I'm a Dork. With Pizza.
I am a dork. Just to make sure we're clear, I AM a dork. There's no need to tell me, I already know. I.am.a.dork.
Moving on . . .
I LURVE Pittsburgh. I really, really do. I love everything from the trees to the crazy accent to the hills to the fairly decent weather (Go ahead. Argue with me on that point. I will ship your arse to Buffalo for a REAL snow storm, down to Texas to feel what hot and humid can really do to your hair, and then to North Dakota for a taste of -20F and I'm pretty sure you will come to understand that Pittsburgh weather? Ain't all that bad.) There's just one little thing about the town that could stand for some improvement. (OK, two things considering the drivers here are sucktacular. The slowing down for a tunnel thing? Nearly kills me every time.)
What we need is a few dozen good franchises/chains. I don't know why, but Pittsburgh is lacking a lot of really good shopping and dining extravaganzas. We don't have World Market. We only recently sprouted a Stein Mart. And the food? Oh, there's a long list of fast-food restaurants we are missing out on here. Recently many of my Twits have been lamenting some of the specific places we are in need of, and one of those was Donato's.
I love Donato's.
I will stand at the top of a mountaintop and blast my full support and dedication for just about all pizza, but Donato's holds a special place in my heart (shh . . . don't tell me that the "special place" is my right ventricle that Donato's is single-handedly clogging).
Unclecrappy, a local blogger who is far from being a crappy uncle, just couldn't shoosh with his "we're going to Columbus and I'm going to eat Donato's." I couldn't quit with my, "YOU SUCK!" And then? A small miracle happened.
Unclecrappy offered to bring me back some Donato's after a recent trip to Donatoland.
Looky! Looky! Isn't it beautiful?
It brings a tear to my just remembering the moment I first held that splendid little box . . . Oh, and this?
Was nirvana. Sweet, sweet nirvana. Notice how I couldn't even take a photo without snaking a piece first? That is true love right there.
So, thank you UncleCrappy. You made the entire Burgh Baby family very happy that day.
So, anybody up for a White Castle/Carl Jr's/Tim Horton's/Culver's/In N Out Burger/Swensons/California Pizza Kitchen/Macaroni Grill run?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Reader Comments (65)
Oh wait...except for In-N-Out. We don't have those in Michigan. My bad. I wish!!
Apparently down here in the hot as hell and humid south, we are missing out on some chains as well. Out of your list, the only thing we have here is Macaroni Grill.
Yes, sadly, the Burgh is missing some key restaurants, but you do have Pierogis Plus, which I miss with every fiber of my being.. that and the Big O. And Primanti Bros. And Penn Brewery. Lucky.
The only way to be a better friend than that is to bring you a Donato's pizza while you're on lockdown with crabs...er pneumonia. Yeah that's it, pneumonia.
Yum!!!! I'm hungry now!
To the person who mentioned Super Target, the nearest one to the 'burgh is in Virginia somewhere.
*LA LA LA* Can't listen to multiple references to SuperTarget without crying so I'm not listening. *LA LA LA*
I can tell Alexis is really wanting some White Castle. What a heart breaking face. Wait - I don't think I've ever had White Castle. I can't after watching that movie with Susan Sarandon all those years ago.
I'm starving now, thank you! We live in the middle-of-nowhere Misery and have NOTHING! Nope, nada, zip, zilch, zero of the resturants you listed.
I really thought that after living in Alaska for nearly 6 wonderful years of having not much of anything around that moving to Missouri would bring an end to my franchise resturant deprivation. Nope, I was wrong! Lets add three more years to that six now please.
I miss the local, small rinky dink private owned places that Alaska had cause here in the middle of nowhere we don't even have those to satisfy ya. But don't worry we have two mcdonalds and a pizza hut. YUCK!
Why are you torturing me :(
I love Donatos--I went to Ohio State and we always ate (that or Bif's) texas has not good pizza. It's true we have so many freakin' restaurants but no pizza :(
yum!!!! There is a definite lack of restaurants here too. Good privately owned ones, but some of the good 'ol chain restaurants we became accustomed to are no where to be found. At all. No back ups when mom's tired or anything. Ick.
Seriously no CPK or Macaroni Grill? I would not survive.
And tell me about the hot and humid in Texas, damn my hair looks like hell right now!
Pittsburghers...there is a Tim Hortons in Steubenville, Ohio. If you're coming from Downtown take the outbound Parkway West toward the Airport then get off on 22 West toward Weirton. Take the Steubenville/Lovers Lane exit and turn left twice off the exit and Timmy's is right there. It's about a 40 minute drive from Downtown.
I heard CPK is coming to either Settlers Ridge in Robinson or South Hills. Maybe both at some point in time.
I agree we definitely lack a lot of chains but sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I'm from Ohio but not Donato's land...but I've heard some people fiercely loving on it so I'll take your word for it.
The burgh definitely lacks some chains but I always found most of the home grown stuff made up for it. Nashville is nothing but chains and man do I miss the home grown stuff!
Weather? The gray got to me. A lot. The driving? I would have agreed until I moved to Nashville. The tunnel slow down was annoying but I didn't have a tunnel in my commute...the 4 ft wide "road" with parking on both sides and 2 way traffic traveling down it made me insane. And don't get me started on the stupidity of those who feel entitled to the Pittsburgh left. But I would take all of that again to be rid of these Nashville drivers. Wow - they really suck. I predict that my death will by caused by having a stroke in traffic one day.
In-N-Out . . . how does one remove drool from the keyboard?