When my wife and I were in college, we would head into Pittsburgh every Saturday around midnight to pick up the New York Times with a couple of friends who had a side job delivering the paper to the students and faculty of West Virginia University. It was then that we realized that the city of the Steelers could hook us up with a damn good sandwich.
Fast forward a decade and a half and a long drive down I-80 to Giordano Brothers - a shop making the quintessential "Pittsburgh Sandwich"... though I never saw a sandwich like this during my saturday nights in the Tri-River area.
Regardless, it's an interesting concept: fresh italian bread cut thick, cole slaw, grilled meat (the cappicolla is amazing), cheese and a small handful of what might be the best fries in the city. It sounds like an artery blocker, but instead of being unwieldy, it's a perfect, managable balance of flavors without being too heavy.
A sandwich, coke and a mini-Clark bar later, neither of us felt like we were transported back to Pennsylvania, but we walked up towards the 30 Stockton feeling better for having the experience.
Giordano Brothers: Cash and credit cards accepted, international soccer on the TVs in the background, good looking chicken wings, excellent sandwiches, buckets of beer (though I don't recall if they had Rolling Rock) and hooks to hold a jacket or umbrella all across the bar. Worth a visit.
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