Union Pig & Chicken

          I have been waiting for Kevin Sousa to open this restaurant for months now and it finally opened this past weekend.  They do not take reservations here so we got to the restaurant exactly when the doors opened at 5 PM.  The first thing I noticed was the fresh cut wood smell when you walked in, I am guessing this was from the reclaimed barn wood all over the walls.  The wood is everywhere and it makes you feel like you are eating in an old country setting.  The restaurant isn't all that big, it has four communal tables seating 12 people at each table.  The seating is unique being that the benches seat two people each with a space between them so you are not sitting directly next to a stranger.  I am not a fan of communal table but this wasn't that bad.
          We placed our orders and sat looking around at the uniqueness of this place.  Our food came out about 20 minutes later on silver trays and the sides were in little paper food trays, very simple.  My wife got the full fried chicken, cornbread and mac and cheese.  I got the full St. Louis rack of ribs, cornbread and coleslaw.  A full serving of anything here can feed two people, just a heads up for when you go.  The fried chicken had a nice crispy skin and the meat was so tender and juicy it just fell off the bone.  There is house made BBQ sauce on the table if you want it but this chicken didn't need it.  The cornbread was sweet, buttery and very dense, everything you look for in a good corn bread.  The mac and cheese came out in its own little ramekin and was creamy and rich with a crispy crust on top.  Homemade all the way, nothing out of a box here.  Also the full chicken was just that two of each, breasts, thighs, wings and drumsticks.  We took over half of this home.
          My ribs were super smokey and had a lovely smoke ring all around the ribs.  The full slab of ribs were at least 16 inches long and 6 or 7 inches wide, it was a lot of ribs.  There was a rub on the ribs but the smoke is what really came through.  Like I said if you want more BBQ taste there is BBQ sauce on the table.  I told my wife after we ate that if they made hand cream that smelled like my hands smelt after we ate I would buy it and use it every day.  The coleslaw was great and very simple.  All it was, was red cabbage and red onion with apple cider vinegar.  I have never had coleslaw without the mayo but it was really good and crunchy.
          Overall we spent $60 here but when we go back we will only get one full entree or two half portions and probably only spend $40-$50.  Very limited choices here but that is what makes them so good, the chef can perfect the few things on his menu rather than have 30 okay items.  I will be back for sure, I love BBQ and this is some of the best I have had around here.  Its messy, it isn't fancy but isn't that what BBQ is?  I was wondering what direction Kevin Sousa would go with here and he did it right, he didn't try to make BBQ fancy he just showed it for what it is.  It was definitely worth the wait for this restaurant to open.

Overall 9 of 10

Price 9 of 10

Food 9 of 10

Service 9 of 10

Union Pig & Chicken

220 N. Highland Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Station Street

          So after a rousing game of bowling that I scored a manly 66 (hey its one of Pittsburgh's best athletes number) we decided to go get some hot dogs.  I have been wanting to go to Station Street since they have opened.  I knew Kevin Sousa would be doing something great with hot dogs after trying Salt I expected nothing less.  We got there around 7:30 and as soon as we ordered and sat down Kevin Sousa was leaving Station Street to put the finishing touches on his new restaurant Union Pig and Chicken.

         Anyways back to Station Street I got the chili dog and duck fat fries and my wife got the house dog and regular fries.  Everything about this place screams 60's hot dog shop.  It is wide open and has all the old tile on the walls and you just feel like you are in the past until you get your hot dog.  My chili dog was really good, the casing on the dog had a nice snap and the brisket chili was very thick so it wasn't running down your arm and getting all over your clothes. The onion on top gave it a nice crunchy texture.  The dogs are big too, they overhang the but on both side.  The duck fat fries to tell you the truth I couldn't taste much difference from the regular fries.  All the fries are fresh cut and the only complaint I have was for every nice crispy fry I got I also had a limp under done fry.  They were good either way but I don't know maybe I over hyped this place in my head.  My wives dog was good also, she like it a lot other than she didn't notice that it had siriacha on it and couldn't figure out why it was hot.  She ended up taking a napkin and trying to wipe as much off as she could.

          Would I go back?  Yep.  In the end its hot dogs and fries.  However very good hot dogs and fries.  What goes together better than a bad game of bowling and a nice fresh hot dog to brighten up your spirits.  Its simple from the man that brought you Salt of the Earth, he went 180* the other way and succeeded on both.  I hope he goes 3 for 3 with Union.

Overall 8.5 of 10

Service 9 of 10

Food 8 of 10

Price 9 of 10

Station Street

6290 Broad St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Ruth Chris

          For Christmas my brother-in-law got me a gift card for Ruth Chris so I figured that would be a nice place for a Valentines dinner.  We made reservations for the weekend before Valentines Day at 6 PM.  When we arrived we were asked if we wanted to check our coats but it was freezing outside and pretty cold inside so we decided to keep them just in case.  The atmosphere was nice but it was very dimly lit and there were lights burnt out all over the place.
          We were seated and placed our drink order while we looked at the menu.  For our appetizers my wife got the Crabtini and I got the scallop dish.  The Crabtini was a chilled metal martini glass filled with lump crab meat tossed in a vinaigrette and a remoulade sauce.  The sweetness of the crab with the acidity of the vinaigrette topped with the hint of spice from the remoulade was just perfect.  The dish wasn't over sauced and they really let the flavor of the crab come through.  The scallops were simple but delicious.  There were three huge sea scallops seared on each side in a pan with a pesto sauce topped with shaved carrots.  The scallops were a perfect medium rare and melt in your mouth tender.  The sweetness of the scallop with the perfect amount of basil, garlic and pine nuts in the pesto were a huge success.
          Everything that is ordered at Ruth Chris is a la carte so for our vegetable we ordered the Ruth Jumbo Chop Salad, it looked a lot smaller in the picture.  We could have easily shared this but we each got one not knowing how big it was.  This was one of the best side salads I have ever had.  This salad had everything you expect in a salad lettuce, cucumber, onion, etc. but some surprises like radicchio and hearts of palm.  The dressing for this salad was a blue cheese lemon basil dressing, I don't like blue cheese but it all paired together well with the ingredients in the salad.  Everything mixed so well I don't even know how to explain it. All I have to say is this is a can't miss if you go to Ruth Chris.
          Now on to the entrees, we each got the surf and turf which was a 7oz fillet and an 8oz lobster tail.  For our starch with dinner we got the garlic mashed potatoes.  Our meals came out and the steaks were cooked perfect, mine was medium rare and my wife got it cooked medium.  I couldn't have been happier with the steaks, they too were melt in your mouth tender, you almost didn't need a knife.  The lobster tail however was a different story.  The lobster was way overcooked and rubbery.  It was very bland, all the butter and lemon in the world wasn't bringing it back to life at all.  The mashed potatoes were good but nothing you couldn't make at home.
          Would I go back?  Probably not.  Don't get me wrong most of the food was really good but after the tip the total come to $185.  I could make that meal at home for eight people and probably not spend that much money.  The atmosphere had a business like look to it and not the kind of place you take a date.  You could eat at Spoon, Salt and Ave B and have money left over compared to what we spent.  If I didn't have a gift card I probably wouldn't have went here because I knew what the prices were like.  You want a great steak?  Make it at home and save some money.  You want to impress someone by picking up a huge check this is the place for you.

Overall  8 of 10

Food 8.5 of 10

Service 9 of 10

Price 4 of 10

Ruth Chris

6 PPG Pl

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Hofbrauhaus House

          My friends birthday was a few weeks ago and he wanted to go to Hofbrauhaus, so we all went out on a Saturday night.  We arrived around 6 PM and we were told it would be an hour and a half wait for the table, I thought it was a bit much but what could we do about it.  We were sitting in the entry way trying to figure out what we were going to do while waiting when my friends phone went off.  This was about 15 minutes after we put our name in.  I was glad we didn't have to wait around but how does it go from 90 minutes to 25?  Doesn't make sense to me.
          Anyways, we got seated in the main hall and got their February beer, the Adulterator.  This beer tasted like someone took a dark beer and poured vodka in it.  I didn't like it at all but the alcohol content was 8% so I have to admit on an empty stomach it didn't take long to start feeling it.  Our waitress came back and took our food orders and brought us more beers.  My wife got the Hot Brown and I got the Worstlplatte.  I also changed my beers to whatever they had that tasted like a Boston Lager (it didn't but it was better than the February beer).
          About 15 minutes later our food came out, it looked good and simple.  My wives Hot Brown was a potato pancake topped with turkey, ham and melted swiss cheese.  It was good, it was pretty much an open face sandwich but the potato pancake made the texture a little different.  My Wrstlplatte was a variety of the wursts they offer at the restaurant.  The plate had a bierwurst, bratwurst and a frankfurter with a side of mashed potatoes and brown gravy, it also comes with sauerkraut but I substituted it for a soft pretzel instead. I was not impressed with this dish at all, once the wursts hit that gravy they were placed on it all tasted the same.  Thy were nice and juicy but they all just tasted of gravy.  The pretzel I got on the side was cold and tasted stale.  I would have to say this was one of the most tasteless meals I have had.  All I could taste the whole time was the gravy.
         After we finished our meals we stayed and had more beer and had fun with all the singing and entertaining they did there.  The played Sweet Caroline and I knew I would be back down, I am a Red Sox fan and when the whole bar started singing it I knew that must be kinda like what it must be like at Fenway.  After everything was over in our drunken state Cheesecake Factory sounded great, so I got the red velvet cheesecake and I know this has nothing to do with Hofbrauhaus but that was some of the best cheesecake I have had lately.
          Would I go back?  Sure, just not to eat.  I had lots of fun there but the food was average at best and the beer was overpriced.  You are paying for the atmosphere there not for the quality of the food.  There are plenty of other places in the south side that you can get a better meal.

Overall 5 of 10

Service 6 of 10

Food 4 of 10 

Price 5 of 10

Hofbrauhaus House

2705 South Water St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Avenue B

          Last weekend my wife and I went down to East Liberty and went to Avenue B for some modern American food.  The parking situation down there was horrible but the Market District is right across the street so we parked there.  Our reservations were for 5:30 and we got there right on time and were seated immediately.  The first thing you notice about the restaurant is how small it is, there were only 15 tables in the place so it gave it a nice personal feel.  The next thing you notice is the changing chalkboard menu.
          Our waitress came over and told us the daily specials and we already knew what appetizers we wanted so we placed our app order.  The blackboard menu changes daily and the also have a seasonal menu that has all of their specialties on it.  I started with the chocolate chipotle BBQ pork tostada and my wife got the Gorgonzola raviolis.
          My wives ravioli were great, they were sauteed and topped with candied walnuts.  The sweetness of the walnuts with the strong flavor of the cheese just worked a lot better than I thought it would.  The tostada was very good, it was a spicy sweet BBQ sauced pulled pork topped with re fried beans and a banana guacamole and sour cream.  It worked, it was weird but it worked so good.  The fried tortilla strips gave it a nice crunch and the banana guacamole I can't even describe you just have to try it. 
          We got our entrees about 20 minutes later and we were not disappointed.  I got the grilled butterfish and my wife got the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.  We both wanted the pork but I was being nice and let her get it.  The pork was cooked medium well wrapped in bacon and covered in a honey BBQ sauce, all of this was on top of grits and collard greens.  The pork was cooked perfect and the BBQ sauce was some of the best I have tasted.  I wasn't a big fan of the grits or greens although I have to say the grits were creamy and rich but the greens were far too biter for my taste.  My butterfish was sushi grade fish and was seared on the outside and almost raw on the inside.  It was so tender and sweet and came with a side of squid ink linguine.  The pasta was thick and a dark black color, cooked al dente and had big chunks of tender lobster meat mixed in and topped with a saffron aioli.  The only problem I had with this dish was that the fish was topped with way too many shaved raw red onion and it over powered you palate, I pushed most of them off and and it was so much better, the onion almost killed the dish.

          My wife decided that she wanted dessert so we got the chocolate dessert they offered.  It was good it came with two chocolate fudge rectangles on top of chocolate cookies along witha mascarpone ice cream and a pomegranate juice reduction.  The fudge was velvety smooth, the cookies were crispy and the ice cream stole the show.  The tart pomegranate with the sweetness of the ice cream just married so well, I could have had a big bowl of just that ice cream.
          Overall I would say that Avenue B isn't on the same level as some of the top restaurants in the city but it is very close to it.  They have to make a few tweaks to the garnishes that accompany the main dishes and it would be right up there.  I loved almost everything about this place from the small size of the restaurant to the quality of the food.  I would go back here for sure it was well worth the money.



Overall 8 of 10

Food 8 of 10

Price 7.5 of 10

Service 8 of 10

Avenue B

5501 Center Ave

Pittsburgh, PA 15232

Evolution Grille

          About two weeks ago my wife and I went to Evolution with a group of friends on my dads recommendation.  I first have to tell you this place is in Sarver PA about 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh but I thought I would review it anyways.  I am not saying that my dad doesn't know good food but I was skeptical that being that this place is in a strip mall it wouldn't have food that I liked.
          We got there around 6 and the place was pretty quiet which got me scared.  We were seated and the server told us the daily specials and we ordered our appetizers.  For our appetizers we got the crabmeat bruschetta and the potato peiroghi for the table.
          The appetizers came out and the bruschetta was big enough to eat for an entree.  The lump crabmeat is sauteed in a garlic butter and put on top of a sliced ciabatta bread along with ripe chopped tomatoes.  So simple but so good, after I tasted this I knew my original opinion of the restaurant was wrong.  The app was light and refreshing with the sweetness of the crab along with the bite of the garlic and tomatoes, its just classic Italian flavors.  The peiroghi were good but nothing out of this world, they were cooked in butter and topped with caramelized onions and sour cream.  I am Polish so I think I know my peirogies, but I could be wrong.  They were fresh made and the filling was cheesy and tender.  The bread basket also came out at that time and my wife told me I had to try it, the butter was a carmel amaretto butter and it was out of this world.  The waiter told us that they change the flavors of the butter all the time and my dad said he has never had the same flavor twice and they are always good.

          After a few minutes our entrees came out, my wife and I both got the same thing the seafood pasta.  The pasta in this dish was a hand cut Pappardelle pasta, you could tell they were fresh and not out of a box and they had a nice al dente texture.  The seafood in the dish were shrimp and scallops, they were cooked perfect.  The scallops were fork tender and the shrimp were a nice pink color and cooked just through and not rubbery like they can become.  This all was topped with a sherry cream sauce which tasted like an alfredo sauce.  I loved this dish, the only suggestion I have is more seafood in the dish, there were only four shrimp and three scallops in the dish.  At the end of the meal I couldn't finish it all and I never leave food on the plate.
          So in the end I would say that this place would be able to hold its own down in the city.  I was skeptical going in but when we left the place was packed and people were waiting out in the cold for food here.  In my opinion I would say that it is well worth the drive out of the city and you will be very surprised.  I guess I have to tell my dad his restaurant choices aren't all that bad (or I can keep that to myself).

Overall 7.5 of 10

Food 8 of 10

Price 8 of 10

Service 7 of 10

Evolution Grille

123 Mulone Drive

Sarver, PA 16055

BRGR

          Last Friday my wife and I were in Cranberry visiting her grandmother and we planned to visit BRGR afterwards.  We arrived around 5ish after trying to figure out where the restaurant was located.  There are two levels to the Cranberry Mall and they are on the lower level near the movie theater.  There is plenty of parking available.
          After the huge success that was Spoon a few weeks ago I figured I have to try their sister restaurant BRGR.  When you get there you notice just how big BRGR is, it probably sits 100+.  The front of looks to open up during the warmer months.  It is very well designed with a huge center bar and lots of table and booths. 
          We were really hungry so we started out with the salty caramel shakes on the recommendation of our waitress.  She gave us a few minutes to figure out what we wanted and took our order, I got the double yoi burger and my wife made her own burger and we also got a side of fries that are portioned for two to share.
          The waitress brought out our shakes and I must say I was disappointed.  What she brought us was two empty glasses with the salty caramel sauce drizzled on the inside of it and the metal containers that the shakes were made in.  Look I am not looking to be amazed but I can get that at any crappy bar around, if I am paying $8 for a drink I want them to put some effort into the look of the drink as well as it tasting good.  All the shake was, was a vanilla bean base with Bourbon mixed in and the salted caramel on the glass itself.  All I could taste was the Bourbon, and the caramel just stuck to the glass and really added nothing to the shake.  It was a waste of $8, I would rather go to Steak N'Shake and get one there. 
          Our burgers and fries came out and they looked great.  Mine was on a butter toasted bun topped with a fried egg, pastrami, cole slaw and a thousand island dressing.  My wife's was basically just a normal burger, onion, lettuce, cheese, etc.  We asked for our burgers to be cooked to medium, they were medium well but still very moist so I can't really complain.  The biggest problem I had was about half way through the burger my bun got saturated with the dressing from the cole slaw and just started to fall apart in my hands.  It just turned into a mess.  My wife like her burger it also was a bit overcooked but good just the same.  The fries were very good, they were topped with herbs and Parmesan cheese.  They were hot and crispy and the herbs and cheese just made it that they didn't even need ketchup.
          Overall I would say that after a great meal I had at Spoon, BRGR was way below expectations.  If you are in the area go for it, the burgers are worth the money, can't say the same for the shakes.  Burgatory is all around better though and I will remain a Burgatory customer and pass on BRGR.  I don't know if this was just a bad experience at the Cranberry shop and maybe the original on in East Liberty would be better.  In the end I would say if you want good food go to Spoon, if you want good burgers go to Burgatory.  I really wanted to like it I really really did.  Spoon is a success maybe they should focus more on BRGR and it will get to that same level it has everything that is needed it just needs some fine tuning.

Overall 7 of 10

Price 8 of 10

Food 6.5 of 10

Service 7 of 10

BRGR

20111 Rt. 19 & Freedom Rd.

Cranberry, PA 16066

Spoon

          This past Saturday my wife and I met up with a group of friends for dinner at Spoon.  I have been wanting to go here for awhile and decided to go for my birthday. 
          When you walk into spoon it says classy but down to earth.  We got there early and the maitre d' asked if we wanted to wait for the others in the lounge or at the bar, we picked the lounge.  It was beautiful, they have a gas fireplace, two huge comfy chairs and a couch there to wait.  The bar and lounge have been decorated for Christmas and was classy and festive.  The bartender came over and took our drink orders while we waited.
          When the rest of our party arrived we were seated and our waitress took the rest of the drink orders.  After awhile of catching up and BS'ing the waitress came back to take our orders.  My wife got the classic caesar salad and I got the hot and cold salmon.  No one else ordered apps which made me just feel like a fatty but hey I wanted to taste as much as I could while I was there.  The waitress also took our entree orders at that point, I got the duck two ways, my wife got the miso glazed butterfish, our one friend got the duo of pork and the three others got the chicken pasta.

          After our orders were taken our waitress brought out a basket of bread, this was the best bread basket I have ever had.  There were cream cheese and chive biscuit, cheddar cornbread and sliced french bread.  The biscuits were excellent, soft and moist with the chive flavor really standing out.  Next, the cornbread, it was dense and the sharpness of the cheese paired with the sweetness of the bread.  Finally, the french bread, it was nice and crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside.
          After about 20 minutes our apps came out, my wives salad was full romaine heart leaves coated with cesar dressing and homemade croutons.  The lettuce was bright green and crisp and the croutons were crunchy and seasoned well.  The salmon was excellent the "hot" was a smoked salmon on a bed of fennel puree and onions cooked to a perfect medium.  This was fall apart tender and had a nice hint of hickory smokiness to it.  The "cold" was salmon in a green onion crepe with a dill creme fraiche along with a horseradish and beet vinaigrette.  The crepe was paper thin and the vinaigrette gave it a nice spicy sour kick while the creme fraiche cooled it all down.
          I have to admit when I saw pictures of the food online I thought we would leave hungry, you won't.  Our entrees came out and the portions were way bigger than I expected.  My wives butterfish was good but a little too sweet for me.  However she said if you ate the fish with the rice and broccolini it really cut back on the sweetness.  Her dish also came with a crab spring roll which had a chili glaze on it, it was fantastic a little spicy but nothing over the top hot.  My duck two ways was excellent, it was duck breast over a confit of duck leg and potato hash with a pomegranate reduction and baby turnips and carrots.  The duck breast was cooked to medium and was so moist with a thin layer of fat on top.  The roasted potatoes went well with the duck leg meat and pomegranate reduction.  The star of the dish to me was surprisingly the duck leg confit, it collected all of the juices fro the breast and mixed with the sauce and had so much flavor.  The only negative to this dish was the turnips they were so sweet they almost killed the dish, it just didn't flow with how perfect the rest of the dish is. Our friends dishes looked really good too, the chicken pasta was roasted chicken breasts over homemade cavatelli pasta topped with ricotta, walnuts and parma coteghino, everyone loved it.  I would have to say our picky friend got what looked to be the best dish of the night, the duo of pork, it just looked so good.  Roasted pork tenderloin over a bed of braised cabbage and sweet potato pierogies with homemade sausage along with a cider mustard sauce.  I have to get that next time I go there. 
          After all that our waitress asked if we wanted dessert and it was my birthday so we said sure.  We got the apple dessert as did one couple we were wither, the other couple got the homemade ice creams, they got the vanilla cardamom and the chocolate brownie.  The apple dessert was so good.  It was a cinnamon coffee cake topped with a confit of apples and bourbon ice cream along with a raisin puree.  The cake was moist and started to absorb the melting ice cream and the glaze from the apples.  To tell you the truth I thought the raisin puree was apple butter everything just flowed so well together.  Now for the ice creams, the vanilla was great you got just a hint of the cardamom which tastes like a mix of ginger and cinnamon and was the perfect ending to the meal.  The chocolate brownie must have had a coffee or espresso in the title and we all missed it because it was like eating frozen coffee.  I am not a coffee drinker so I thought it was disgusting but if you like coffee this is the one for you.
          Up until this point I would say Salt of the Earth or Piccolo Forno were my favorites but now I would say Spoon has earned a spot right beside Salt.  I will go back her and make sure I tell anyone who listens about it.  It was a great time with good friends and great food.

Overall 9.5 of 10

Food 9.5 of 10

Price 9 of 10

Service 9 of 10

Spoon

134 South Highland Ave

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Round Corner Cantina

          It has been awhile since we went out with my cousin so we made plans for Saturday.  We were thinking Spoon, E2 or Ave B but after some consideration and knowing the holidays were right around the corner we sprung for something a little bit cheaper and went with Round Corner Cantina.
          When you arrive here it doesn't seem like you are at the right place, it just seems like a bar.  When you go in there is a door in the back of the bar and it leads to a small dining room in the back with about ten tables in it.  The room is very poorly lit with pub style tables.  It is seat yourself and first come, there are menus on the table.  The menu is small and reasonably priced, mostly tacos and tortillas.
          After looking over the menu we placed our orders and received our tortillas and guacamole a few minutes later.  The chips were freshly fried and still warm when they were brought out.  I love a salty tortilla chip and these were very well salted.  I am not a huge fan of guacamole but I must say it was pretty good, it was creamy with a hint of lime and jalapenos on top if you like some heat.
          Our tacos came out about ten minutes later, my wife and I ordered three different kinds of tacos.  They are about the same size of your standard make at home tacos, so three each filled us up.  They come in pairs and average about $7.50.  We got the Taco de Pescado (Mahi Mahi), Taco de Carnitas (Slow Roasted Pork) and Taco de Puerco (Pork Belly).  My cousin got the Tamales and the Tacos De Huitlacoche (Corn Truffle).
          The Mahi Mahi was really god they were coated in tempura batter and fried, then topped with crema, cabbage and radish.  The fish was cooked golden brown and crispy, the crema and cabbage gave it a bit of a sour and bitter taste too which paired well with the fish.  The Roasted Pork tacos were the best on the table, tender pork topped with cool cucumber and a squirt of lime made it perfect.  All the flavors just flowed right with this one.  Now for the Pork Belly, the one I saved for last because I was most excited to try this one.  Awful, look I know pork belly is fatty but this was pure lard with very little meat.  My wife ate it all, she thought it was supposed to taste like that.  My cousin and I had a good laugh about that.  It was disgusting and I thought it couldn't get much worse but then I tried my cousins tacos, but we will get there soon.
          First to her Tamales, they were good, you got two huge chicken tamales for $7.00.  They came out wrapped in the corn husk and were moist.  The masa was creamy and the chicken and queso fresco all blended together very well.  My only complaint would be that it needed something, some type of seasoning in it.  It came with a salsa verde that tasted pretty good so I guess all together it worked well.  Now for her tacos, disgusting, they were some type of corn truffle, which I have never heard of.  The toppings on it was corn and potatoes but that didn't help anything.  I tried them after my cousin did and I should have trusted her reaction.  Needless to say I will trust her facial expressions from now on. The texture of the taco was mush on mush, even the corn and potatoes by themselves just tasted bad.  We tried each component by itself and all together to see if we were missing something, we weren't.  These tacos were some of the worst tasting things I have ever placed in my mouth. 


          Would I go back?  Possibly, but I do have to say Piccolo Forno is right across the street for right around the same price.  If you want authentic Mexican and you know what you like then this place is good, but I do know I normally like pork belly.  In the end I know I would have preferred the place across the street, but I always want to try something new.

Overall 6.5 of 10

Food 5.5 of 10

Price 7 of 10

Service 7 of 10

Round Corner Cantina

3720 Butler St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Burgatory

          On our way home from New Orleans on Saturday my wife and I were starving and wanted something filling so I suggested Burgatory since we have been there before.  Burgatory is a first come first served place so when we got there at 2:30 there was a 30 min. wait.  We decided to go shopping around the Waterworks plaza while we waited for our table to be ready.  We got back to the restaurant about 25 mins later and they said our table was ready.
          When you walk in you get the feeling that it is a sports bar with all the TVs and huge bar right in the middle of the floor.  It also has a modern feel to it with the dark booths, flaming towers and bright red lights coming from behind the Burgatory logo.
          Our waitress came over and took our drink order and we decided to make a custom creation burger for our lunch/dinner.  They have a full menu including apps and meals that take a fork and spoon to eat but they are known for their burgers.  They have a checklist to make your own burgers or you can choose from a list of their burgers with the toppings of their choosing. 
          They have many choices for their custom burgers starting with six different proteins.  Then you choose what type of bun you want it on they will even serve it open faced.  After that you get into the rubs for your burger, I like the Angel Dust but all of them are good.  Cheese is next up on your journey it only costs $1 and there nine different choices ranging from common cheddar to not so common Gorgonzola.  Sauces are then up to bat, 18 different ones there, some crazy ones like banana ketchup but all that I have had are good.  Then come the Pimpin' toppings that are all $1 extra 14 of them in all but most are common to a good burger.  Finally are the no buck toppings which are pretty much anything you would have in your home for a burger.  After all that you pick your doneness and you are good to go just give the slip to the waitress and wait for your creation.
          I got the beef burger cooked to pick in the middle (medium) on the herbed focaccia bun.  My cheese was sharp provolone, with the angel dust rub.  All my toppings were onion straws, romaine lettuce, red onion, poblano peppers, cucumbers and its topped with the chipotle sour cream.  My wife got the beef burger cooked to light pink (medium-well) on the whole wheat bun.  She also got the provolone and angel dust.  Her toppings were bacon, red onion, onion straws, iceberg lettuce, tomato and bread and butter pickles.  We both opted for the fries, which are $1 more than the chips that they normally come with, they are 100% worth it.
          It took awhile to get our food but they were busy and I was hungry so maybe it just felt like a long time.  When the food came out it was worth the wait.  The burgers were cooked to the perfect doneness that we requested and the toppings are portioned just right not to over power the burger.  The fries were cooked just right with just enough crunch and sprinkled with the angel dust rub which just puts them over the top.
          After we were done our waitress asked us if we saved room for shakes but we never do.  I have heard that they do have some of the best shakes around.  One day I will get one but for now I will have to  rely on word of mouth.  I hear the caramel pretzel shake is the best on the menu.
          Would I go back?  For sure and I tell everyone about this place any chance I get.  For $30 its the place you can go to any time you want a really good burger or shake.  You can't go wrong here its just down to earth with a touch of class American burger place.

Overall 9 of 10

Food 9 of 10

Price 9 of 10

Service 8 of 10

Burgatory

932 Freeport Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15238