Eggs-R-Us

Being that tomorrow is Easter, it only seemed appropriate that we spend our Saturday Breakfast at a restaurant dedicated to eggs. (Ha, ha.) Eggs-R-Us is in the Crafton neighborhood of Pittsburgh, not too far from us, in a little strip mall that houses this diner's diner.

We were lucky enough to grab the last available table. This is one busy little place! It feels like the kind of place you love to go to for Saturday morning breakfast. It has a busy atmosphere, with tables and booths as close together as possible, and staff that navigates around like nothing, always with big smiles for everyone.  Very comfortable and warm.

The kitchen is exposed to the dining area, which I think takes some of the mystery out of things. (Definitely not a bad thing!) Service was pretty quick for as busy as they were, but while you wait it's fun to enjoy some of the cool pictures on the wall. My favorite is this one from Breakfast at Tiffany's. (Those are eggs on the wall behind the frame.) So classic.

It is a classic diner, so not a whole lot in the way of healthy, non-grilled, greasy food. Husband did pretty well however by picking the Body Builder Breakfast (5-egg white omelette with tomatoes, peppers, and onions, and wheat toast) and the obligatory pancake on the side (which was absolutely ginormous, by the way) but I succumbed to the French Toast Breakfast Sandwich (2-eggs atop grilled French toast with melted cheese and bacon) with a side of hash browns.

I really like this place for its friendliness. It can't be easy to run a diner, (this one is apparently family-owned) and we've been a lot of places where the food just isn't served with smiles. This place is the real deal, and no doubt has won over many of the locals who come back time and again. Yay for diners!

Square Café

Breakfast in Pittsburgh on this rainy Saturday morning took us to the Square Café in the Swissvale neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It's an uber-trendy little place with amazing selections and great people-watching.

Right off the parkway East, the café is neatly situated on a busy street in Regent Square. Spring is just now popping out, so the flowery trees made it feel just a bit less dreary today. The place was very busy, filled with couples, families, and other groups out to enjoy what is certainly one of The best breakfasts in the city.

The decor in the dining area is so bright and fun - The art on the walls is available for purchase, and today it was all kinds of 3D, art-deco, local artist selections. Lots of fun! The tables are as close together as can possibly be, but don't expect to talk to the folks sitting next to you (unlike last week's adventure).

The menu was really hard to choose from - Unlike so many places in Pittsburgh, Square Café Really has an interesting selection. Husband went for the Leek & Goat Cheese Scramble, that came with homefries & toast, and I nearly picked the Challah French Toast, until I was swayed by the "special" (soon to be found on their revised menu) oatmeal pancakes topped with peaches, chopped pecans, and homemade whipped cream. There was also a splendid selection of herbal teas, from which I picked a yummy organic chamomile spearmint. Needless to say, everything was absolutely amazing. And the presentation was so cute - I loved the bright and interesting ceramics!

On our way home, we drove past the Homewood Cemetery, and we couldn't resist stopping by for a stroll on such a gloomy day.  It's one of those really old, historic places, with a whole lot of "notable" Pittsburghers including Mellon, Frick, Benedum, Alderdice, and Heinz. Here's a few pictures of some special places we found...

 

 

Trolley Barn Eatery

Saturday Breakfast Adventures in Pittsburgh continue... Tucked away in a tiny strip mall in Castle Shannon borough is the Trolley Barn Eatery. A very small establishment with a whole lot of heart!

Had to drop my car off for an inspection today, and we remembered visiting here one time before with a friend, conveniently just down the road from the auto shop. This place has got to be the best example of a friendly, neighborhood restaurant.

When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by the owner, who asked us if we had been here before (it has been a while) and directed us to the counter where the menu is found on the wall, and orders are placed. You're responsible for pouring your own coffee, and grabbing your own syrup, jelly, etc. before sitting down where the kitchen staff will bring out your food. It's a cute little system, which surprisingly didn't feel at all like a cafeteria, but rather cozy and intimate.

Castle Shannon is a very small little community, and this is a place where "everybody knows your name." We arrived shortly after the 8am opening, and already several tables were filled with folks who knew each other and shared neighborly banter across tables. Twice while we were dining, it was a customer who came around and offered to refill our coffee! Even though we didn't know anyone, it felt like we were guests at a really casual dinner party.  Really nice.

The food was really good - I would even deem it better than last week's meal. Husband had the #2 (eggs, sausage & pancakes) and I picked the blueberry pancake special with bacon. Nothing too fancy to be sure, but very delicious and hearty serving sizes for such a low price.

Definitely a small town feel about this restaurant, despite being part of the city of Pittsburgh. Makes me a little nostalgic for my little hometown of Rochelle, IL. Love it!

The Original Pancake House

A dreary day in Pittsburgh today - cold, gray and freezing rain. So what can be more cheerful than a giant plateful of pancakes? Morning errands took us to the Greentree neighborhood of Pittsburgh and just down the road on top of a hill sits the Original Pancake House right next door to a Denny's restaurant. These are the only two businesses on the hill. The OPH looks like a newer build, with young landscaping, so does that mean they specifically chose the location to siphon off business from their competitor? Just sayin...

We arrived around 8:30 and I was surprised to not have to wait in any sort of line. There is a really large waiting area, and signs posted "we will not seat incomplete parties" indicating that they are expecting to be busy. So we sat down right away and received great service. The menu was quite informative. I now know that the OHP is not "original" to Pittsburgh, but is in fact a chain founded in Portland, OR in 1953 and is now all over the country. I even got a great definition of a pancake:

"Pancakes are the very old beginnings of bread and pastry. Generally a pancake is any kind of batter, fried or baked in a skillet, on a griddle, or on any hot surface. The peoples of all nationalities have made pancakes from time immemorial."

So now you know. I counted nearly 20 different ways to have your pancakes served. But the extensive menu doesn't stop there. Also available are a wide selection of omelets, crepes, waffles, and egg selections. 

Portions are extremely large. The plates are saucer-sized and my little camera had to stand way back to get everything in one shot. A funny breakfast habit I have is dipping my bacon in syrup. So I had to try their bacon waffle. (Add chopped/cooked bacon to the waffle batter.) And husband ordered an Irish omelet (corned beef & hash) with granola pancakes. 

The omelet was SO big, we ended up taking half of it home. We'll see if it's able to hold up as decent leftovers. The bacon waffle was quite convenient for me, and the granola pancakes seemed to be one of the only choices that didn't include a super-sweet topping. 

So even though it's not original or unique to Pittsburgh, it's a good choice for Saturday breakfast for the very hungry who appreciate a varied menu. 

My favorite part of the restaurant is the cute front doors!

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!