Tom's Diner: from the Diner Ladies group

Area: South Side
Rating: I guess
Notes: Very nice without the food to match

Another Sunday, another diner breakfast. This time we visited Tom's Diner, a member of the Diner Ladies group. The Diner Ladies is a group of 4 women-owned diners in the greater Pittsburgh area. They also include the Hot Metal Diner, The Cole Diner, and the Square Café. Now, it’s difficult to write a review of any diner in Pittsburgh without making a comparison with the Square Café. And this time, as both are members of the same group, avoiding the comparison is even harder. But I will avoid making any comparison statements, especially because comparing Tom’s Diner to the Square Café would be like comparing a taco bell to Ibiza. Ok, I’ll stop now.

Actually the place was pretty good. A very classic small town diner full of locals, oldies, and the random trendy couple. The food was perfectly diner-like. I got 3 eggs with sausage, bacon, home fries, and white toast. I couldn’t complain. The bacon was of surprising great quality, the toast perfect, the eggs not too runny – not too dry. The service was fast and friendly. My only real complain was the ambiance. It was just a bit too grungy, dark, sterile – not quite the place to bring someone you want to impress. And it seems the owners know this, because they are moving to the place next door, which looks like it was a more upscale restaurant. So hopefully the new location will be much better.

At the end, I will come back after they move and will post a new review, but so far, there is no other place in Pittsburgh that comes close to the Square Café for breakfast.

PS, as a disclaimer: I don't get anything from the Square Cafe - I just like it that much.

La Feria in Shadyside. Sorry but radically over-hyped.

Area: Shady Side
Rating: I guess
Notes: Very nice without the food to match

This is bound to be a controversial review. I know how much people love this tinny, super cute, Peruvian restaurant in the middle of trendy Shady Side. But sometimes I feel that these type of places – places with a unique style, uncommon food choices, and well established groupie base – get their fame more from people’s desired to feel ‘cool, trendy, new age’ than from the quality of their product: “OMG I found this super cool Peruvian restaurant, we have to try it”. Well, let me give them the credit they deserve: the place is cool, cute, trendy, romantic, unique, refreshing, friendly, educational, even inspiring! A place for a first casual date? Definitely. You will really impress someone, especially if that some one is easily impressed by ‘super cool Peruvian restaurants.” But is the food and the menu up to par? NOT EVEN CLOSE. First the menu is very limited, with just a few sandwiches and a couple of main dishes that change every week. I ordered the empanadas and I was very disappointed. I’ve eaten empanadas in Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean, and although there are subtle differences, I never felt I was eating a French pastry with some spinach inside. So I’m not sure if the issue is that the Peruvian empanadas are that much different than those from other countries, or if the chef simply wanted to create a more sophisticated version, but in either case, I rather eat the empanadas at Kaya. Then I got a vegetarian sandwich and it was decent, but ridiculously overpriced. I do have to admit that the bread pudding for dessert was really out of this world. At the end, I felt that the food did not match the authenticity of the rest of the restaurant. Ropa Vieja? That is clearly not a Peruvian dish! They may eat it in Peru, but people eat pizza in Mexico too and you don’t see pizza offered at Mexican restaurants. 5527 Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232 (412) 682-4501 www.laferia.net

Tamarind on Craig st. Much better for dinner!

Area: North Oakland
Rating: Monthly Regular
Notes: Skip the lunch.

So this past weekend I had the chance to go to Tamarind for dinner. As you can see from this past post, Tamarind was a major disappointment when I tried it for lunch. But I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised about how good the food was at dinner. I had the Samosa as an appetizer and it was excellent. It came with three spicy sauces and really I wanted to take some home, they were that good. Then I ordered the mixed grill and it was amazing. It had tendori shrimp and chicken, chicken tikka, and some really tasty sheesh kabab. Surprisingly, my favorite were the tikka and sheesh kabab. So next time I may just order the chicken tikka. The mango lassi was also wonderful, but who could mess up a mango lassi? The services was standard, nothing special, and the ambience pretty plain. I think if they dimmed the lights a bit, the place may look a bit more romantic. As is, it’s not the right place for a first or second date (try Ibiza instead). www.tamarindpa.com. 257 N. Craig Street, Pittsburgh - (412) 605-0500

Pamela's in Shadyside: A classic American breakfast

Area: Shadyside
Rating: Monthly Regular
Notes: Excellent Breakfast- Does not take credit cards

This is a long overdue review of one of Pittsburgh’s classic institutions: Pamela’s in Shadyside. I woke up on Saturday way before most people had opened their eyes and decided to come to Pamela's with a friend. When we arrived there were 2-3 couples on a classic 'post date' breakfast run. The place contrasted with the traditional ultra trendy Shadyside restaurants and looked more like the type of hidden gems you find in NYC’s Sojo or Boston’s Southy. Authentic, no windows, country, bright, rustic – a real ode to the urban diner. We both ordered the eggs with cheese, home fries and toast. They were just perfect. The eggs perfectly cooked, the toast amply buttered, and the home fries just excellent. The prices were very reasonable, if not cheap. With sodas, the bill for two was under $15. The services was also excellent, prompt and friendly. Unfortunately they don’t take credit cards, which in my book is a sure way to make me think twice before coming back. I simply hate businesses that are too cheap to accept credit cards. In sum, this is one great breakfast place. Is it better than Square Café? Not in a million years. Is it worth trying? Definitely! Actually, it’s worth eating there once a month. 3703 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 683-4066