Isaly's Sold and Bacon Jam

 Isaly's
As you recall I did a review of Isaly's in West View not too long ago (View HERE ). The bad news is that it appears the owners are selling Isaly's. The good news is that appears that only the name will be changing. Due to franchise fees and other BS problems, the new owners will have to change the name. The current owners claim that the new ownership will be keeping the menu and interior the same as it is now. So lets keep are fingers crossed and hope the new ownership doesn't screw up one of the real hidden gems here in the North Hills.


Skillet Street Food Bacon Jam
About a week ago I received a package in the mail from the Skillet street food vendors in Seattle. These guys at Skillet travel around in their air stream food truck, and make some of the best street food in the country. One of their most popular condiments is Bacon Jam, and that is what awaited me inside the package. Now at first I was a little skeptical about this stuff, and not exactly sure what the hell to do with it. But after some research I found out that the guys at Skillet use it mainly as a burger topping. So I put a dollop of the bacon jam on some burgers I was grilling, placed some cheese on top of it, and closed the grill to heat the jam and melt the cheese. Well let me tell you I was blown away by how good this stuff was. The bacon jam had a nice smoky flavor as well as a little sweetness from the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar they use when making the jam. So do yourself a favor and get some of this stuff. It comes in regular which has a great balance of smoky, savory and sweet. As well as a version with black pepper and fennel which gives it a more spicy kick.
Buy your Bacon Jam HERE, and watch the video on how Chef Josh Henderson makes this little piece of piggy heaven.

McKnight Road Burrito Throwdown

 In the stretch of a 1/4 mile on Mcknight Road in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, 3 titans of faux Mexican cuisine compete for your gringo dollar. Well its time for me and my select panel of burrito specialists to find out which of these joints has the best burrito. Like Tina Turner said in Mad Max III Beyond Thunderdome, "3 burritos enter, 1 burrito leaves" (or something like that).

From left to right, Taco Bell XXL Steak Burrito, Qdoba Shredded Beef Ancho Chili Burrito, Chipotle Barbacoa Burrito

From left to right, Taco Bell XXL Steak Burrito, Qdoba Shredded Beef Ancho Chili Burrito, Chipotle Barbacoa Burrito

  From a size standpoint, the Qdoba burrito was the biggest. Followed closely by the Chipotle burrito, and finally the Taco Bell burrito. The Qdoba and Chipotle burritos are very dense and have to weigh over a pound. 

 As far as prices go, the Qdoba burrito was also the costliest at $8.12. The Chipotle burrito was next at $7.12, and the Taco Bell burrito cost $5.71.

Taco Bell XXL Steak Burrito $5.71

 Taco Bell or Toxic Hell as it is know in some circles, is known for dirt cheap food (don't want to call it Mexican food that might start an international incident). This XXL Steak burrito is the Cadillac of the Taco Bell menu, and was put specially on the menu to help Taco Bell compete with higher end restaurants Chipotle and Qdoba..

A  thing that I have noticed at the Taco Bell on McKnight Rd is that you really have no idea what the hell you are going to get after you place your order Sometimes you get what you order, sometimes you don't. The fact that I appeared to actually get a XXL burrito was promising. 

 Taco Bell did not have anything equivalent to Chipotles barbacoa or Qdobas shredded beef, so I settled with the steak. The first thing I noticed when I bit into this burrito was the amount of sauce. Way to much of their Avacodo Sauce and Sour Cream. Funny thing was, when I had this burrito in the past they used real guacamole and the burrito was not near as saucy. The steak was tender to the point of not adding any texture to the burrito, and its flavor was drowned out by the excess of sauce. The burrito itself is grilled which adds nothing besides a slightly crispy outer crust.  Truth be told, this burrito despite the negatives was not all that bad for what it is, a cheap substitute for Chipotle or Qdoba. Hell one of my tasters (soon to be fired) thought it was the best burrito out of the three. 

Chipotle Burrito $7.12

  Chipotle has been my go-to burrito joint for a while now. They make everything in house and use local organic produce, animals raised without hormones and antibiotics, etc. They are big on promoting "Food with integrity". When you order your burrito you have a few choices to make. Steak, chicken, barbacoa (shredded beef), or carnita (shredded pork). I've found the barbacoa to have the best flavor out of the bunch with notes of cumin, garlic, and other Mexican spices.You also choose what type of beans, black or pinto (I usually go pinto). What type of salsa, hot, medium, or mild . Also whether you want cheese and sour cream. Guacamole can be added for $1.80, and is excellent with it also being made fresh daily.

 The Chipotle burrito did not disappoint. Everything tasted fresh. The medium salsa was tomatillo based (green) which gave it a nice tang and heat level. The barbacoa was also moist and flavorful. For those watching their weight you can also get the whole thing in a bowl and eliminate the carb heavy tortilla. Brown rice and fajita veggies are also available.

Qdoba Ancho BBQ Burrito $8.12

 This was actually my first time to Qdoba. The set-up is pretty much the same as Chipotle with you dictating what to put in your burrito. The burrito I ordered was pretty much the same as the one I ordered at Chipotle, but with the addition of Qdoba's Ancho Chili BBQ Sauce. The sauce was pretty tasty,  adding a slight sweetness and smokiness to the burrito. The shredded beef however I did not find nearly as flavorful as Chipotles.  In actuality this and the Chipotle burrito were nearly identical except for for the different sauces. As this was my first visit to Qdoba, I cant really comment on the consistency and quality of their food.

So who is the one burrito to leave victorious from the burrito throwdown? 

 Chipotle wins by a smidgen over Qdoba, and a lot more over Taco Bell.

 The Chipotle burrito tasted slightly fresher and tastier then the Qdoba burrito, and was much better in all aspects than the Taco Bell burrito.

 However I would not hesitate to go to a Qdoba if there was no Chipotle around. Comment and let me know where your favorite burrito is. 

Rating:

Taco Bell XXL Steak Burrito: 5/10

Chipotle Barbacoa Burrito: 8/10

Qdoba Ancho Chilli BBQ Shredded Beef Burrito: 7/10

Dibella's Old Fashioned Submarines

Dibellas started out as a corner grocery store in Rochester NY. They have since expanded to almost 30 shops in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Dibella's specializes in hoagies/grinders/subs/po-boys/ or whatever the hell you want to call them.
 A new Dibellas just opened up a few miles from me and I was looking forward to trying out their wares. Would it be utter garbage like Subway, or a quality sub like at Jersey Mikes? So over the last two months I have sampled a few different types of hoagies at Dibellas and let me tell you I was more than pleased with how good the subs are at Dibellas.

Where you place your order

 The decor inside Dibellas is of an early 20th century style with tin ceilings and tiffany style lamps providing the lighting. There are plenty of booths to sit at or you can just get your sub to go. When you place your order you say whether you want your sub classic (cold) or grilled. You then choose from a long list of toppings and condiments to go on your sandwich. If you order a grilled sub be prepared to wait an additional 10 minutes as they cook the meats for the sub on a grill.

Large Meatball $8.99

 The thing that really puts Dibellas ahead of other sub shops is the bread. It is baked fresh at Dibellas daily. Unlike Subways bread which has a crappy crust and is more like an over-sized hot dog bun, Dibellas bread has a beautiful shiny crust, and tastes like bread that you would get from a local bakery. You can get your bread in either plain, sesame, multigrain, or everything.
 The meatball sub came with big ass meatballs smothered in marinara sauce and provolone cheese. A lot of other places you can tell the meatballs are frozen pre-made balls of crap. Dibellas meatballs taste as close to homemade as you will ever have.

Big Ass Meatball

   The meatballs are tender and have a nice mild Italian spice to them. If you want to kick up the spice level, order the sub with bannana peppers or grilled peppers and onions.

The Godfather $8.99

 The Godfather is Dibellas take on a traditional Italian Hoagie. It comes with Genoa Salami, Capicolla, and hot ham. I ordered mine grilled as all Italian meats should be heated as to bring out their flavor. Also I got mine with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and "Dibellas famous oil dresssing"  which has olive oil, vinegar and oregano.

Action side view

   Hate to say it but this had to have been one of the best Italian hoagies I have ever had. Even better than any of the local pizza shop Italian hoagies I have eaten. The portions are generous , the meat fresh, the combination of flavors is just off the charts. That combined with Dibellas awesome bread makes for a killer sandwich.

Dibellas Cheesesteak $8.99

  Previously the best cheesesteak I  have had in Pittsburgh was at Southside Steaks in which you can find my review here. Well move over Southside steaks, Dibellas has replaced you. I ordered my cheesesteak with white american cheese, and grilled onions.

Cheesesteak in action

   As you can see Dibellas does not shy away from a generous portion of steak. Once again the thing that puts this sub over the top is the bread. While I found Southside Steaks to have an excellent cheesesteak, their bread I thought was lacking. Dibellas cheesesteak is as close to chessesteak perfection as you can get. Also dont forget that you can customize your sandwich to your liking. Want swiss instead of american cheese, go ahead. Want bannana peppers or grilled sweet peppers on your sandwich, go ahead.

The Dagwood $8.99

 The final sub I tried was the Dagwood which comes with turkey, ham, and corned beef. A traditional cold cut sandwich. This is great if your not in the mood for something hot.

Dagwood side view

  The meats all tasted extremely fresh. I ordered mine with onion, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. My only complaint was they slathered on a little to much mayo for my liking. Besides that, it was an excellent sandwich.

  Dibellas is a great value when you take into account price,quality, and quantity. One large sub from Dibellas is enough to feed 2 normal people or 3 skinny chicks. While I still love an Italian sub from Jersey Mikes, their prices are getting out of hand.  Check out my review of Jersey Mikes HERE. Since I did my review of  Jersey Mikes, their prices have gone up considerably, and you now pay over $11.00 for a large sub.
 Well, I never thought that a small sandwich chain out of NY would wind up making the best hoagies in Pittsburgh. If you haven't been to Dibellas yet, get there. You will not be disappointed.
 On a side note I have had a bunch of people tell me that I need to try an Italian hoagie from Dannys Pizza in the South Hills. Well hopefully I will get there sometime in the near future and we can find out who truly has the best hoagie in Pittsburgh.

Review
Dibella's Old Fashioned Submarines: 9/10

There are 4 Dibellas in the Pittsburgh area

Pittsburgh, PA - Cranberry Township
1694 Rt. 228
Pittsburgh, PA 16066
(724)772-8088 Phone

Pittsburgh, PA - Market Square
16 Market Square
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-338-8634 Phone

Pittsburgh, PA - McCandless Twp.
9030 Saint Simon Way
NOW OPEN!
McCandless Township, PA 15237
412-358-8525 Phone

Pittsburgh, PA - Robinson Township
6501 Steubenville Pike
(in front of Kohl's)
Pittsburgh, PA 15277
(412)722-0443 Phone