. . . "4"^^ . "5"^^ . "2010-05-05T00:00:00"^^ . "4"^^ . "3"^^ . "I've lived in Allegheny County my whole life, but only went to the Original Oyster House for the first time today. I'd heard they were reputed to have the best fish sandwich in the city, so that's what I was looking for. \n\n(By the way, as a side-note to the people, on Yelp and elsewhere, who whine about how a restaurant with the word \"Oyster\" in its name should focus on gourmet oysters and not fish sandwiches: Jesus, grow up. I don't go to Red Robin because I'm in the mood for some robin carpaccio, and I don't go to the Silk Elephant because I'm in the mood for some broiled pachyderms. A name is just a name. This is a very old establishment, and if you didn't do your homework going in to know what's good to order nowadays, then the fault is wholly yours, and I have zero sympathy. To quote a wise Russian: CRY SOME MORE.)\n\nAnyway, back to the sandwich:\n\nI got a platter with fries, slaw, and the sandwich. Sounds very pedestrian, sure, but it was far from ordinary. The slaw was very substantial and was dressed well without being overwhelming. The fries were extremely fresh, had a lot of substance to them, and were satisfyingly crispy. The fish sandwich itself- heck, I can hardly write about it, because I couldn't help but to inhale it. It was the best fish sandwich I can recall ever having eaten, and I could hardly stop myself from wolfing it down, bite after intoxicating bite. It's something you really just need to experience for yourself.\n\nI ate at the bar, and your usual condiments (ketchup, tartar sauce, salt, pepper, etc) were easily at hand. I used a moderate dollop of tartar sauce on my sandwich, which was great, but I'm sure the sandwich would have stood up fine without it, too. A lot of places' fish sandwiches are extremely bland and dry, making the tartar sauce necessary just to swallow it down, but the OOH's sandwich needs no such crutch. The tartar sauce is able to do what it's really meant to do: complement an already-excellent fish dish\n\nSo, what else can I say? I feel like my life as a Pittsburgher is enriched just knowing that this place exists, and I can't believe I've been missing out as long as I have been. I'm a graduate student at Pitt, and I can guarantee that whenever I have a solid hour free for lunch, I'll hop a bus downtown to get another fish sandwich platter. After today, I can't imagine a better Pittsburgh lunch- not even Primanti's."^^ .