The Unvegan

Recent Posts

10 Years of Unvegan
A Quick Bite at Burrito Express
Serendipity at Northern Waters Smokehaus
Twerks and Burritos at Casa Amigos

‘Pittsburgh’

A Square Meal at Square Cafe

Well this is confusing.
Well this is confusing.

One might expect a place called Square Cafe to be decorated with all sorts of squares. Perhaps some rectangles or trapezoids to mix things up, but certainly quadrilaterals. Well one would be wrong because Square Cafe in Regent Square is pretty much fully interior-decorated with circles. Alas, when I overcame my confusion I was able to get down to the food.

Going Blue at Blue Line Grille (CLOSED)

Hungover on victory.
Hungover on victory.

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.

A Sharp Edge Beer Emporium Burger

No sharp edges on this one.
No sharp edges on this one.

Not too long ago I was encouraged to pay a visit to Sharp Edge Beer Emporium in Friendship for a a burger. Which burger I was never told, and led to some confusion when I found myself staring at menu with such exotics as elk, buffalo and lamb. But I ordered myself a beer (after all, it is an emporium), relaxed and decided to go with my gut.

Burger Time on The Porch

Such a burger you are.
Such a burger you are.

Perhaps best-known for their pizza, The Porch at Schenley is a semi-gourmet little restaurant perched on the cusp of Schenley Park. Also, it happens to be owned by Eat’n Park, a Denny’s-esque restaurant that The Porch works hard to leave out of any marketing. From what I’ve heard from Eat’n Park, I can’t blame them. Yet, The Porch has a good reputation and I wanted to see whether that rep was founded in truth.

All Day I Want Everyday Noodles

More like Everyday Dumplings. Zing!
More like Everyday Dumplings. Zing!

On name alone, Everyday Noodles in Squirrel Hill might draw comparisons to Noodlehead. But, where Noodlehead is Thai, Everyday Noodles is pure Chinese. And I mean pure in the sense that this isn’t some Chinese restaurant catering to the desires of Americans. This is for real. With a near-constant noise of noodles being prepared by hand behind a viewing window that is sometimes displaced by the intricate construction of dumplings, Everyday Noodles is the place to be.

A Touch of Taiwan at Rose Tea Cafe

It always starts with sausage.
It always starts with sausage.

How do you know if an ethnic restaurant is authentic? You look inside and see if people resembling that ethnicity are inside. Or, better yet, you let one of them take you there. At least that’s how it went down for me when a Taiwanese friend of mine invited me to Rose Tea Cafe in Squirrel Hill (supposedly the Oakland location isn’t as good) to get some Taiwanese food. Rose Tea Cafe isn’t just some tea house, it’s a full-on restaurant with almost too many options to choose. So we turned to my friend to figure out what to get.

All in for All India

Maybe you can tell me what this is.
Maybe you can tell me what this is.

With a school like Carnegie Mellon around, you would expect Pittsburgh to have some good Indian food. It’s not racist, it’s just common sense. Yet, it took me until recently, when a white guy invited me to All India (I apologize in advance for the music that autoplays on this site) to see what kind of Indian the city could muster. And what a mustering it was “” with a menu as long as a case study, I had a hard time deciding what to order, but fortunately I was with a large group and I was going to get to try a lot of things.

Good to the Marrow at Meat & Potatoes

So much bone, so little time.
So much bone, so little time.

Essentially the day I arrived in Pittsburgh, a buddy of mine told me I had to get to Meat & Potatoes in downtown. With an unvegan name like that, I didn’t exactly need convincing. Yet, when I took a look at the menu and prices I quickly realized this was a destination for when parents came to town. After all, that whole being a student thing can make eating out tough. But the parents did come, and to Meat & Potatoes we went.