Crystal on Penn - Pittsburgh, PA

Crystal on Penn in Pittsburgh is a typical city bar.  Everyone at the bar obviously knew each other well.  They probably sell a lot of beer.  It is most definitely a burger and a beer type of place with the heavy emphasis on the beer.

I got the Montreal chicken sandwich and a Molson Golden beer to wash it down.  The Molson on tap was pretty good. But, the chicken sandwich was very ordinary. 

Overall, I was not very impressed.  I would rate Crystal on Penn 5.0 for purely average.  Unfortunately, as a restaurant, it was  not DDD quality.   I probably did not order whatever Guy had.  Still, I would pass on this one in the future unless I was just looking to have a few beers.

1211 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
www.crystalonpenn.com
(412) 434-0480

Good Dog Bar and Restaurant - Philadelphia, PA

I started off my meal with the smutty-nosed pumpkin ale.  It was autumn in Philadelphia and the seasonal ale seemed appropriate.  As I lifted the glass, there was definitely a pumpkin spice scent present in the aroma but, it was not overdone in the taste, which I was initially afraid of.  It had a somewhat heavy consistency like a wheat or stout.  Sometimes seasonal beers quickly lose their novelty.  That wasn't the case here.  I found this beer actually growing on me.

Good dog is an old-time bar. I should probably be ashamed to say that I felt at home here because it reminded me of a lot of bars in New York where I had a lot of fun during my misspent youth.  There were lots of black and white photos of dogs all over the bar's walls.  There is no doubt a story behind the dog theme.

The bar tender was a 20ish tough dude probably not afraid of tossing drunks out into the Philadelphia streets. But, being more than twice his age, I don't think that he knew how to address me. The two guys immediately before me were "Bub" and "Boss" but, I was "Sir." I'm not called sir a lot north of Mason-Dixon.  I was definitely bringing the average age of the room up.

I ordered the duck pot pie. The waitress said that this was what Guy Fieri had ordered.  So, how could I say no to that.  I don't think that I'd ever had duck that I can remember. I expected it to be gamy but, it really wasn't.  The duck was really savory but I had to look for it.  The pastry seemed much more dominant. The pastry was nice and light and flavorful like a butter croissant. The duck meat was very tender and the taste was distinctive.  It is now my baseline for what I think duck tastes like. It was present but in the background like the way sausage might be a secondary flavor on a sausage pizza.

It came with a little spinach salad on the side of the plate that was surprisingly good also.  The pot pie was so savory and filling that you really needed the crunchy, leafy contrast.


I liked the Good Dog Bar.  I'd rate it a solid 9.  I'd like to explore their menu some more and might be back again.


Good Dog Bar and Restaurant
224 S 15th St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 985-9600
http://www.gooddogbar.com/

Silk City Diner & Lounge - Philadelphia

The Silk City Diner & Lounge was all about atmosphere.  It was part diner with good comfort food and friendly service, part bar because you could belly up to a bar inside and order whatever alcoholic drink that you wanted and part night club because it was dimly lit with red lights and from the looks of the posters downstairs, they must have live music there sometimes. 

I was there in the early evening during the week.  The neighborhood was definitely a little on the rough side.  There was evidence of the local businesses hardened against night time raids with graffiti inscribed riot gates held in place with heavy chains.  So, the restaurant might not have been a dive but the location definitely was.

The food was really good.  It was surprisingly refined for such a rough neighborhood.  I had the fish and chips.  The fish was tempura fried.  The oil was fresh and the tempura frying was executed by someone who knew what they were doing.  It also came with some really good coleslaw and a chunk of cornbread.  The cornbread was actually a jalapeno cornbread that they called a "corn muffin."  I didn't expect cornbread this far north of the Mason-Dixon line but, theirs was very good.

I'd rank Silk City a 9.2 out of 10 on the DDD scale.  The whole place just had its own vibe that appealed to me. 

Silk City Diner & Lounge
435 Spring Garden St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 592-8838
www.silkcityphilly.com