Heading back to Pittsburgh-proper from the Ross Township mall, we decided we were ready to eat but didn't want to have to fight any of the holiday traffic surrounding the mall. So, breaking out the handy-dandy iPhone application, we found Monte Cello's. With only one review, it was a bit of a gambit, but we decided to get ourselves some Italian food.
When we arrived, the place was packed. This is a VERY popular local business. We arrived just in time for the Friday rush to be waning and we were sat in a booth after about a two-minute wait. The place looked quite new and nice on the inside. Our server was immediately at our table and taking our drink and appetizer order:
Italian Wedding Soup
Provolone sticks
Meatballs
Unsweet Tea with lemon
Pepsi
Our drinks were on the table immediately as was the soup. The Italian Wedding soup is some of the best that I have tried in the entire Pittsburgh area and I had no qualms finishing it. My issue was trying to figure out what I was going to have for dinner. Was I going to order an entree, or were we going to share a pizza. As our appetizers arrived, we opted to try the pizza before delving into anything more complex. We ordered:
Bread and butter
12" pepperoni pizza with extra cheese
The meatballs and the cheese sticks were anticlimactic after having had the Wedding soup. The meatballs were average as were the cheese sticks. We finished the appetizers and awaited the pizza with anticipation; not knowing if it would be more akin to the soup or the rest of the appetizers.
When the pizza arrived, we dug in immediately. This was no Fiori's. It was an average pizza, but it tasted better than much of the food that I had found in the area. In the end, I counted ourselves lucky to find a restaurant that I would consider "A-Ok" and could return to when I am in the area of the mall.