Eating in Pittsburgh

Ham and Cheese Sandwich, fries included, at Primanti

Travelling to Pittsburgh usually means either hockey or a Dickens Fellowship meeting, sometimes both. After a hockey game, a late-night meal usually constitutes one of a handful of local eateries but most frequently Primanti Bros., where sandwiches come with grilled meat, cheese, vinegar coleslaw, tomatoes, and fries between the slices of bread. Legend has it that the sandwich was invented for steel workers in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, so they could be easily purchased and consumed during a short lunch break.

Sunday morning is an iconic time to have breakfast. It is often a time when families and friends gather and share a morning meal as a celebration of the weekend and a day of leisure and distraction. Conversations at Eggs N’at in Moon Township revolved around the Steelers, their late afternoon game against New England, and the indeterminate prospects for the playoffs. Andrew and I waited for about twenty minutes for a table in the small restaurant that crammed seven tables and a counter that seats eight people into a confined space. Nonetheless, no one seemed to mind the wait. Album covers from the 1970s and 1980s, such Duran Duran’s Seven and the ragged Tiger and U2’s War, decorate the walls. Culinary delights such as rum raisin French toast, breakfast pizzas, and specialty pancakes, tempt even the most fatigued diner.

Eggs N'at on a Sunday morning 

There is an easy conversation between the staff and patrons at Eggs N’at. In typical Pittsburgh fashion, we are greeted with, “Yinz want some coffee?” I observed the other patrons as we wait for our food; most were wearing black and gold, several were consulting their phone for updates of one kind or another. The general din of conversation was interrupted when one of the servers hung up her phone and began complaining about the caller on the other line. He started the conversation, she said, with “Hey, Lady, what kind of pancakes you got?” A story repeated for emphasis, which elicited bemusement both times.