IKEA

We made a bold step earlier this week and removed our TV from our living room. (gasp!) So far, so good, but we found ourselves in need of a coffee table. Pittsburgh is so lucky to have an IKEA, and when I saw they have breakfast, I had to try it out - and what a beautiful Saturday morning - sunny and blue skies!

The restaurant opens at 9:30 (1/2 hour before the rest of the store.) We arrived a little after 10, but experienced absolutely no waiting. The old adage "You get what you pay for" is beyond textbook for what is passed off as food-stuff at breakfast time here. It's almost comical - the regular breakfast platter is $0.99 (scrambled "eggs", potatoes, and a heap of bacon) and the deluxe is $1.99 (all the regular plus "French toast sticks"). I can't make this stuff up. And they're not skimpy portions, either. But really, really inedible.  Note I put "eggs" in quotation marks.  Perhaps a question mark would have been more fitting.  And I'm sorry to say, the French toast sticks were deep fried.  Yikes! The decor of the restaurant is pretty cool, they use all the things they sell to decorate, but I still left hungry.

 

The good news is we found the perfect table. It's black-brown to match the bookcases in the living room, rounded so the boys can run around safely, and not too modern looking to match the rest of the house. So success! 

Will I continue shopping at IKEA? You know it! Will I ever be tempted to eat a $0.99 meal? Not on your life!

1889 Cafe

Once upon a time, before we began our hobby of hunting down places to find Saturday breakfast in Pittsburgh, husband and I spent many evenings seeking out romantic dinner spots. One of our favorites became the 1889 Cafe on Carson Street, right in the heart of Pittsburgh's South Side. So we were really excited to find out that they also served Saturday breakfast!

The back of their menu provides a nice description of the neighborhood:

"Welcome To The South Side"

Stroll down Carson Street - notice our fine old examples 

of Victorian architecture and the many restored 

commercial buildings and homes. Browse through our 

art galleries, antique shops and bookstores.

These days, this area is widely known for its college-crowd night life. But this-morning was a bright, sunshiny Saturday with no signs of the nighttime crowds. The inside of the restaurant is just as historic looking as the outside. 

The booths are cozy and I love the way the glass and half-curtains provide an extra sense of intimacy. The building was built in the year of its namesake (1889) and the dark wood gives the feeling of an old Pittsburgh tavern. There is a bar area, and a flat screen TV kept us up to date with CNN.  

The breakfast menu is rather simple, but this place really is about the atmosphere so it certainly wasn't a drawback. Lots of omelet selections, (including a "pizza" made with pepperoni & mozzarella, which is new to me!) I chose the Texas French toast, and husband went for the greek omelet (with a pancake on the side.) I had to ask the difference between the regular French toast and the "Texas". I was told that the Texas is made with thicker bread (though what I received didn't seem too over-sized.)

The place wasn't very busy, so we got lots of personal attention and conversation from our waitress. And the restaurant owner was there and caught me snapping pictures. We confessed that we were doing this breakfast blog, and we had a great discussion about being a restaurant owner and how business has changed with the economy recently.

I'm so glad we found them to be open on a Saturday morning. And I can't wait to return for a visit for another romantic evening. They have the most amazing artichoke casserole... perhaps I can convince husband to take me here for dinner some night this week??  (hint, hint...)

First Watch

Today's Breakfast in Pittsburgh took us to FirstWatch, part of the new shopping center at Settlers Ridge going out towards the airport.  Normally I look forward to seeking out the old, local hang-outs during our Saturday treks, but it was actually refreshing to eat at a new, clean establishment after last week's misadventure.

Apparently, FirstWatch is a national chain of breakfast/lunch restaurants, specializing in "fresh and friendly" breakfast all day dishes.  They did not disappoint! The food was very enjoyable, and I'm not sure how they pulled it off, but they found the most cheerful people in the entire Pittsburgh area to work as servers.

The menu is very cleverly written and the daily specials written on a giant chalk board on the wall in full color. The portion sizes are extra large and very filling. I chose the breakfast casserole consisting of fluffy eggs, ham,  spinach and a hollandaise sauce on top of a very light croissant, and husband ordered the special which was something south-of-the-borderish, with eggs, black beans, guacamole and a little tomato in flour tortillas. Oh, and the obligatory extra pancake. Both came with little servings of fresh fruit, which were delicious.

If you're not a morning person, be warned. The staff here is really, really friendly and will go out of their way to try to put a smile on your face! The menu also directed you to their website to find out information on franchising. I think if ever I was motivated to open a restaurant, this might be a fun start. There is a great menu and obviously a great work ethic. Good times!

Barb's Corner Kitchen

Having a breakfast task like our Saturday adventures can be compared to a Forest Gump's box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.  So I guess taking the good with the bad is part of the fun (??)  So it is with Barb's Corner Kitchen (& Back Room Pub and Grill) in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood.

(picture snapped from the front of the menu, as this artist's rendition is much prettier than real life. Maybe it's because we aren't "Good Friends" as the by-line states, or maybe I'm just reading too much into things...)


The restaurant seems to be composed of two parts, with the kitchen area on the left entrance, and the pub & grill closed off in the morning.  Nearly all of the tables were filled while we were there, and service was quite quick.  But the place itself was quite run down and not very pretty.

The menu is typical breakfast with lots of eggs, hash browns and pork products. We both ordered off the section of the menu claiming to be the "famous" everyday breakfast specials.  Not sure what made them famous, but I chose the Southern Style, and husband the Bigman's Farm Style.

I guess it's been a while since I lived in the South, so I shouldn't have been so surprised when not only were the biscuits covered with gravy, but so were the eggs & potatoes - Yikes! And they must have been running low on sausage links, because instead of 2 of them and 2 bacon, it was 1 and 3.  The pancakes weren't too bad, and the bread was quite good, if not a little too saturated in what we are supposed to believe is butter.

So the food wasn't the best, and neither was the general atmosphere.  But the help was very friendly.

The best part about Barb's is it is directly across the street from the Allegheny Cemetery. It was a rainy, dreary day which seemed perfect for a drive through the 300 acres of this hauntingly beautiful place which has been around since the mid 1800's. Signs as we were driving in advertised guided tours available which sounds really intriguing. Definitely the best part of today's adventure!

Luckily Pittsburgh is filled with historic and interesting spots like this to visit, so whenever we come across a not-so-awesome Saturday breakfast spot, there's always the next piece of chocolate in the box.

Caffe Davio

Caffe Davio bills itself as "A diner by day, the heart of Sicily at night." As intriguing as this sounds, we were just there for breakfast this Saturday. Located at 2516 East Carson St. in Pittsburgh's South Side, Davio's is a very small storefront restaurant with just 10 tables with seating for just 24 at my count. So a very cozy place for a nice breakfast.

This seems to be a pretty popular place, though the southside is not very busy in the mornings as a general rule. We got lucky and only waited a couple minutes to be seated. (No standing in line outside this Saturday!) The kitchen is completely open to the dining area, so no secrets. I love the pictures on the wall...very cupid & romantic. I imagine the atmosphere becomes even more adorable after dark.

But that will have to wait for another day, as this visit was all about breakfast. The menu was thankfully just one page, plus a couple of chalkboard specials. For some reason the oatmeal and fruit sounded good to me today, and husband wanted a variety, so he chose a Greek frittata with home fries, toast & one pancake.  The Greek included mushrooms, black olives, spinach & feta, and the potatoes were sauteed with onions. The bread is made locally by Breadworks and is absolutely fabulous. And you can see how fat and juicy the blueberries were - yummy! (Sadly however the oatmeal tasted instant.)

The waitresses (2) were both quite quirky - very sweet but not overly attentive. And neither of them could seem to figure out how to make the water hot enough to brew tea. So lukewarm chamomile it was. (But no worries, as there's a Caribou Coffee within walking distance which was our next stop!)

I liked the minimalist menu, as it gives me the sense that an emphasis can be kept on quality selections. Maybe one evening we'll come back and see what the heart of Sicily is like.

 

Deluca's

Apparently Deluca's in the Strip District is the Mecca of all breakfast spots in Pittsburgh. Every time we go by on a Saturday morning there is a line stretching down the block. Oh, and their signage all proclaims it to be the "Best Breakfast in Town". So off we went, to see what all the hype is about!

This isn't the first Saturday this year we've spent in the Strip District. Even in cold weather (like today) outdoor vendors abound. The picture above gives just a glimpse of one store who pulls out their handmade sweaters, scarfs & hats, beckoning to the crazy folks who have decided to stand outdoors in the middle of February!

Inside the restaurant the line is much shorter, seems they eliminated any sort of waiting area and replaced it with tables instead. Makes sense when you're this popular! It's a long, narrow restaurant with counter seating running down one side and a couple rows of booths down the other.






We were seated at a table waaaay in the back. I'm actually kinda glad because I think I would have felt uncomfortable eating next to the giant mural of semi-clothed Ancient Romans lounging on the grass (??)

So why are these guys voted the best breakfast in Pittsburgh? I thought maybe the menu would help clue me in with some signature dish or something truly unique. I didn't find anything like that, but the menu is quite extensive for breakfast - 2 full pages. They did have a specials board, and since I'm not one to make up my mind quickly on an empty stomach, I decided to go with one of them - pumpkin pancakes with scrambled eggs & bacon. And husband picked a greek omelet made with chicken, tomato, spinach & feta, that came with hash browns, toast and an extra pancake.

I have to admit the food really was delicious. It doesn't look like much in this picture (taken from my camera...) but everything came together perfectly. The bacon was even done just the way I love it - not too burned - and the pumpkin pancakes had exactly the right spices.

The prices were some of the highest we've seen, but I guess when you have this much of a following, you can pretty much charge whatever you want. For as busy as they were, we didn't wait too long. Deluca's employs plenty of servers to help move through what seemed to be mainly locals enjoying a Pittsburgh tradition. I can't claim this is my favorite place in town, but it definitely is a slice of local culture. "Best Breakfast in Town" ?  We'll see...

Oh, and I just love clever things. And I thought this was a great solution to those sticky syrup pitchers you see so often at breakfast places - a top like you would use for olive oil, and in a re-used ketchup bottle! (Yes, I know, it doesn't take much to impress me ;)

Pamela's Diner in Millvale

At last count, there are 6 different "Pamela's" in the Pittsburgh area, all with awesome breakfast selections, and all with different ambiance. Sounds like they are a chain, but really I think they take over existing locations and share certain menu items. I can't back that up, not being native to Pittsburgh, but they all seem so different. This one in Millvale (right outside Pittsburgh) is half diner and half drug store. The sign on the front window says "Lincoln's P&G" but the menus are clearly Pamela's.

All the parking is off street - we got lucky and found rock star parking (the black Jeep is husband's baby). It was around 10am when we arrived, and we waited in line 10-15 minutes to be seated. A very popular place! [So popular, in fact, this is where Michelle Obama ate when she came to Pittsburgh during their 2008 campaign.] It really has the feel of early 20th century with lots of woodwork and high ceilings (although the music playing in the restaurant today seemed to be all 80's hits like John Cougar and Cindy Lauper...)

The specialty of all the Pamela's restaurants are their crepe pancakes. It's a good thing I don't have the recipe, because I'm sure I would be tempted to make these things every day. They just melt in your mouth. My favorite which seems to be found at all locations are the strawberry hotcakes: crepe hotcakes stuffed with fresh strawberries, brown sugar, sour cream and topped with whipped cream. YUMMY! But today, I decided to pass on all that sugar, and just went for their French Toast & bacon (which arrived pretty burnt) and husband wanted to try it all, so he picked the "Big Lincoln" consisting of eggs, sausage, famous hotcakes and signature lyonnaise potatoes. How can I describe the potatoes - not typical fried hash brown type, kind of creamy with maybe onion or pepper to give it some taste. And the sausage links were okay, but definitely better than siesage (see Quiet Storm post).

We didn't feel right lingering at our table too long after eating, as the line continued to form, so instead we enjoyed a little shopping in the old-time drug store. It had a cute selection of dime store items to complement both the restaurant and the pharmacy.

And how about this creepy mannequin who points the way to the bathrooms ?!?

No doubt we'll be visiting the other Pamela's Diners sometime in our Saturday Breakfast adventures to come, but none can compare to this neat place. To top off our delicious morning, there is an excellent French bakery across the street, and we picked up some amazing treats for later!