Wingharts

I work downtown. While it's a bear to drive in and a fortune to park, I consider myself blessed. Why? Because of the FOOD. I love having the opportunity to pop out for lunch and enjoy the day at Market Square. Not long ago, I finally convinced a few F.O.R.Ts to join me after work for a few juicy burgers at Wingharts.

Less-Words Wednesday: Monte Cello's Pizza

There's a little corner of heaven in downtown Pittsburgh.
 

Where Smithfield and Wood Streets converge sits an adorably quaint and historic-looking Monte Cello's Pizzeria. Every day, they serve up a lunchtime special of THREE slices of pizza and a large drink for only $6.50.

They have a larger menu, but what could be yummier than three cuts of their delicious, hot-and-ready pizza for under 7 bucks?

Clockwise from left: deep dish pepperoni, white chicken and broccoli, spinach, feta and tomato.

.....crickets.

Best Of Pizza Club: Volume 2

2010's Best Rated Pizza: Blue Grotto

In November 2010 Pittsburgh Pizza Club stumbled upon some great pies. On a cold rainy night in the 'burgh, we found just what the doctor ordered at Blue Grotto in South Side.

Blue Grotto On The Web

Many of the clubbers had indulged in a late night snack at this joint, but never had we ever had a dinner time meal there.

We came in with a small, but solid crew to put back some slices.

Reason #1 this place rocked:

The fantastic staff!

There was a small staff (of 2) working the night we came in. The person making the pizza was enthusiastic with topping, sauce, and crust suggestions for the club. He was also very interested in giving us an education 0n the styles of pizza they make in the grotto.

Reasons #2, 3 & 4 this place rocked:

The 20" pies featured below

1/2 pepperoni 1/2 meatball

1/2 bianca 1/2 margherita

neopolitan

I really cannot say enough great things about this pizza. The pizza chefs really know how to perfect their craft. The cheese : sauce ratio was on point, the toppings were super fresh, and our member who recently had pizza in Italy said this pizza was the closest in taste to what she had in the homeland. The only small negative we had about the pizza was that it was not as delicious after it cooled to room temp (this wouldn't be an issue for people that ordered appropriate amounts of pizza instead of having huge eyes and stomachs both declaring "NO PIZZA LEFT BEHIND!")

Total cost per person was approx $8 each including beverages.

Overall Blue Grotto scored an amazing 8.5 overall ranking them Best in 2010.

Go there! Eat the pizza NOW! And eat it hot!

Best Of Pizza Club: Volume 1

In honor of National Pizza Week 2012, I decided to blog about the best scoring pizza since Pittsburgh Pizza Club's inception. Enjoy!

In May of 2011 Pittsburgh Pizza Club met at Fat Tommy's Pizza in Market Square. None of us had sampled their slices, but we had sampled their smells. It was time to indulge (and invent smell-o-blog).

We had a small, but excited group ready to fill our bellies with some delicious pizza treats! We started off with a large meaty pizza topped with pepperoni and sausage. Fat Tommy's pizzas are generous on the cheese and just the right amount of topping. They are not over loaded or too sparse, so you get a good taste of pizza and meaty toppings in each bite. This pizza may look like it is glowing a little bit in grease, and it probably is (that's what makes it taste so good, right?).

For the next pie, we went with the standard white pizza. Fat Tommy serves his with cheese (mozzarella), cheese (ricotta), cheese (parmigiana), and tomatoes. The pizzas really come together with a crispy thin crust. When talking to the owners and the cook, they let us know that their best sellers and most liked pizzas are their Sicilian pies. Unfortunately for us, they take an extra 20 mins to cook, so we were advised for next time to call in advance.

To finish off the pizza, Tommy suggested that we get just a plain cheese pizza, medium size pizza stretched out into an extra large pie. Now that's a good looking pie and the proud owner :)

When we were wrapping up our meeting and scoring the restaurant and food, Tommy and the other pizza chef overheard us and were shooting for bonus points. Before we could object, a plate full of canoli appeared before us. These were BY FAR the best canoli I have tasted in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, I think this was a one time deal. I have gone back since, but they don't usually have them available.

Overall, this was beyond what we expected for a new to us pizza shop (though they recently celebrated their 10th birthday).

Total cost was about $8/person.

The pizza, staff, and atmosphere really made this place memorable and the second best scoring pizza of 2011 at 8.4 overall.

Other awards given: Owner Bonus A++++++

Pizza Club December 2011

Pittsburgh Pizza Club wrapped up their second year with a treat of wine, beer, and upscale pizza at Pino's Contemporary Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar. You can find them online here.

They were decorated for the season really helping set the spirit of the holidays.

We lucked out by our meeting schedule being on a Wednesday, as it turns out Wednesday is the night that bottles of wine are half price. The rest of the table split a bottle of Malbec while I enjoyed a glass of East End Brewery's Snow Melt.

Pino's has an extensive menu of "smaller plates" as well as flat bread pizza and traditional pizza. Since we were feeling adventurous, we decided to try one of each.

We started with scallops and sweet potatoes. (because I often forget, I didn't get a picture of this delight). I am in by no way an expert on this kind of dish, but I can say it was a great combination of tastes blending together with a seasonal spiced sauce drizzed on the plate. It was a great start to our meal.

For pizza starters, we went with the Chicken Flat Bread. It had a pesto cream sauce and was topped with roasted red peppers and grilled chick. Not going to lie, it was a great start and I wish there was more of it. Pino's flat bread pizza are 6 slices and 10 inches in diameter.

We finished the night ordering off the pizza menu. We decided to indulge in the Christardi. This is a red sauce pizza with homemade sausage, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, and mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. As you can see, Pino's was not shy about topping their pizza at all. Overall the pizza was good. It was not too saucy, the center ended up a bit soggy because of all the cheese and tomatoes.

Overall, Pino's averaged a rating of 8 out of 10.

This outing was a bit pricier than many of the other pizza clubs. The total bill for a bottle of wine, beer, appetizer, and 2 pizzas was about $76. Including tip the total per person was $31. I would definitely recommend both the pizza and dinner selections for anyone interest in a cozy neighborhood outing with good food, but casual atmosphere.

Happy Holidays from the PPC!