| rev:text
| - I stopped by yesterday for brunch with CM around 1pm. I'd passed the Bloomfield Sandwich Shop countless times on my bike, and had often wondered about the food and the clientele. When a friend cancelled alternate brunch plans with my on Fri., but I was still craving breakfast food, the idea occurred to me to finally check this place out. I'm very glad that I finally did, given the sandwich shop provided me with one of the most memorable brunches I've had in PGH.
This place is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall--it's very small inside, so expect to get cozy with the owners and other customers during your visit. In true diner style, CM and I opted to sit at the counter. Indeed, space was at such a premium that at a couple points, one of the owners placed dirty plates on the counter a bit closer than I'd like for a minute or two before proceeding to clean them. As for the decor, the best way to describe it is flower child kitsch, with a dash of sports (indeed, surprisingly, the paper placemats contained sports trivia). You really do feel as though you're in the owners' kitchen when you're here. CM described it as organized chaos, which I thought was quite apt.
As for the food, as far as I can tell, the sandwich shop offers the most inexpensive breakfast in PGH (aside from McD's, etc.)--everything on the menu is $5 or less, and the portions are generous. Despite this, as others have mentioned, the quality of the food is quite good--on par with, if not better than, Pamela's, and leaps and bounds above EnP. CM ordered a hobo cake, a breakfast sandwich consisting of eggs and cheese between two pancakes ($4.50), with bacon (+ $1.25), and I ordered the short stack of pancakes ($4.25) with Nutter Butter cookies and chocolate chips (+ $1.00). Both entrees were delicious, and very satisfying, not to mention filling. (In fact, CM fell into a carb coma shortly after going back to his place.)
Although the food and prices are great, what really makes eating at the sandwich shop a real experience is the owners, Mike and Mama Ros. Mike, who waited on us, has a great sense of humor, joking with us and making us feel like family from the time we walked in the door to the time we left--and even afterward (he greeted us again when he and Mama Ros were taking a break at the outside tables as we walked past on our way back to the car after taking a short walk). From talking to him, we learned that he and Mama Ros have run the sandwich shop for 15 years (impressive!), and that he lived in San Jose, CA prior to moving to PGH. We didn't get to talk to Mama Ros much, because she was working the grill at the time we were there and it was quite busy, but they both seem like great people.
Needless to say, we had an awesome first experience at the Bloomfield Sandwich Shop, and look forward to returning for more. While I'm tempted to award 5 stars, there were a few minor shortcomings on the food front (use of boxed pancake mix, lack of maple syrup), and the chaotic atmosphere may not be for everyone. Having said that, if you're looking for cheap and plentiful portions of basic diner fare done well served up by friendly owners, check out this neighborhood institution--it won't let you down! 4.5 stars.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)