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.

ISALY'S

Isaly's has been around since the 1930s. At one point there were over 400 Isaly's throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Now there are only a few left, and one of the last is in West View Pennsylvania. Stepping into Isaly's is like stepping into a time machine. Pictures of the long gone West View Park adorn the walls, along with old tin ceilings, and a small deli and ice cream counter. The owner cooks at a very small flat top grill, while his wife waits on tables and serves coffee.

    Isaly's serves breakfast and lunch. Closing time seems to be whenever they feel like it. Breakfast's come in large portions for a decent price. They have all your typical breakfast foods and a large selection of omelets to choose from, including the Hunky Heaven Omelet, and the West View Omelet.

West View Omelet: Chipped Ham, Onions, Peppers, American Cheese

Hunky Heaven Omelet: Kielbassa and Swiss Cheese

  The Isaly's in West View is best know for its legendary sandwiches. The most famous being the Slammer as seen on the TV show "Sandwiches You Will Like" hosted by Rick Sebak. The Slammer is 1/2 pound of grilled chipped ham, grilled onions, and american cheese on a home made bun. It truly is one of the best sandwiches you will ever have. The Slammer gets its name from the District Magistrates office being right across the street from Isaly's.

The Slammer

A lot of Sandwich

  Their other sandwich of note is The Bomber. The Bomber comes with fried jumbo bologna, grilled onions, and cucumber sauce. While not my particular favorite sandwich, my eating companion loved it.

The Bomber: Jumbo Bologna, Grilled Onions, Cucumber Sauce.

  Everyone should stop by Isaly's at least once. These type of establishments are disappearing every day, being replaced by a Subway, Dunkin Donuts, or some other crappy fast food joint. So find some time and stop in for a terrific breakfast or lunch. Sit and read the paper. Get a quart of ice cream to go. Sadly once these places are gone, they are gone for good.

Isaly's West View
Rating: 9/10