Western Pennsylvania

[porcupine]

Does anyone here have any familiarity with the area southeast of Pittsburgh? Specifically, New Stanton and Greensburg. Please tell me there's hope for a half decent lunch so I can make it a half-decent day...

[baczkowski]

Greensburg; Jeannette

Does anyone here have any familiarity with the area southeast of Pittsburgh? Specifically, New Stanton and Greensburg. Please tell me there's hope for a half decent lunch so I can make it a half-decent day...

I grew up in Murrysville and I take the New Stanton turnpike exit to get to my parents' house. It's been a few years since my last junior high basketball game in Greensburg, but you're looking at a lot chains. But 7-8 years ago my parents took me to Vallozzi's restaurant. I remember it being good, but my palate has become more seasoned since then so I wouldn't trust it. One thing I do remember, and my parents' still talk about it, is an excellent white pizza that is small and expensive but with a dough similar to a pie crust (in a good way). That's probably worth a try. They don't go that often b/c they consider it expensive, but Pittsburgh has a different price point than DC.

At Christmas, my parents took us to the town of Jeannette and the original (it's now franchised locally) DeNunzio's (for you college football fans, both proper names should ring a bell if you followed the Terrelle Pryor sweepstakes). Unfortunately, I didn't like it but it is a place people talk about. My parents love Atria's, which is also a local chain that supposedly does mostly home cooking, and there's one in Murrysville, but I've been and it's just really ok. Dining options are SO limited in the Pittsburgh area. In all reality, you have to drive to Monroeville for shear volume of choices (I went several times to Monteray Bay several years ago and really enjoyed it; it opened up a branch in Tyson's for some reason) or Pittsburgh. You're probably a 45 minute drive to Pittsburgh (and the wrong direction back to DC) from the Greensburg area. At New Stanton you can jump on the turnpike and get to Monroeville and then onto the Parkway to head "dahntahn." I was on the North Shore of Pittsburgh this past weekend for a bachelor's party and we had very good steaks at the Hyde Park Steakhouse. Everything else was just alright.

Bottom line though: There ain't much even in the Burgh.

Hopefully that's something to go on. Good luck.

Pax,
Brian

[JPW]

Does anyone here have any familiarity with the area southeast of Pittsburgh? Specifically, New Stanton and Greensburg. Please tell me there's hope for a half decent lunch so I can make it a half-decent day...

I had my first car crash in Greensburg. In either place, you may find a decent red sauce place or diner, but that's about it.

PS - DiF, the first woman to break my heart lived in Murrysville.

[porcupine]

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Hopefully it'll make the trip a little better. I'll report back on what I find.

[porcupine]

Greensburg

So we ended up at Vallozzi's, where five of us had a generous late lunch for about $100. I did try the white pizza, which was oddly unbalanced - the pie-crust like crust seemed to sap all the flavor from the cheese. The dish was desperate for umami. Weird.

However, somebody at that restaurant is seriously into cheese. Have a look at the on-line menu. Fleur Vert in Greensburg? Say what?! So of course I ordered a cheese plate, expecting all of it to be abused and ammoniated, but they were great - perfectly matured, served just a touch too cool, but that's being really nitpicky. The stilton accompanying Mr P's salad was also fantastic.

Thanks for all the suggestions, y'all.

[Robert Rymarz]

Mount Lebanon

My wife's family is from Mt Pleasant which is practically right next Greensburg. Truly a restaurant dead zone if there ever was one. But while visiting this past weekend I had a fantastic dinner at Il Pizzaiolo in Mt Lebanon. Really good neapolitan pizzas and a nice choice of pastas.

[ol_ironstomach]

Any reccs in the vicinity of, uh, Altoona? And before you ask, yes, I have already eaten at the flagship Sheetz.

[ktmoomau]

Nemacolin; Confluence

Had lunch at the spa at Nemacolin, it was fine, nothing to write home about. Had dinner at the River's Edge not far away in Confluence. If you are staying at Nemacolin it's a nice not far drive, Confluence has a lot of white water and rents bikes for the trail if you don't want to get them in Ohiopyle. The River's Edge is a small B&B there. I have never stayed there, but eaten there a lot. For the area it is one of the better options. I had really fresh trout with sauteed veggies and herb potatoes. The view out over the river is nice. It is just kind of quiet, friendly and relaxing. It was always one of the spots we would drive to a nice dinner for from Garrett County.

[jandres374]

Headed to Nemacolin for a company outing later this month. Has anyone been to Lautrec on site? Wondering if its worth it to make a reservation and skip the company organized happy hour.

[Justin Bittner]

Jeanette

Jeannette is located outside of Pittsburgh, maybe half hour or so. It's a small Italian community that was settled a long time ago, there are many restaurants but I've only been to a place called perschettis to grab some meatballs( great) and mauro's. mauro's is awesome! He's a funny dude who in the hour I was there had 3 cocktails while cooking. Peronis were 2 bucks on tap and the food is just fine. Sausage stuffed anaheims with marinara and mozzarella were house made sausage and top mozzarella. Then I had chicken puttanesca which was ok. There's also a dellalos along route 30 which is more or less like a whole foods with fine cheese and meats, desserts and what not. Def worth a stop, I went there in winter And a guy was roasting chestnuts out front for 5 bucks a bag.

[ktmoomau]

Nemacolin

Headed to Nemacolin for a company outing later this month. Has anyone been to Lautrec on site? Wondering if its worth it to make a reservation and skip the company organized happy hour.

Sorry it's been a couple years since I have been, but if it is that vs. catered dinner I would do it. Not that their catering is bad, I just suspect this will be better.

[ktmoomau]

Markleysburg

Wanted to note that Glisan's restaurant or 40 has homemade breads and pies and always has great greasy spoon and breakfast food. We always stop here on our way to and fro in this area. It is close to Nemacolin and Ohiopyle.

[ktmoomau]

So Glisan's closed a couple years ago, which to me is just sad.

I ate at Nemacolin this past weekend- I wanted to eat at CaddyShack, but I ended up at the Casino restaurant and the Pub.  The chicken tacos at the pub are strange- don't order them.  The kale salad with warm bacon dressing is good.  At the casino we had a Pittsburgh thing- stuffed banana peppers to start, which I generally like, and then I had chicken marsala over spaghetti squash which was fine- not great, not bad, but adequate.  I will say the catered lunches and breakfasts we got were much better than I would expect.  They had a good range of foods for all diets, I could eat pretty healthy and the food, for chaffing pan meals, was actually way better than pretty much any chaffing dish food I have had at a big ballroom type setting.  The Sunday buffet at Lautrec smelled like heaven as I walked by though, wish I had gone.

A quick note on Nemacolin- the townhouses that have two bedrooms and are out by the animals are really fun, they have pretty patios and have separate bathrooms for each room and a half bath for downstairs.  It was fun to wake up to lions and tigers roaring.  I think people with kids would find these really handy as they have full kitchens too.  The shuttle to get around the resort is really fast, so it wasn't a problem to get into anything I needed to get to for my conference.  They are the best "deal" on the room rate.  I think out of all the big resorts nearby- Nemacolin seemed to be the most actual kid friendly with a lot more activities and things to do than most of the places, especially with all the wild animals and the nursery now.

[Torshi]

Got back from last weekend.  Stayed in a house  because we were six (four adults and two kids), but the town houses will work just fine.  Packed up food, water and wine, board games and cards.  We did do one lunch out and all our dinners out.  Coming down to the Tavern (lunch), it kind of just smells like hamburger meat, not my fave.  The burgers are huge.  (I am kinda pesc) But you are in a ski resort type area and gotta roll with it.

Barraloto, little one said her pasta with meatballs was too sweet, she went with gnocchi the second time and seemed better off. (oops if I ate too much garlic bread).  Their pizza worked out, tough my hub and my mom's partner ordered the same they got two completely different things.  We did okay at the meat restaurant, there was a special of short ribs my husband liked, not sure what my mother ordered.

Lautrec was lovely.  It was so nice to get to a formal dinner after so long.  The wine prices are high.  They were very gracious to give us a tour on their original Lautrec art

Well- you can drive there, my place was lovely, you can ski and beginners can work with that mountain.  I would pack morning and midday food, just because COVID has made it heard to serve at these times and the ski lodge it too close for comfort.  May be back soon