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| - I never knew this restaurant existed until Sal G. mentioned it in the Yelp Pittsburgh forums as a place that was open for Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh. From there, I looked up a review by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's mystery diner Munch...
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10042/1034861-440.stm
Yeah, this is one of those old-time establishments your 50-60-ish parents or grandparents might like more than you, and I did too for the most part. It reminds me of the type of restaurant where, as a child, I'd only come to after a wedding or funeral. The menu is simple with seafood, pork, beef, veal, poultry, and pasta dishes rounding it out; it's a little American trad, a little Italian. The lunch menu is just a scaled down version of the dinner menu with some sandwiches and burgers. A pizza, hoagies, and wings joint this isn't.
Lady Kay wasn't hungry (ya never know with her), so she just got a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Me? I was here on a mission, so eat up I did.
First they brought out a nice breadbasket full of manner of sticks with herbs and seeds and spices stuck to 'em, but what really stood out were these...chips?
I ask the waitress, "What are these?"
"I think they're fried dough. They won't tell me," she replies, giggling a little.
Yup, she was right, and they were a dandy partner for something I can't remember ever having before: French Onion Soup. Michael's calls it Crock Of Onion Soup Baked with Cheese, the cheese being provolone.
Now I can see why someone went nutters over this on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate," and of course, you get that signature stretchy cheese cap that is baked atop the crock, but the soup itself had a brackish flavor, and the onions were cooked into savory darkness. It was like looking into a cauldron of things I'd like to pour onto a steak sandwich. In fact, dunking the breadsticks into the broth was akin to a French Dip without the meat.
For my entree, I got the Baked Crab Imperial, which would bring me to my only complaint.
The portion was so small, I felt cheated, especially since it was 20 bucks! After all, it was just a casserole-type thing that came in a ramequin.
Mind you, it was very good. The last time I had crabmeat imperial was at the awful Baltimore House in Pleasant Hills (it's been a few years, so no review until I go back, which may be never), and it was surprisingly a rare highlight. BH's was creamy like a warm tuna salad. Michael's is again, more like a small casserole, with buttery breading and plump, sweet jumbo lump crabmeat. I couldn't complain about the flavor, but I would have liked a bit more for what I paid. Then again, I wasn't ravenous last night, but still, $20???
The main course came with two sides. The "Pittsburgh Potatoes" were neato and were similar to an Au Gratin with cheddar, onions, and hot peppers. The other side was fried zucchini, and my only fault (and a miniscule one at that) was that they were sliced in medallion fashion. They got the job done in the crispy-tasty department, though.
All of their pies and cakes are made in-house, so I had to go for their Chocolate Cake with White Icing, and man was it bakery-caliber. The cake itself was moist and thick like a swamp of cocoa, and the icing was a refreshingly light buttercream. If I could, I'd get a whole cake as it was a very nice way to end dinner.
Michael's just bleeds a charm 5 decades old, one that would taste like fine wine if it were drinkable. The dining room is immaculate, and the staff are all as friendly as can be. When we strolled in, we were warmly greeted by the bartender (and owner?) and sent on our way by him as we left.
"You kids drive safely now."
Some adjectives to describe Michael's: Simplicity, Timelessness, Class.
But methinks I shoulda got the Prime Rib instead. There will be a next time, and it won't be when someone gets hitched or dies either.
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