A Supposedly Fun Thing

Have you ever been told by someone that you just must try something? Before moving to Pittsburgh my husband and I had been told to try Primanti Bros Sandwiches. So the second weekend we are in town, Ian and I head down Carson St. in search of brunch, while we had no luck locating a suitable brunch spot, we did see a Primanti Bros. I was hesitant since it wasn’t the original location, but I was hungry so I caved. I order the Pittsburgh Cheese “steak.” Being a newbie, I recognized that the quotations would probably lead to disappointment but the description as the “second most popular” menu item meant I had to order it. My companion ordered the pastrami. When the sandwhiches came out, the fresh Italian bread looked so promising. I quickly picked up a half of the sandwich. The cheese steak was apparently a 1/4 inch thick burger ( more like a Salisbury steak considering it looked like it had been simmering in a brown substance for a while). On top were the promised fresh cut French fries…. Slick with oil and a pale creamy color I realized there were not crunchy in the typical sense but rather under cooked under salted blah potatoes. The coleslaw was crunchy, but not particularly flavorful. Actually I would describe both sandwiches as tasteless. Soon after this incident I mention the “supposedly fun thing” to a colleague. He told me the secret. Go out with friends, drink at least 5 beers, head over to Primanti Bros about 1:00 AM and then it will hit the spot. So apparently I will have to do a revisit to Primanti Bros under the correct conditions and I will report back shortly.