishments. The only difference, I suppose, is that I expect to pay less for such a burger in Pittsburgh than I did in Los Angeles. Yes, I know this is biased, but it is how I feel and I stand by it.

So while Industry Public House did treat me well, I also recognized that it couldn’t be a regular eating establishment for me. Unless, of course, I get a hankering for great preparation at an equally great price.

My first foray into Pittsburgh’s Mexican food scene brought me to Round Corner Cantina in Lawrenceville. I really had no idea what to expect, but I found a nice outdoor patio area and a good selection of tacos. I ordered myself some Yuengling and then took a look at the taco menu for a while before landing on their Puerco Tacos.

These two tacos were made of pork belly, apple pico, radish and cilantro. I did my best to order without the radish, but the waitress managed to convince me to keep them and that I wouldn’t even taste them. This turned out to be a flat-out lie, as the radishes were huge upon arrival, but at least they were big enough to quickly be removed. What was not so easy to remove was the onions that had not even been mentioned in the menu…unless they were somehow part of the apple pico, but that just seems even more mean than calling onions and tomatoes “rooster beak” (pico de gallo).

Yet, I powered through and found the tacos to be mighty tasty. Sure, they weren’t really traditional, but they had a nice dose of creativity and could have been even better without the unnecessary radishes and misleading wait-staff.

What do you get when you combine an abandoned church with a brewery? The answer is Church Brew Works, a spot in Lawrenceville that might just be one of the most unique breweries/restaurants in the country. Nay, the world. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Beer is proof that God loves us,” and the use of the altar for the actual brewing might just be the best support of old Ben.

The restaurant menu had some typical brewery foods, but also things unique to Pittsburgh, like a Pierogie Pizza. I opted for the Wild Boar Pizza, which came topped with the aforementioned boar (pulled like pork), corn, onions and BBQ sauce made with their Pious Monk Dunkel beer. Per usual, I got mine without the onions. I had heard there could sometimes be a long wait for pizza, but on this day things went pretty smoothly. The pizza came out and, despite the inconsistent sprinkling of toppings, looked quite good.

And it certainly wasn’t bad. The wild boar flavor was a nice addition to the pizza, but was surprisingly dry for being pulled. The BBQ sauce was delicious, but the dough left me feeling like it maybe could have been left in the oven just a bit longer.

Not bad, but not especially good either. Yet, I couldn’t help feeling that the simple act of eating and drinking like this in a church was awesome, and for one of the few times in my life the atmosphere played a distinct role in upping the food itself.