KellyO's Diner

  KellyO's is a small diner located in a strip mall off of  Rt.19 in Ross township. KelllyO's came to my attention when it was featured on the wildly popular food network TV show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. So for breakfast one day I headed out to KellyO's to see if it warranted such national attention.

  The interior of KellyO's is how should I put this ... confusing. It has the traditional diner layout with booths along one side and a sit down counter on the other, which is fine. However you have this harsh fluorescent lighting shining down on you, which takes away any of the charm. You feel more like you're eating in a prison cafeteria than a cozy diner. KellyO's also has these Parisian style drawings adorning the walls that just seem out of place.

 We were taken care of relatively quickly once we sat ourselves down at one of the booths. The server was quick to give us our menus and serve us some pretty decent coffee.



Blah Interior



     The menu has your typical diner fare including omelets, burgers, salads, sandwiches, soups, etc. However it has some items that you don't see everyday including haluski (Polish cabbage and noodles), and polenta (Italian corn meal cakes).

Click for bigger pic

Click for bigger pic

  For our breakfast I ordered the Outrageous Breakfast Sandwich, and my eating companion ordered an omelet with ham, peppers, onions, and cheese.

Outrageous Breakfast Sandwich $6.79

 The Outrageous Breakfast Sandwich is really not all that outrageous. Its two scrambled eggs , American cheese, and your choice of meat, between two pieces of grilled Mancinis bread (famous Mckees Rocks bakery). I ordered mine with sweet Italian sausage. This was a pretty decent no frills sandwich. Th Italian sausage had a nice spice to it, yet the bread was a tad on the greasy side. All in all not too bad of a breakfast to fill you up in the morning.

Omelet with ham, cheese, green peppers, and onions. $6.59

   My eating companion who had also gone to Isalys which I have previously reviewed, was not too happy with his omelet. He kept pretty much saying how much better the Isalys omelet was compared to this one. The biggest complaint was that the peppers and onions were on the burnt side, and had spent a little to much time on the grill. He also didn't like the fact that the toast that accompanied the omelet was from the ends of the bread loaf.

 In the future I will go back to KellyO's to try out some of their lunch  items. Hopefully it will be a little more impressive than the breakfast. Their breakfast was obviously hit or miss depending on what you ordered. While I thought my sandwich was OK, my eating companion was not at all impressed with his omelet. 

 KellyO's according to their web site is supposedly opening up another diner in the Strip District of Pittsburgh. I will let you know as soon as I hear more.

 KellyO's

Outrageous Breakfast Sandwich: 6/10

Omelet with ham, cheese, peppers, and onion: 4/10

Hal's Bar & Grill

Hal's Bar & Grill is located on Babcock Blvd in the North Hills. Having driven by the place every day for the past few years I always had planned on trying out Hal's, but never seemed to get around to it. Word of mouth has been mixed about Hal's. From what I learned it really seemed to be hit or miss depending on what you ordered. One of the warnings told me to avoid the hoagies because of the minuscule amount of toppings. As you will read, I should have heeded that advice.

 Upon entering Hal's we were quickly seated. Hal's is separated into a dining section and a bar which has a few big screen TVs and an impressive display of alcohol choices. The beer selection is very impressive and is one of the best you will find at a bar in the North Hills. The prices were very reasonable as well, even for imports such as Pilsner Urquell and Hoegarden which came in around $4.00 a bottle. My eating companions and I put in our order which included Salt and Pepper Calamari, Mushroom and Brie Bisque, Walnut Chicken Salad, Fish Sandwich, and the Kielbasa Grinder.

Salt and Pepper Calamari $9.00

   The Salt and Pepper Calamari came out lightly coated and fried perfectly as to still be tender. The dipping sauce however was just plain Kikkoman Teriyaki which was just to salty. A little more inspiration in the dipping sauce such as a sweet Thai chili sauce or a garlic aioli would have helped out this dish. Fried calamari is a pretty neutral flavored dish and so much depends on it having a good dipping sauce to add flavor.

Mushroom and Brie Bisque $4.00

  The Mushroom and Brie was the highlight of my meal. The soup had tasty chunks of mushrooms and the creamy broth was tangy with a taste of brie in the background. One of the better soups I have had and a pleasant surprise.

Walnut Chicken Salad $10.00

 The Walnut Chicken Salad came with sliced chicken on a bed of greens including sliced apple and grapes. A nice layer of blue cheese and walnuts was also included. Nothing bad to say about this salad. The chicken was perfectly cooked and everything was fresh.

Fried Cod Sandwich $8.00

  The Fried Cod sandwich was in the typical Pittsburgh fashion of being so big that it overflowed off the bun. The fish was fried in a nice panko style breading and had a pleasant crunch. The Sweet potato fries that accompanied the sandwich were crispy with a touch of sweetness. This was a pretty good fish sandwich, and I found it to be of better quality then the popular fish sandwich served at the North Park Lounge.

Kielbasa Grinder $8.00

 Well the best thing about this sandwich was the onion rings that accompanied it. The rings were lightly battered and fried to perfection. The sandwich was a disgrace. The kielbasa wound up being a thin sliced layer of something that resembled cooked salami. There was a big heap of sauerkraut with a thousand island style dressing on top. Biting into the sandwich was like biting into a sauerkraut hoagie. You could not even taste the so called kielbasa as there was barely any on the sandwich. The hoagie roll was not fresh either. This is easily the worst sandwich I have had in recent memory.

  So the trip to Hals's was a mixed bag. Some of the offerings such as the soup and fish were very good, while the hoagie was just plain terrible. The beer prices at Hal's are very reasonable and the selection was impressive. Oh, and they make their own Ranch Dressing which is always important.
 Would I go back to Hal's? Sure, especially if just to have some beers or drinks. Just remember to stay away from most of their sandwiches and you will be alright.


Hal's Bar & Grill

Salt and Pepper Calamari: 6.5/10

Mushroom and Brie Bisque: 9/10


Walnut Chicken Salad:  7/10

Fried Cod Sandwich: 7/10

Kielbasa Grinder: 1/10 (Onion rings brought it up to a 1)


Overall: 7/10

Oriental Market

 Went back to the Oriental Market on Mcknight Road the other day and took some pics.The prices at this place are dirt cheap, especially compared to the prices at  local mega grocery store chain Giant Eagle. The selection of Asian foods is also the largest I have seen in Pittsburgh. This even in comparison to the Asian grocery stores down in the Strip District. So if your going to be making an Asian style meal, the Oriental Market is a must stop destination.

Grass Jelly Drink? Maybe next time

Frozen whole wabbits 

Asian Bakery. Most people are not aware that the French, when colonizing Viet Nam, brought their love for all things pastry with them.

Chicken Feet. A real bargain at $1.99 a pound. 

Oriental Market
4768 McKnight Road, Pittsburgh, PA 
15237-3437 
(412) 548-3648
‎

New Restaurant Reviews

 The Post Gazette and the Tribune Review have some good info/reviews on two restaurants that have just opened up recently, North of the Allegheny River.
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Burgh'ers in Harmony just outside Zelienople looks like a great place to stop and have a high end hamburger.
Review Link
Burgh'ers Web Site
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Also right down the street from me. The Trib takes a look at a new Greek restaurant, Mediterrano.
Review Link 

SIR PIZZA

The original Pizza King

 Sir Pizza has been a family operated franchise in the North Hills of Pittsburgh since 1975. In just the past 3 years, Sir Pizza has expanded from its sole location in Ross Township, to two other locations in Franklin Park, and Cranberry. Sir Pizza is a franchise based in Muncie Indiana. The original pizza shop in Muncie is known as Pizza King and Sir Pizza incorporated was created when they decided to franchise out their business model in 1965.
Sir Pizza International now boasts over 200 pizza shops, with most being located in Indiana, Michigan, and Tennessee. 

14 Inch Sausage and Pepperoni

 There are quite a few things that make Sir Pizza unique in the over saturated pizza market here in Pittsburgh. The number one thing you will notice is that the pizza is cut into small squares instead of large triangular slices. Sir Pizza also uses smoked provolone instead of the traditional mozzarella . The toppings are all ground very fine and are placed to the very edge of the pizza. Finally the crust is very thin and crisp, not at all doughy and floppy like most pizza places.

The Fuzz Loves Sir Pizza

 The pizza being reviewed was a 14 inch sausage and pepperoni pizza that cost $14.40. A whole Crusader Hoagie was also purchased at $7.25. Never have I ever seen any specials or coupons in the weekly circulars for Sir Pizza. This however might be different for the new locations in Franklin Park and Cranberry. The order was called in and I was told it would be ready in 15 minutes. When I arrived at the Ross location 20 minutes later to pick up the food, it was ready to go and I was rang up quickly. A few notes about the Ross Township location is that they sell 6 packs of beer to go, with a nice variety of microbrews to choose from. If you decide to eat in the dining area which has about 20 tables, they also have beer on draft. It amazes me that the same people that have been making the pizza for the past 15 years, that I have been going to Sir Pizza in Ross, are still there. One of the benefits to going to a family run restaurant I guess.

Unique Small Square Pieces

 Anyways, on to the review.  As mentioned before, Sir Pizza is pretty unique. The outside pieces of the pizza are just as tasty as the inside areas, as there is no traditional crust. The toppings are evenly distributed to the very edge of the pizza. The sauce is very good, tasting natural, and perfectly spiced, it is not overly sweet and is applied lightly. The cheese is flavorful in that they are using smoked provolone instead of mozzarella. I'm surprised more pizza shops don't use different cheeses on their pizzas, as mozzarella itself is a pretty flavorless cheese unless your making your own, or you are using a real Italian buffalo mozzarella. The sausage is the biggest disappointment of the toppings being pretty tasteless. It is not at all spicy and Im not sure what the difference between it, and just plain ground pork would be. The pepperoni is very flavorful, and slightly spicy, and is finely diced and distributed all over the pizza. The crust is very thin and crispy. My eating companion and I agreed that the pizza is very unique and excellent. Do yourself a favor though and dont order the sausage, while not making the pizza any worse, it just does not add anything to it either. The small square slices are great as well. It makes for less sloppy eating, and kids will love them as well. 

Crusader Hoagie

Top of Crusader

Side profile of the Crusader

 While the pizza was excellent and unique, the Crusader Hoagie was plain and uninspired. The Crusader Hoagie is Sir Pizzas take on a traditional Italian hoagie. The Crusader is served on a 12 inch Vienna roll, which is an odd choice. It might be the only hoagie you ever get that has sesame seeds on the bread. In my opinion they should use a good quality Italian bread from one of the many excellent local bakeries in the area, or maybe they have to use the vienna roll, due to franchise restrictions. There is Ham, salami, and capicolla, on the sandwich and the amount is not at all generous. Cheese, onions, lettuce , tomatoes, oil and vinegar finish it off. The sandwich is baked and sliced into 4 pieces. While the hoagie is not bad, it is not really good either. The lack of meat makes it almost like eating a lettuce, cheese and tomato sandwich.  There are quite a few other places I would recommend buying an Italian Hogie from (including the earlier reviewed Jersey Mikes Subs) before I would recommend Sir Pizza.

 Sir Pizza is a great place to get a unique style of pizza not found anywhere else in Pittsburgh. It is a North Hills institution that has been around since 1975. They are obviously doing something right to have stayed open so long when pizza places have about a 6 month average lifespan here in Pittsburgh. While the Crusader Hoagie I found to be mediocre, the pizza was excellent ,and will continue to be one of my top 5 pizza places in the Pittsburgh area.

SIR PIZZA RATING

 PIZZA :   8/10

CRUSADER
  HOAGIE :    6/10

WARNING: SIR PIZZA DOES NOT DELIVER, ONLY TAKEOUT IS AVAILABLE
  SIR PIZZA
Ross Township
320 Sewickley-Oakmont Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(412) 367-1333
http://sirpizza-pittsburgh.com/