Best of Food

By Pitt News Staff
November 10, 2004

Best Italian food: Joe Mama’s

Runner-up: Bravo

There’s no place better than Joe Mama’s to eat with the stars.

Famous faces ranging from Elvis to Tupac will stare at you while you enjoy a meal at Oakland’s Italian cuisine restaurant.

Though often quite full after 11 p.m., when sandwiches and pasta dishes are half price, Mama’s can be the perfect place for a date if you get there early.

The dim lights and comfy, red chairs set an ambiance that is perfect for romance. Let the atmosphere seduce you as you look over the menu. Perhaps you could pick a spaghetti dish, so that your date can be a reenactment of that oh-so-cute Lady and the Tramp scene.

And there’s nothing better than a drink or two to loosen up while on that date, so if you’re older than 21, grab the martini menu. It’s well worth the look.

On the chance you’re just hanging out with some friends, the menu also offers pizza pies, burgers and sandwiches. So mangia, mangia! — eat, eat! in Italian — and don’t forget to leave room for the yummy desserts, like a chocolate Belgian waffle or Tiramisu.

-Erin Clarke, staff writer

Best Chinese food: LuLu’s Noodles

Runner-up: Szechuan Express

Is it possible for a college student to make it through a week without getting a fierce craving for Chinese food? Thoughts of fried rice, lo mein and General Tso’s chicken dance across our brains all too often, interfering with constructive thoughts about due dates, reading assignments or even work schedules.

And though Oakland has several options to satisfy your Chinese food desires and get your brain back on track, LuLu’s Noodles is the place Pitt students favor.

LuLu’s menu includes much more than your traditional choices, boasting numerous noodle bowls and soups to satisfy even the most sensitive taste buds. And if you’re not in the mood for noodles, LuLu’s shares their cafeteria-style space with Yum Wok Pan Asian Diner, so you can order from their menu, as well.

LuLu’s portions are large, the prices are low, and the ingredients are always fresh and tantalizing. Great food and good service tend to draw large crowds, so it’s no surprise that the dining area is usually filled to the brim at meal times. But don’t worry, your hunger pangs won’t go unsatisfied for long, and if you’re really impatient, you can call ahead for delivery or take-out.

-Erin Lawley, Assistant A’E

Best Indian food: India Garden

Runner-up: India Palace

Every night, your personal decision demons confront you with the same choice: Should you attempt to satisfy your insatiable obsession with products of the Indian film industry, or should you eat?

If your life has fallen under the control of Bollywood-mania, but your body still requires physical nourishment, India Garden just might offer you salvation. The restaurant’s dim lighting and hip atmosphere are accentuated by several large televisions, which rarely fail to run the best of Indian musicals. But beware of becoming too entranced by the bright colors and complicated plot lines; you don’t want to ignore the excellent variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes available.

Phew. One more battle with the decision demons avoided.

-J. Elizabeth Strohm, News Editor

Best Mexican food: Mad Mex

Runner-up: Qdoba

Ever notice the number of people walking down Atwood with aluminum containers?

They’re all coming from Mad Mex, and they’re carrying leftovers because when you order a burrito at Mad Mex, you get a plateful. Stomachs go in empty and leave overflowing.

And it’s great tasting food, too.

From burritos to enchiladas, grilled chicken and steak salads to wings, Mad Mex has something on the menu for everyone, which is why it was voted best Mexican food in Oakland.

In addition to great food, you’ll notice their excellent servers, who are always looking to place a smile on your face and maybe a drink on your table — drinks such as margaritas and several unusual drafts that they have on tap. So do as the their shirts say and “Practice Safe Mex.”

-Jimmy Johnson, Assistant Sports Editor

Best sushi: Sushi Boat

Runner-up: Sushi II

All aboard the Sushi Boat.

This immaculately clean Japanese eatery will satisfy your craving for a Philadelphia Roll or a Spicy Tuna Roll. Affordably priced and made right before your eyes, Sushi Boat’s sushi is a great choice for first-time consumers of the Japanese treat, since its rolls are made with cooked fish.

But there’s more to this menu than dainty little rolls of seaweed and rice. For those who favor shoveling and slurping over careful chopstick precision, patrons can make their own rice and noodle bowls at the Sushi Boat, selecting a personalized combination of sauces, meats and vegetables.

Take it out if you wish, but the quiet upstairs dining area may be one of the most atmospheric places to enjoy a meal within a few blocks of campus.

-Jonathan Check, Assistant News Editor

Best Thai/Southeast Asian: Spice Island

Runner-up: Thai Place Cafe

When I asked a friend who recently transferred to Pitt if he’d like to join me for dinner, I learned he was twice-cursed: He not only spent four years at Penn State, but in his short time at Pitt, he had not visited the Spice Island Tea House. There was little I could do about the Penn State part, but I did suggest that we break for Spice Island immediately.

At Spice Island, noodles and rice dominate and are available in several delicious permutations; the curries are also worth a shot. My Nittany companion chose the Indonesian Festival Rice, which he recommends not only for its taste, but also for its hefty portion size. I enjoyed my Chiang Mao noodles, but the Gutjyi Gut noodles of a previous visit remain the most memorable dish I’ve eaten there. With a pot of Ceylon tea, the check came in at less than 20 bucks. Service was attentive, and two days after Election Day, the atmosphere felt soothingly blue-state. Might I recommend Spice Island Tea House for a date, also? If the things go well, your date will appreciate your South Oakland savoir-faire. And if the date takes a turn for the worse, you’re still left with tasty spring rolls and an intact bank account.

-Patrick Yoest, Senior Staff Writer

Best Middle Eastern food: Ali Baba’s

Runner-up: Salim’s

This small restaurant on Craig Street has the eats and atmosphere that make the perfect Middle Eastern experience. Founded by Syrian immigrants in the 1970s, Ali Baba’s has had the time to establish itself in a college area where some restaurants seem to be here one day and gone the next.

The salads available — with feta cheese to die for — are an excellent choice for the frugal vgetarian, and their chefs do wonders with both white and red meat. Ali Baba’s has the best sauce for shish tawook you can find, with enough garlic to slay vampires by exhalation. Close to campus and priced moderately, Ali Baba’s is where to be.

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best half-price food: Fuel and Fuddle

Runner-up: Hemingway’s

Sometimes I say to myself, “I should go to Fuel,” and then I realize I’m already at Fuel.

When it’s past 11 p.m. and you need something to accompany the drink in your stomach, Fuel is as good as it gets. There are the best buffalo-style wings in Oakland, there are terrific personal pizzas made fresh in their fire-brick oven, and oh yeah, there are the biggest burgers you’ll ever see.

Let’s say you’re trying to find the light way to live the high life, and enjoy some of their salads (which are vast enough for even the most hearty eater), like the delicious sierra grilled chicken salad (also comes in a turkey variation).

So if it gets late, and the hunger pangs come a-callin’, drop by and tell Brandon, J.C., Missy and the rest of the staff that The Pitt News readers sent you.

-Greg Heller-LaBelle, Editor in Chief

Best deli: Schlotzsky’s

Runner-up: Campus Deli

Although Schlotzsky’s Deli is not your average delicatessen, that is what makes it the best. This Oakland landmark has pizzas, sandwiches and soups, on top of affordable bulk foods. A tin of olive oil or hot sauce, done Schlotzsky’s style, can last the thrifty college student several months.

Schlotzsky’s sells the biggest sandwiches for the lowest prices. If you push through all the hype around local sandwich shops, like I wish people would have done during the election campaign, you will find the subtle, understated corner building at 3600 Forbes Ave. has the best deal in town. Vote for Schlotzsky’s, even if you can’t pronounce it.

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best dorm food: Easy Mac

Runner-up: Ramen

You’re paying hundreds of dollars for four months of meal-plan splendor. Unfortunately, to enjoy the wonders of Pitt’s dining halls, you would have to leave your dorm room. This sounds like a job for Easy Mac.

Just one toddle to the nearest microwave, and you’re three to five minutes away from the most amazing dorm food known to Pitt students. It’s easy. It’s macaroni. It’s even got a catchy nickname, for Easy Mac insiders.

Save your dining dollars and meal blocks. There will be days for those. Tonight, it’s just you, your extra-long dorm bed and a little bowl of heaven.

-J. Elizabeth Strohm, News Editor

Best sub place: Subway

Runner-up: Uncle Sam’s

When looking for a sub, you really can’t get any better than Subway. Jared is a walking, talking advertisement for their healthy, yet tasty, sandwiches. Between their constant promotions that lower the price of a footlong and the stamp cards good for a 6-incher, Subway is not only healthy, but affordable — perfect for us broke college students. Of course, there’s still the real reason to trudge the three blocks from Bigelow Boulevard to Subway: their cookies. At no other place in Oakland — heck, no place except home — can you get such soft, just-out-of-the-oven cookies for dessert. A sinful dessert with a tasty and healthy sub makes for a great meal — actually that’s the meal I’m eating now. I guess it really is the best of!

-Daveen Rae Kurutz, Senior Staff Writer

Best restaurant for a date: Joe Mama’s

Runner-up: Union Grill

It’s simple. This place is the perfect locale for a date for a variety of reasons, the first of which is atmosphere. The place has a ’50s look to it and is covered in autographed pictures of celebrities; just don’t ask if they’re real. The food’s awesome for two reason: the portions are huge and, more importantly, it’s cheap. We’re talking giant plates of pasta, lasagna and gnocchi … If it was eaten on The Sopranos, they got it.

Where else can you take a girl out for $25? And, no, McDonald’s doesn’t count.

-Ryan Walker, Sports Editor

Best coffee: Starbucks

Runner-up: Kiva Han

So I got up this morning to go to class, but first I stopped by Starbucks to get coffee so I could wake up, and after five or so cups, I realized that the Pitt News readers are right: Starbucks is the best place to get coffee because the coffee there is always hot and brewed properly, and there are always so many different choices ’cause my friend Ryan goes in there and he gets the flavored lattes because that’s what he likes to drink, but I usually just get five or seven regular cups of coffee with lots of sugar and sometimes I get a pastry if I am hungry but usually I don’t because I am already to full on coffee but you can never be too full on coffee for more coffee…

-Jonathan M. Kyle, Associate News Editor

Best wings: Wing Zone

Runner-up: Wing Pitt

Want wings? Go to Wing Zone for the best in town.

This North Oakland eatery is renowned not only for its variety of wing choices — 25 flavors, to be exact — but also for the sheer magnitude of its output. Need a lot of wings? Wing Zone can fill orders of up to 500.

If, for some reason, you needed more than that many wings, you’re on your own.

They’ve got sandwiches, salads and appetizers, too, in case 500 wings isn’t enough food for your party.

And if you don’t think you’ll be able to carry out that 500-wing order, let them handle the burden; they deliver, too.

-Jonathan Check, Assistant News Editor

Best vegetarian food: Maggie’s

With a menu featuring mock chicken, mock duck, tofu, tempeh and edible flower garnishes, Maggie’s Mercantile is a casually swanky, BYOB bistro settled in the heart of the South Oakland restaurant strip on Atwood Street. For the animal-friendly crowd and health conscious, Maggie’s has meat-and-milk-free fare, including the bulger wheat and lentils that most would expect from a vegan restaurant. It also rounds out its menu with new spins on standard fare like veggie pasta, bean burritos and spinach-artichoke dip with a faux-cheese sauce. And it’s all in a smoke-and-cruelty-free setting.

-Sydney Bergman, Opinions Editor

Best sandwich: Primanti’s

Runner-up: Panera

Hey, yinz guys wanna go dahn to Primanti’s, get a sandwich an watch the Stillers game an ‘at?

OK, so maybe not everyone loves Primanti’s. I’ve learned to accept that. But damn it, I do, and apparently so do you, our beloved readers.

It’s the blue-collar sandwich for a blue-collar city. It’s the sandwich that everyone who visits the city of Pittsburgh should try at least once and the sandwich that everyone from Pittsburgh loves.

Piled high with fries, tomatoes and coleslaw (you may not like coleslaw, but give it a try, you’ll love it), it’s a full-course meal that you hammer down with two hands.

You always have the option of asking for the sandwich without any of the toppings, but why would you? If you want a plain sandwich, you can go somewhere else. If you want a true Pittsburgh experience, you can go to Primanti’s.

-Brian Palmer, A’E Editor

Best vending cart: Scotty’s

Runner-up: Gyro guy in the van

Let’s face it, “Dad.” You don’t go to Scotty’s for the haute cuisine. It’s true, the man offers the best in meaty goodness, and I’d pit his wares against any courthouse hot-dog cart in the nation. But it’s Scotty’s attitude that brings in the “Best Vending Cart” award.

“If you really were pressed for time, you wouldn’t need change.” “If you want to make your own damn hot dog, don’t come crying to me.” His quotes are priceless, especially to those silly people who are in a rush, but don’t have exact change. Any vendor can give you a hot dog, but Scotty throws in the joking hard time for free.

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best meal under $5: Antoon’s

Runner-up: Wendy’s

Everyone loves the dollar menus at fast-food restaurants, but the best meal for less than $5 is at Antoon’s. You tell me what could be better. Wait, you guys are the ones who picked Antoon’s, so obviously you agree.

Conveniently located on Atwood Street, Antoon’s offers students a chance to fill their guts without emptying their wallets. There aren’t too many places where three friends can share a large pizza and throw in about $1.50 each.

Plus, this place runs like a well-oiled machine! Every time you call, the response is always the same: “It’ll be ready in 15 minutes.”

Every day is the right day to stop by Antoon’s Pizza. They’re open seven days a week. If you’re looking for a way to bond with a friend, what better way than to ask, “You wanna share an Antoon’s?”

-Ryan Walker, Sports Editor

Best pizza: Antoon’s

Runner-up: Vocelli’s

There’s no need to be ashamed; everyone has Antoon’s phone number on speed dial.

When passing by 247 Atwood Street, you’re bound to find students sitting on the curb, swarming around one of the gigantic, white-and-red pizza boxes.

Not only does Antoon’s serve the most delicious pizza in Oakland, the price is even affordable for broke college students, at a mere $4.80 for a large pizza. If you’re just not in the mood for pizza, that’s alright because they also sell sandwiches, calzones, wings and hoagies, none which typically cost more than $5.

Antoon’s is open seven days a week, so make sure to stop in for the cheapest and most superb pizza that Oakland has to offer.

-Laura Jerpi, Staff Writer

Best ice cream: Dave ‘ Andy’s

Runner-up: Coldstone Creamery

If there’s any question in your mind as to how much Pitt students love Dave ‘ Andy’s, all you have to do is check out the line. From the counter, out the door, and down the street, people wait for Dave ‘ Andy’s yummy homemade ice cream year-round. It’s just that good.

And this little ice cream shop means business. Dave ‘ Andy’s is consistently ranked in the nation among the best ice cream joints, and it even beats out trendy, growing chain shops like our

Runner up, Coldstone Creamery.

Even on a bitter December day, the smell of waffle cones baking can call you inside for a couple dips. And the wide selection of flavors varies from day to day, so if you’re looking for something special — like White Russian or Cappuccino Chip — you may have to check back frequently.

In the meantime, you can enjoy a cone of Dave ‘ Andy’s renowned Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, quite possibly the best version you’ll find anywhere, and savor that wonderful M’M that’s keeping your ice cream from dripping out of the bottom. Or enjoy a root beer float with any of their ice cream flavors (they give you the root beer bottle so you can keep filling your cup!) or one of their flavorful frozen yogurts.

-Erin Lawley, Assistant A’E Editor

Best french fries: The O

Runner-up: McDonald’s

A small is a large. A large is a truckload. If you hunger for greasy goodness, you can get a pile of fries from the Original Hot Dog Shop.

Probably No. 1 on Dr. Atkins’ hit list, this particularly blissful meeting of carbohydrates and oil is enough to beat out McDonald’s and Wendy’s. And if the quality doesn’t draw you in, the quantity should. An order is a meal in itself, with the ideal size depending on how big of an undernourished family you have back home. And as for the cost, I’m often surprised that the punks who sit outside don’t switch their “NEED MONEY FOR BEER” signs to say “FRIES.” They’d have to wait outside in the cold a lot less.

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best bagel: Bruegger’s

Runner-up: Einstein’s

Children grow up hearing tales of the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and the sandman. But how many lucky kids know the saga of the bagel elves?

While you’re snuggled beneath your covers during the darkest hour of the night, the bagel elves toil. When you’re showering for an afternoon class, the bagel elves are still at work. Even as you head out of an early evening dinner, the bagel elves are busy.

The bagel elves labor long hours to make Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery the best there is. They don’t ask for much in return: a few leftover bagels at the end of the night, a few hours of rest each day and your undying love — for their bagels. So next time you chomp through a crispy bagel shell and enjoy the warm, soft bagel innards of a Bruegger’s bagel, give a little, appreciative thought to the bagel elves. And pass the story on to your children.

-J. Elizabeth Strohm, News Editor

Best breakfast: Pamela’s

Runner-up: Panera

Any place that has something called “The Morning After Breakfast” on the menu is definitely a gem. And Pamela’s is a diamond in the rough. Talk about the perfect cure for one of those crazy, I-drank-so-much-I-should-be-dead-right-now type of nights!

Just make sure you get there early; otherwise, you’ll be stuck in a line so long that you’ll wish all that alcohol did kill you. Seriously, everybody loves this place — it won this award a gazillion times.

It’s the home-cooked breakfast you know you’ve been missing. The menu has all of the classic breakfast items and then some. You know: eggs, bacon, home fries and all that good stuff.

There’s just one thing about this place that freaks me out. What’s up with all that antique farm equipment on the walls?

-Ryan Walker, Sports Editor

Best juice vendor: GNC

Runner-up: Freshens

Pink may be the new black, but smoothies are the new juice. And with almost 30 different flavors of smoothies, it’s no wonder GNC was voted the best juice vendor of 2004. Packed with a flavorful mix of various fruits, fruit juices, vitamins and nutrition supplements, a GNC Smoothie is a healthy snack to keep busy students going throughout the day. Your choices range from a Tropical Hurricane made with papaya and strawberries to a Coffee Break blended with creamy coffee and chocolate, and your drink is made fresh, right in front of you at the GNC Smoothie Bar.

-Rachael Coup, Layout Editor

Best in-Campus dining: Eddie’s

Runner-up: Cathedral Cafe

Sometimes you feel like a cafeteria meal, and sometimes you just feel like a loaf of bread. Or a half-pound of lunch meat. Or a six-pack of Gatorade.

For such occasions, Eddie is your man, and Eddie’s is your place. Whether you’re searching for home-cookin’ and ice cream, or you’re itching to refill your pantry, you can get all your heart desires in the dining hall named for former Chancellor Edward Litchfield.

And you thought three tall towers were enough of a legacy.

So pay homage to the man and the dream, and pay more for a 12-bottle case of iced tea than you’d pay for a case of Yuengling cans.-J. Elizabeth Strohm, News Editor

Best hot dog: The O

Runner-up: Scotty’s

There’s a reason the Original Hot Dog Shop has been on national top-10 hot dog lists for years. However, I haven’t determined the reason for national top-10 hot dog lists.

Nevertheless, the O can grill a dog better than a K-9 cop. Their regular frankfurters leave nothing to be desired with their crisp outsides and tender, juicy insides. For a small amount more, upgrade to the all-beef big dog, which, added to an order of fries, is a meal fit for an entire royal family. Add a cold beer to that, and you’re set for the night. And it’s all at the O, a center of gustation, inebriation and the occasional eructation.

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best Burger: McDonald’s

Runner-up: Fuel and Fuddle

There’s the order-three-and-eat-them-stacked-up type, the get-a-big-one-and-eat-it-on-the-way-out variety, and the slender, just-splurging-on-one sort. Occasionally, you’ll find the more rare “philosophically-pondering-the-contents-of-secret-sauce” type, or the “I-don’t-eat-fast-food-so-stop-looking-at-me” breed.

But despite the diverse preferences, what do all meat-loving, protein-craving college students love more than a burger?

A very cheap burger. And at McDonald’s, students can get many very cheap burgers for a very low price.

College students don’t seem to be the only kind of McDonald’s-goers, either. You’ve got to respect a place that’s sold billions of a product in nations all over the world. Clearly, something is working — billions of people can’t be wrong, can they?

-J. Elizabeth Strohm, News Editor