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Drover’s Inn, Wellsburg, West Virginia

December 13, 2010 By 1 Comment

Drover's Inn, Wellsburg, West Virginia

Hi. My name is Katie Lane, and I love hot wings. (That’s pretty much what I write on this blog every week.)

My love affair with hot meat began about fifteen years ago at a place called Drovers Inn in my hometown. After swim meets or football games, family and friends would crowd into the rustic restaurant, and devour baskets upon baskets of hot wings and cheese fries. I didn’t know then that I was eating the best wings money can buy…I just knew that I loved them and I wanted, no, NEEDED more blue cheese. I still considered Drovers a treat in college, when my new friends and I would leave campus and go out for wings and beer. Even now, I live 60 miles away and I still make a special drive to West Virginia to get my fix. This is exactly what I did last weekend, when I gathered some old high school friends (and my dear, Ryan), and we met up at Drovers Inn.

The standard dinner at Drovers Inn includes wings, seasoned fries with cheese, and bleu cheese on the side. (Sure, you could get a cheeseburger, but why would you?) What kind of wing sauce would you like? Are you a mild, medium, or a honey BBQ kinda person? Or is your middle name Danger? Choose from hot, atomic, suicidal, or HURT-ME. Hurt-me is by far the hottest wing sauce I’ve ever tasted anywhere! My middle name is Moderately Troublesome, so I order hot or atomic sauce. The hot sauce packs a lot of heat, but still tastes good, as opposed to being overwhelming and tasteless.

We didn’t have to wait too long for our food, and once it arrived, silence fell over the table. Actually, the only sound to be heard was the dull thud of empty chicken bones hitting the bone bowl. Meat! The wings arrived steaming hot, and the cheese blanket on the fries kept them nice and insulated, too. The thick, greasy (not too greasy) hot sauce is made smoother with the chunky homemade blue cheese. Take a seasoned cheddar steak fry, dip it in the wing sauce at the bottom of the basket, then hit the blue cheese. There is nothing better in the whole entire world. I like to pair a Sam Adams Lager with this meal, though on this occasion I went for a couple Guinnesses. My friends drank Yuengling, Sam Adams Winter Lager, Miller Lite, and Dr Pepper. (Hey, we gotta get home somehow. Thanks again, Ryan!) Tony, Ashley, Bri, Ryan & I had a fantastic time, drinking and talking and eating meat off of bones. It wasn’t weird at all.

We asked Tasha, an awesome server and old buddy, to snap a photo for us. Though the restaurant was very busy, she happily helped us out. (Thank you, as always, Tasha! You rock!) Of course, I couldn’t finish my whole meal, but that’s all part of the plan…I usually order more than enough food at Drovers, that way when I come back to Pittsburgh I have leftovers for a few days. I know it’s unlikely that some of you ‘burghers will make the drive to Wellsburg (it’s about an hour away), but it’s totally worth it. You may recall from my bio that my hometown didn’t have a whole lot going for it, except a couple of great restaurants like Drovers Inn. Come on, just look at us. We’re practically glowing with post-meaty happiness. Drovers is the best!

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Buffalo Blues, Shadyside

November 15, 2010 By 1 Comment

Buffalo Blues, Shadyside

Four times a year or so, I get a hankering’ for some hot wings. I asked around, and more than a few people suggested that I try Buffalo Blues in Shadyside. So off I went with a few family members, and my gal.

When you walk into Buffalo Blues, you’ll notice a few flat-screen televisions, and a large bar. Past the entry way, there’s a small dining room, and behind that, another large room- probably enough seating to accommodate 100 people comfortably. The large wooden planked walls are ornamented with various beer signs and other typical bar-type memorabilia. I was mostly interested in the faint smell of hot oil cooking- that meant something was being deep-fried!

Four of us took a seat at a booth, and a waitress appeared almost instantaneously to take our drink orders. Our menus were placed in front of us, and it was then that I noticed the layer of sticky goo on the table. I didn’t say anything to my fellow diners, but instead excused myself to wash up in the bathroom. Well, things just got worse from there. The bathroom was equally contaminated with towels on the floor, graffiti on the walls, and worst of all, a foul stench. I washed my hands hurriedly, and made my way back to the table trying not to touch anything on my way.

When I got back to the table, we placed an order for a dozen wings- half with regular hot sauce, and the other half with barbecue. We were going to look over the menu for a few minutes while we waited for our wings to arrive. Our server swung by, and dropped off our wrapped utensils. The silverware she had given us was filthy. Now, I don’t mean simply dirty; there were chunks of food on the forks and knives. I asked for a clean pair, and she returned with yet another soiled set. Gross.

Our wings arrived with a few dinner salads and we dug in (after self-cleaning our dinnerware with water and napkins). The salads were excellent and consisted of mixed greens, bleu cheese, onion, and bleu cheese dressing. The wings were also good; they were crisp, flavorful, and not over-done.

We ordered a few burgers and a pulled-pork sandwich for our entrees. The burgers were tasty, but were an odd grey color… I couldn’t tell if they had been broiled, grilled, or cooked on a flat-top. The pulled pork was soft, and had a nice smoky flavor. All of our entrees came with homemade chips which were delicious.

All of our meals averaged approximately $10.00 per plate. The food was good, but I don’t think I would return to Buffalo Blues considering how un-sanitary it was.

Buffalo Blues
(412) 362-5837
Shadyside
216 S Highland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

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Dunning’s Grill, Pittsburgh, PA

March 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dunning's Grill, Pittsburgh, PA

French Fries in a salad?  Yeah, you heard me…fries and greens.  Shortly after I moved to Pittsburgh, I ordered a grilled chicken salad, and it came with gobs of cheese and French fries.  It seemed odd to me, I mean, don’t the fries cancel out the health benefits of the mixed greens?  Well, I’m not sure, but it sure tastes good- especially with extra ranch dressing.  One such restaurant that specializes in the French fry-salad combo is Dunning’s in Regent Square.  It’s a family-friendly restaurant that has been around for the past 20 years.  Dunning’s food is straightforward; no complicated sauces, expensive cuts of veal, or white tablecloths.  What they do have is good burgers, grilled chicken dishes and salads with French fries.

Dunnings Grill is located at 100 South Braddock Avenue.  The restaurant seats approximately 65 people, and can accommodate 30 to 40 people at the bar.  The bar offers a nice variety of local and imported beers, as well as wines by the glass, and mixed drinks.  The beer glasses are always frosted, and the mixed drinks are far from skimpy.  Make sure to ask for Roger if you’re ordering a drink- he makes the best martini around.

The décor at Dunning’s Grill can be described as traditional, with its hard wood floors and tin ceiling.  The wait staff is friendly, and helpful.  The service overall has been good, but there have been a few times where we have waited close to an hour for our food.  Strangely enough, this usually happens when restaurants are empty.  If you’re a cook doing prep in the kitchen you always get the food out first, then get back to prep.

Soups are a high point at Dunning’s.  Try the French onion soup; it has sautéed sweet onions, flavorful broth, and gooey melted provolone cheese.  There are numerous appetizers to choose from:  Potato Skins ($6.75, half orders are available for $4.50), Skins McNair ($6.75 with chili and cheese), Fried Zucchini ($6.75), Dunning’s Wings ($9.95), fried Provolone, ($6.75), and perhaps the best appetizer, Dunning’s Homemade Seasoned Chips ($3.950.  We usually get the homemade chips with ranch dressing for dipping).

“Most salads are served over French fries with shredded cheese.”  That’s what the menu reads above the “salads” section, and its music to my ears!  You can choose the Grilled Chicken Salad ($9.50), Cajun Chicken ($9.95), or Buffalo Chicken with hot sauce and crumbled blue cheese ($10.95).  Other salads include a Heart-Smart Chicken Salad, Grilled Steak, Chef, and Tuna Salad.  If you’re going to visit Dunning’s for dinner, I recommend a burger; they’re big, char-grilled, and delicious.   Also available are Fish Sandwiches, Tuna Melts, and Hot Turkey Bacon and Swiss, and Steak Wraps.  Dinner entrees include, a New York Strip Steak ($18.95), New England Scrod ($11.95), Lemon Sole ($11.95), Lemon Chicken, Lemon Basil Chicken over Pasta ($11.95), and Eggplant and Chicken Parmesan ($11.95, and $10.95).  All entrees are served with your choice of soup or salad, and a side dish (be sure to try the homemade cole slaw).  Evening specials are also offered.

Dunning’s is a family restaurant with a very friendly and inviting atmosphere.  The casual ambiance makes it a good selection for an intimate dinner for two, or a casual dinner with friends and family.

Dunning’s Grill
1100 South Braddock Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218-1258
(412) 243-3900

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Shady Grove, Pittsburgh, PA

December 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Shady Grove, Pittsburgh, PA

You know it’s going to be a long week when it’s Monday night and already you are too lazy to cook.  Luckily, I’ve got this sweet new gig that allows me to justify going out to dinner pretty much whenever I please (and can afford it)!   On this creepy fall evening, I decided to head to Walnut Street in Shadyside.  We wanted some “low-key” good, ol’ American food.  We headed to Shady Grove.

Shady Grove is actually the downstairs sibling of the Walnut Grill/Shady Grove pair, and I gotta say, they definitely got the “grove” thing down pat.  The dining room is a long, narrow space with sparse lighting.  There were about 6 lights in the dining area, and in fact, I think most of the light in the room came either from the large garage door windows or the large  TVs hanging above the bar.  The dim lighting was actually pretty annoying; I like to SEE what I’m eating- too grove-y for me.

Looking around, I noticed that the diners were mostly twenty-something kids, on dates or in groups. There were a few …um…mature adults enjoying wine with dinner in the back of the room.  I have a tendency to notice the background music at restaurants.  No doubt about it, music plays a big part in setting the “vibe” of the place.  I suppose that’s why I was a little bit confused when the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme- song came on; really, Shady Grove…the Fresh Prince song??  I mean, sure I loved that show when I was eleven, but in 2009?  At dinner?!  I wanted to throw that song out the front door like Uncle Phil did to Jazzy Jeff.

The bar boasted a couple of specials that night: half-priced margaritas and half-priced draft beers.  I noticed that the Martini list wasn’t much of a martini list at all, but really just a list of various Three Olives brand flavored vodkas mixed with pomegranate juice…not very inventive.  My roommate and I started with classic margaritas, but they were AWFUL, nothing more than terrible sweet & sour mix & ice.   The waitress was pretty cool about us sending those drinks back, and we ordered new libations.  Brianna (the roommate) ordered something called a “Posmo,” and said it was “much better” than the margarita.  (I think that’s a cosmopolitan with pomegranate juice instead of cranberry.  Fun!)  My pal Emily enjoyed her “Pomenade.”  I just had a Yuengling draft, as I wasn’t in the mood for a pomegranate drink and the bar was out of the other beer I tried to order (Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Pumking…Mmm).  In Shady Grove’s defense, it is the end of the fall beer season, so I guess I can understand running out.

In fact, Shady Grove was out of several menu items that night, and I was pretty annoyed that the waitress didn’t tell us that up front.  I was looking forward to trying something called the Eggplant Tower; it was listed as a “Shady Signature” dish.  Too bad…they were out of eggplant.  No beer.  No eggplant.   I know it was just bad timing, but sheesh!

Eventually, we had a nice heap of grilled chicken nachos sitting on our table.   The nachos were actually a great size for three hungry ladies to share.  I was happy to see an abundance of jalapenos (that way we didn’t have to ration peppers; we all love hot food!)  Unfortunately, the rest of the dinner didn’t quite live up to the prelude.  We shared a veggie white pizza, and we agreed that it was actually pretty gross.  There was no taste in the crust, there was no taste to the sauce (if it even had sauce on it), and the veggies did not mesh together well.  We should have skipped the pizza altogether.

I will say that I had intense food envy when the table next to ours was given a huge platter of hot wings.  I love hot wings…why didn’t I just get the hot wings?  Stupid trendy menu.  Stupid vegetables.

I get the impression that this is a bar that specializes in bar food.  I appreciate that Shady Grove is trying to spice things up with some adventurous drinks and dishes (what the heck is guapo, anyway?).  Unfortunately, it got away from them somewhere, and the special dishes have turned in to a waste of money.  This is a neighborhood hang-out.  Big aspirations are great, but in the end, Shady Grove is just like any other bar: kids in hoodies, eating wings & watching Sportscenter.

So…did I mention that I love hot wings?  I’d like to do a Best of Pittsburgh Hot Wings feature.  Sometime soon, I will head back to Shady Grove to try out their beautiful buffalo wings.  If you have any suggestions for restaurants with awesome hot wings, let me know!  I’d love to find the best wings in the ‘burgh!  I ain’t chicken!

Shady Grove
5500 Walnut Street Shadyside, PA 15232
412-697-0909
OPEN: Mon-Sun, 11am-2am.

Shady Grove on Urbanspoon

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