Stuffing a huge Primanti Brothers sandwich into my fat face
Let's say you're in Pittsburgh, for whatever reason, and you get a hankering for a sandwich. But not just any sandwich. You want the best damn sandwich available in the city of Pittsburgh, if not the entire state of Pennsylvania.
So you make your way to a Primanti Brother's Bar & Grill. There are a number of them throughout the greater Pittsburgh area, but the location Brian and his staff took me to is located in the historic Market Square.
The square was recently revitalized by public and private interests, with many of the buildings that had fallen into disrepair completely overhauled and the center of the square reconfigured to look much like the city squares found in European cities.
Walking into the restaurant is pretty much like walking into a shrine to the professional sports teams that call Pittsburgh home. There's a large mural on one end of the restaurant that features several Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins, past and present, and just about every available square inch of wall space has a framed (and sometimes autographed) picture of a Pittsburgh sports star.
But I wasn't there to take in the sporting history of the area, I was there to stuff my fat face.
We sat at the long bar that ran nearly the full length of the building. Like the Village Coffee Shop in Boulder, the food is prepared on a grill right in front of you - pretty much giving you quality control, or at least quality oversight, of your order.
The menu is painted on a large signboard that is directly above the grill. The varied selection of the items reflects the various cultures that make up the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, and apparently, every one of those cultures loves cheese. If you do not like cheese...well, you came to the wrong restaurant.
It is also a good idea to be a fan of the ol' french fry, because every sandwich comes with french fries - in them.
As in, between two slices of bread there is a choice of meat, poultry, or fish, cheese, coleslaw (made with Italian dressing, I think), tomatoes, and french fries.
They serve it up on a sheet of wax paper, no plates, knives, or forks. You just stuff the thing in your mouth and munch away.
There are words in the English language (American variant) that perfectly describe the food. Words such as Freaking fantastically delicious, or Holy Mother of savory flavors.
The Primanti Brothers chain got it's start during the great depression. The original restaurant is still open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I didn't get a chance to visit that location - perhaps on my next visit to Pittsburgh.
In the meantime, I think I'll start experimenting in my kitchen, see if I can come close to duplicating one of these awesome sandwiches.
Who am I kidding - wouldn't want to let the microwave to start feeling neglected.
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