Pittsburgh based Primanti's celebrated its 90th Anniversary earlier this month. Known for great sandwiches, with the fries on the sandwich, Primanti Bros. is a must visit if you've never been to the Steel City.
Starting out as a single sandwich cart in the 1933 Primanti's now is a regional chain in 40 locations in the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. While chains are not what we typically cover, there are a few rare exceptions. Primanti's is one of those exceptions.
According to their website the fries on the sandwich were a byproduct of the working class clientele that was Primanti's early bread and butter.
"The story might be half hazy memory, half lore - but it's all true. According to Joe's nephew John DiPriter: "One winter someone drove up with a load of potatoes. He brought them over to the restaurant to see if they were frozen. I fried the potatoes on our grill and they looked pretty good. A few customers asked for them - so I tossed them on the sandwich." The sandwich was an instant hit - allowing all of the drivers working near the restaurant to eat with one hand - and drive their truck with the other."
And, just like that, a Yinzer icon was born. If you've never had fries on your sandwich, trust me, it's a treat.
The time between lunch service and dinner service is the soft, white, vulnerable underbelly of the restaurant industry. If a business even stays open during that time they are not at their peak.
Service staff is usually cut down to one person. Host staff has been cut. There might be a bartender. Or possibly the bartender is also waiting the tables.
Kitchen staff might still be around. But typically only one cook has responsibility for any tickets that come in. The rest of the staff is hurriedly trying to finish their prep list, or cleaning up, before leaving.
Yet, due to our schedule, we really had no choice but to stop in at just before 2pm. The location was so quiet that we wondered if they were even open. Not only were all the tables empty but it took a half minute to find an employee. Once we did, we were seated promptly.
In a menu boasting over 35 sandwiches it would seem difficult to make a choice. But it wasn't. Right there, front and center, on the top of the menu, is The Original. The PB Rueben. Corned beef, pastrami, Swiss cheese, Parmesan horseradish mayo, grilled slaw, and hand cut fries on grilled marble rye. Whew!! Now that's a sandwich.
The wait for our food seemed to take longer than expected. But, as mentioned earlier, we were catching them at a restaurants weakest. When the food arrived it looked really appetizing.
The bread was nicely grilled. The color was great and it wasn't too greasy. The flavors worked well together. Biting through bread, fries, slaw, sauce, cheese, meat, and bread was a crazy mouthful.
A messy, sloppy, Rueben is to be expected. They can be too sloppy. So sloppy that they fall apart or the meat slides out. That's no good. But not being sloppy enough can be a let down too. Our sandwich could have used a bit more sauce. To be fair, as mentioned, we were not catching the restaurant at the best time of the day.
I'm sure that a neighborhood Primanti's on a Friday night watching the Penguins, or a Sunday watching the Steelers is an incredibly fun way to pass the time. Especially if you're a fan of those teams.
We were glad to finally make it to Primanti's. Hopefully we can get back soon. A raucous, sports bar crowd, two deep at the bar, and a kitchen humming a long at its peak is quite an experience.
That's when a restaurant is at its peek. When all cylinders are firing and the engine is revving high. That's when the food comes out hot and quick. I'm sure this is what has made Primanti Bros. a Pittsburgh institution for over 90 years now. If you get the chance, you should go there.
Comments