Café Vita - Oakmont

Thanks to the clever marketing powers of Groupon, we began this blustery Saturday morning with a 20 minute drive from Pittsburgh along the Allegheny river to the quaint borough of Oakmont. There we found our Saturday Breakfast destination of Café Vita, right in the heart of an adorable business district. One of several little shops along Allegheny River Blvd, Café Vita is as cute as can be, and even on a Saturday morning had a very romantic atmosphere.

The Groupon we purchased is strictly for dinner, so our breakfast escapade was really just an added bonus, since we're always looking for someplace different on the weekends. There was only one other table filled while we were there at 10am, so we were able to enjoy excellent service in an intimate setting, with classical music playing in the background and a mural of a little street corner in Venice. Very nice.

The menu is definitely a welcome change from the normal diner fare we so often experience. I chose the Apple and Brie omelette served with Breadworks Tuscan toast, and husband picked the frittata which was sauteed with veggies, mozzarella & pesto. And a pancake on the side.

For my part, the food was not as amazing as I expected it to be. It wasn't presented particularly beautifully, and lacked a bit of flavor (with the exception of the Breadworks bread which was absolutely fantabulous). Maybe different menu items would have made me think differently(?) But the overall atmosphere of the restaurant completely made up for any culinary shortcomings.

Their website bills it as "Oakmont's Rustic Italian Cafe" and I would definitely agree it has just that feel about it. Overall, I am really looking forward to coming back to Café Vita for our Groupon dinner - maybe even for husband's birthday next month!

Tom's Diner

Ahhh - Saturday Breakfast in Pittsburgh = yum, yum, yum! Today we headed to Tom's Diner in Dormont. Third time we've been in Dormont for Saturday breakfast this year, and curiously enough, also the 3rd of Tom's Diner's we've visited in Pittsburgh. (Penny's Diner on South Side and OPA! in Castle Shannon are also part of the crew.) So while the menus aren't *exactly* the same, let's just say there's a fair amount of déjà vu going on. 

This is definitely my favorite of the three - it has totally captured the whole 50's Diner thing, right down to the shiny chrome tables and sparkled plastic booths. Feels like "the" place to go after school to see and be seen, with the girls in poodle skirts and the guys in leather jackets.

I love the changing seasons in Pittsburgh, and the best part of this time of year is the fall harvest. And you know what that brings to breakfast menus across the country . . . PUMPKIN PANCAKES!!!!  Happily, Tom had them as a melt-in-your-mouth special today, so that was my pick, along with a side of bacon. And husband found yumminess in the form of Greek breakfast burrito - eggs, gyro meat, tomatoes, feta, rolled in a tortilla with a side of gyro sauce.

 

Tom's Diner is definitely a Pittsburgh classic, and has the ambiance to boot. So all in all a safe bet for Saturday breakfast in Pittsburgh.

Mrs. V's Grill

A busy morning ended with a ridiculously late (noon!) breakfast in Pittsburgh this rainy Saturday morning. On the list for today was Mrs. V's Grill on Brownsville Road. It's a place we drive past often but have never stopped.  It is a little store front in a tiny shopping strip of Brentwood, across the street from the borough building and next door to a Himalayan grocery store, and a guitar shop (more on that later).

Since it was officially the lunch hour, we expected to fight off the lunch crowd for some breakfast, but instead arrived to an empty restaurant. And not empty because they were closed, but a little sign was on the door "back in 5 min, went to bank". Never in our 11 years in the city have I seen anything so small-town. Very cute. And when I say empty, I mean nobody was even in the kitchen!

Since it was so late, we weren't about to give up to find another place to eat, so we grabbed our own menus and waited (just a few minutes) for someone to return. And if I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was Mrs. V herself who came rushing back full of apologies for the wait. A super sweet little old lady who could put on a red & white outfit at Christmas to pass as Mrs. Claus. It was a good thing we were the only ones there, as the poor thing was both waitress and head chef!

The breakfast menu at Mrs. V's Grill is definitely homemade but not very "inspired", and the prices are shockingly low. I picked the #1 with over easy, sausage & Italian, and husband chose a Swiss & ham omelet with a short stack on the side. It was a little awkward ordering from our little friend, knowing she had to run back and cook everything herself. A few more people came in after us, making her day a little busier.

After breakfast, we couldn't resist taking a peek inside the Himalayan grocery store next door. It is a super small place with a bunch of unique fresh produce and all kinds of other bizarre non-food items. According to an interesting review I found, it caters to the "sizable population of Nepalis" in the Pittsburgh area. Who knew?? It was a place I would have expected to see in the Strip District, and was definitely a culture shock.  And before heading back to the car, we also stopped by South Hills Music which is an even smaller store front guitar shop. And husband is now signed up for his first guitar lesson! Who knew??