Sinfully Good Sushi at Sinobi 2 Go

What started out as a small express eatery in Indiana, PA grew into a larger full-scale restaurant in Tarentum and shrunk back down to a tiny "To-Go" deli-style sushi shop on the less-traveled side streets of Market Square. But the size of Sinobi To Go is no indication of the enormous flavors it puts forth.

With no intention of searching for a reviewable lunch spot, I took a walk outside yesterday afternoon to enjoy the beautiful day. Suddenly I found myself on the side streets of Market Square staring at a new storefront: Sinobi Sushi To Go. It's rare that I can resist the calling of sushi, so I stopped in to check it out.

Sinobi's Market Square spot is definite designed for takeout. One small four-top, a seatless highboy and a few stools at a small counter top are all that grace the floor.  The sushi shop is manned by a very pleasant woman and one sushi chef, and each dish is made fresh to order, so expect a slight (worth it) wait during peak lunch hours.

Diners can choose from a small yet satisfying menu or order a roll of their choice.  I decided to go with the Lightning roll and Bulgogi Festival dog.

 

Bulgogi Festival $3.00

I was ever so slightly underwhelmed with the hot dog.  Being a huge fan of Franktuary's unique dog options I was excited to give this new Asian twist a try.  The dog itself was store bought and microwaved in front of me, but doused with a Kim Chi/Korean Barbecue mixture which certainly helped the cause.  While the idea of Asian Dogs is a good one, I admit I'm more looking forward to the Asian Tacos which the chef told me *might* be coming soon...

Lightning Roll $9.50

My Lightning roll, on the other hand, perfectly hit the spot I didn't know I had. Tuna and asparagus adorned with spicy crabstick and a delicious mystery sauce gave my lunch just the kick it needed on this beautiful afternoon.

Restaurant Info:
Sinobi 2 Go
Address: 435 Market Square
Phone: (412) 251-5510
Reservations: None. Very little seating.
Price: $$

Cliffs Notes:
1 Bulgogi Festival Dog @ $3.00
1 Lightning Roll @ $9.50
Tax (7% in Allegheny County): $0.87
Tip @  $2.00
Total for 1: $15.37

Overall Opinion:
I'll definitely be back (for the sushi) and would absolutely recommend a trip for native and working downtowners.

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Six Reasons to Love D's Six Pax

My friends, it appears PID and I have been missing out.  For months, our Edgewood rooted F.O.R.T.s - along with what feels like every single other Pittsburgher - have been raving about D's Six Pax-n-Dogs. Getting there for us requires crossing one bridge and venturing through one tunnel (the horror...), so it took longer than we might have liked to give it a shot.

But since we were in the area trying out Alma last weekend, we figured we'd pop in. Right away I smelled the delicious pub food emanating from the kitchen. I was completely full from dinner, but was already starting to drool.

So instead of a typical post, I'm going to sum up our experience by giving you six (out of the possible thousands...) reasons to love D's Six Pax-n-Dogs:

1.) A bottle-shop draft menu that'll make a tap-room jealous. A rotating white-board hangs over the bar telling you exactly what you need to know about their unique selection of lagers, lambics, ales and stouts -- the alcohol percentage. (No, that's not the price by the draft name. Let's get real).

2.) A chalice of Framboise. Not a flute, not a glass, a chalice. All too often, I wind up paying too much money for too little Framboise (my weakness).  At D's, you get what you pay for and a few gulps more. I'm sorry to report that I was so enamored by the chalice that I forgot to snap a photo, you'll just have to trust me on this.

3.) Freedom to invent your own hotdog (with the comfort of knowing they've got a few gems of their own to suggest). Even though PID and I had already had an official dinner that evening, we couldn't help but to give the Chicago and Chihuahua dogs a try. Holy guacamole these hotdogs hit it out of the park. Served on a soft and delicious poppy-seed bun, these dogs were busy and big, but man did they taste amazing.

Chicago dog, $3.99

PID's Chicago dog delivered what was promised: a meal fit for a Bull, a Bear and all of her Cubs with competing flavors of pepper and pickles and tomatoes all atop a deliciously juicy Vienna all beef dog.

Chihuahua dog, $3.99

My Chihuahua was certainly a dog with a bite, but with much more massive flavor than its namesake indicates. Had I not just eaten a full meal, I could have eaten five of these suckers.

And the beauty of D's Dogs is that if (for some ridiculous reason) you don't find their menu dogs particularly appealing, you can build you own from scratch - choosing from a list of more than 26 fixin's - and even choose your own meat (or non-meat for our veggie friends).

5.) Not a hotdog person? They've got wings for kings and an impressive list of appetizers.  Our Edgewood F.O.R.T.s ordered the pub fries which I couldn't stop stealing. My arteries may hate me, but my tummy kept thanking me over and over again.

Pub fries, $6.95

5.) The folks are friendly. I'm no spring chicken and sometimes I get a hint of anxiety when I step into a hip, dive bar -- like I'm just not going to fit in.  Not only did I feel completely welcome and get served right away with a smile, but the patrons were warm and welcoming as well.  There is a downstairs dining room, a bar and an upstairs lounge and each room was filled with happy, friendly faces. I was very comfortable and liking the place more and more by the minute.

 

6.) The cave. I've saved the best for last. I spent a good 30-45 minutes at D's before Mrs. F.O.R.T. arrived and I asked what she was having.  "I typically just head to the cave and pick when I get there," she answered.  The what?  I was clearly out of my element.  She took me by the hand and led me through the bar, across the dining room and down a hallway to the most amazing place in the world.

As soon as we reached the light at the end of the tunnel, thousands (no, seriously...thousands) of beer varieties awaited us: craft beers, imports, domestics galore, all organized by country of origin.

 

Note: a server saw me take this picture and said "Aw, this is an awful time to take a picture, we have, like, NOTHING in stock!" -- ummm.....what!? My eyes are already bulging out of my head. Don't mess with me, lady.

We chose our beers (after a good 15 minutes of circling the cave) and she led me to the second best part of the evening, the cooling station.

I was wondering why the beer wasn't cold, but apparently all you need to do is drop them in the super-amazing cooling station for 3, 5 or 7 minutes and voila! Beer-God works his magic and an ice-cold beer is born.  Don't want to wait for the cooling station to do it's trick?  There IS a chill-room with a great selection as well, just not nearly as impressive as the cave.


So there you have it.  Six amazing reasons why you'll LOVE D's Six Pax-n-Dogs.  I'm sure if you stop by you'll find your own reasons to love it, but hopefully mine will give you enough reason to try it out if you haven't already. If you're a bridge or two away like PID and I fear not, it's worth your journey. Whether it's to watch a game, eat a fun meal with the kids, or throw back a few with F.O.R.T.s of your own, D's is the place to do it.  So come on in.

Restaurant Information

D's Six Pax-n-Dogs
Address:1118 S. Braddock Ave. (they have another location at 4320 Northern Pike if you're a Monroeville-ite)
Phone: 412-241-4666
Reservations: Not taken or really needed, but get there early to beat the bar crowd
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and open late-night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday

Franktuary Gift Card Giveaway!!

Good afternoon TOP fans and welcome to another edition of WE ACTUALLY GIVE THINGS AWAY ON THIS BLOG!

Today we've got a very SPECIAL treat for you.  But before we get to that part here is some MUST KNOW information about the amazing and wonderful Franktuary food truck!

A few months back, I reviewed Franktuary in downtown Pittsburgh and immediately fell in love. I am so excited to share the good news that Franktuary is celebrating the resurrection of its food truck!  The 1988 Chevy P-30 made its Pittsburgh debut last summer, briefly appearing on the mobile food scene. The vehicle (fully repaired and restored in the finest condition) now vends from Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community’s South Side parking lot at 2700 Jane Street.  Two percent of all profits generated on Hot Metal property are shared with the church, which runs a variety of neighborhood ministries throughout the week. 

The truck will operate from the Hot Metal lot every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 am to 3 pm.  If you don't already follow Franktuary on Facebook and Twitter, you might want to start so you can keep tabs on realtime updates of where the truck is located as it moves around the city on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays! 

Unique menu items that differ from the downtown storefront are offered from the truck.  Continuing the store’s international topping trend, a Boar’s Head all-beef or locally farmed grass-fed beef frankfurter can be topped as the Brasil - mashed potatoes, tomato corn relish, crumbled bacon, potato sticks and mayo - or the Oahu - bacon, pineapple, green onions, and teriyaki sauce.  Rounding out the menu are vegetarian franks made from whole grilled carrots, grass-fed burgers, and Franktuary’s take on poutine, Canada’s national dish: french fries covered in house-made vegetarian brown gravy and local Cannonball Curds from Arsenal Cheese.

You can also book Franktuary’s truck for private events!  To charter the truck for your event, write to emailus@franktuary.com. 

In the mean time, now's your chance to snag a $10 gift card from the folks at Franktuary!  Each comment you make below on THIS blog will gain you an entry.  You can earn up to 6 entries!  Here's how:

1) Simply comment on this blog post, letting me know what you'd buy with your $10 Franktuary gift card!
2) "Like" Franktuary on Facebook
3) "Like" Taste of Pittsburgh on Facebook
4) Follow Franktuary on Twitter
5) Follow Taste of Pittsburgh on Twitter
6) Write a blog post about Franktuary (and/or their Food Truck) and leave the link as a comment!

Be sure to leave comment for very entry you make below!  We'll take a look to validate any claims of "liking" or following before we announce the winner.

This giveaway will close on 5/16/2011 at 8 p.m. so get your entries in before then!  I will choose the winner via random drawing at Random.org.

Good luck!!

Hot Dog! That's a good hot dog!

This afternoon, I was miraculously granted a break from the madness and decided to take full advantage by heading out for lunch.  My only problem? I hadn't put much thought in to where I was going. I found myself meandering about the sweltering streets of downtown Pittsburgh when I stumbled upon a most... heavenly discovery.

No, I didn't stop in for a confession (though I cannot confirm or deny that one is long overdue). I stopped in for the bread (and meat) of the earth.

Tucked away on the ground floor of the First Presbyterian Church is a little blessing called Franktuary.  I'd been lucky enough to notice a dear friend's Facebook post about his experience and I suddenly had beef...or at least wanted it.

I made the eerie turn from Wood Street to Oliver Avenue and immediately thought "ok, I'm lost."  There's not much on Oliver Avenue. At all.  In fact for a good part of my Pittsburgh life I didn't even know that Oliver Avenue even existed.  But ladies and gentlemen I tell you now...make your way there immediately. As I tip toed past the delivery trucks and mass schedules, I saw the sign. And it opened up my eyes.

Gourmet hot dogs were something of an enigma to me.  I'd never been much of a hot dog fanatic except for the occasional ball park frank.  But something told me this experience was going to be an enlightening one.

A charming little basement joint, this place screamed "hipster" in an absolutely outstanding way.

Another charming aspect of this place was their veggie dog and "Locavore" (organic locally farmed grass-fed beef) options.  They really make it so no one has any excuse to turn this place down!

With tantalizing menu options from classic ketchup and mustard to the complex and captivating Italy Dog with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato, garlic, olive oil and basil, I had some serious trouble choosing. But I felt compelled to stay true to who I am (and what this blog is all about) by letting ya'll know my thoughts on a true Pittsburgh tradition: pierogies and coleslaw.  'Round here, we put these two things on everything. No seriously....everything. Being a Hershey native, though I was a bit nervous and not necessarily ecstatic about trying The Pittsburgh Dog featuring both. So I made sure to also toss in an order for the Mexican Dog (shredded cheese, guacamole and home-made mango salsa) to boot.

I ordered a Diet Coke and was told I had different options here and I could choose from the cooler behind me. My eyes lit up when I saw my choices.  Cream Soda? Orange Soda? Root Beer? Grape Soda?  I really was in heaven!  When was the last time you had a hot dog and a grape soda for lunch?  Can you say spandex and snap bracelets?  So grape soda it was.

I tried the Pittsburgh Dog first. And I have only three words to describe it:

Oh. My. Dog.

It was a truly sacred experience.

I proved myself wrong. The Pittsburgh was one of the best things I've tasted in quite some time. Home-made colelsaw and deliciously smashed pierogies crunched and squished together with the meat absolutely perfectly.  I wanted more and immediately wished I would have ordered two.

The move to Mexico was not a difficult adjustment to make in any way, either. Mangos + Avacados + perfectly cooked beef? A truly divine calculation.

While it seems its remote location is anything but a hindrance on  its popularity (Frantuary was voted best lunch spot in the 'burgh for the past 3 years straight), I feel I must preach to the few and far between who have not done the dog and make known their fare superiority.

In the mood for something sweet? Try one of their freshly blended smoothies or Dave & Andy's ice cream flavors. 

Restaurant Information:
Franktuary
Address: 325 Oliver Avenue, downtown
Phone: 412.288.0322
Reservations: Not taken or needed
Hours: Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Delivery: Yes, within the downtown area (but don't request a delivery after 2 p.m.)

Cliffs notes:

Drinks:     Boylan's Grape Soda @ $2

Meal:      2 Gourmet Franks @ $3.75
Tax:     @ 7% (Allegheny County only) $0.18

Tip:      $1.35 (all the quarters, dimes and nickles I could find in my wallet)

TOTAL FOR ONE:      $11.53

Overall Opinion?


 I often find it difficult to find a unique but quick spot for lunch downtown but by God I've finally stumbled upon greatness.  GO TRY A FRANKTUARY FRANK.  If it's the only thing you do while you're in town for a ballgame or a special trip the non down-town workers need to make, it's something I insist you do. Simple, yet delicious.  Simply delicious. That's all I can say. You must try this place for yourself.

FRANKS BE TO GOD!

Pittsburgh Restaurants