Well, you probably know I like barbecue. I’m a big fan, and I’m always willing to try out new places. Well, new places that don’t have shrimp or other deathfish on the menu. I’ve scoped out the web sites three places I haven’t tried… perhaps they’re rather new? Can anyone tell me if they’ve been to any of these places & what they think? (Or if they have any stuff on site that’s not listed on the online menu?)
Perhaps, like movie nights, I can organize a Pittsburgh (& surrounding area) BBQ tour? Would anyone be interested?
I’d like to check out the following BBQ restaurants…
Well, Krispy Kreme wrote back. No doubt they believe that I’m absolutely undeniably insane at this point, but they thankfully decided to humor me anyway. Here’s what I sent them…
From: Waldo Lunar <world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 15, 2012
Subject: Re: Case #1099627
To: krispykreme@casupport.com
Aloha Lyndon,
Thank you for your swift reply! Hopefully Krispy Kreme is able to rebound to the Pittsburgh area, and stay a little longer this time. It’s curious that you blamed the franchisees for wanting to get into other business ventures, yet I read an article on CFO.com from 2005, detailing corporate buybacks. I’m not sure, but was that around the time when Krispy Kreme left the area?
I have used the store locator at KrispyKreme.com to determine that the Krispy Kreme closest to me is all the way down in Washington County. This is too far away from me to take a chance on making a run hoping to get hot fresh donuts.
I’d like to resubmit my earlier message, with unanswered questions highlighted, and perhaps I’ll add some more that have cropped up after that. I hope that you (or someone at Krispy Kreme) has the time someday to come up with some responses.
I’m writing to ask you what happened. Occasionally I get an email reminding me to visit a Krispy Kreme, and I think to myself “yeah, that’s a good idea.” Sadly, there are no Krispy Kremes around any more. I remember the stir of excitement when you first came to the area many years ago. I believe it was even a news story… “Pittsburgh is getting Krispy Kreme!” The fervor for hot fresh donuts was palpable. The neon sign beckoning me in for a visit worked on several occasions when I wasn’t even craving donuts. I’d generally come in to buy a Boston cream donut & an iced tea or chocolate milk… all because of that glowing invitation. I always loved the retro decor, the smell, and the ability to see the magical doughnut making process. You quickly dispatched with local competition. Dunkin Donuts most decidedly took a hit, and you wiped out some of the local weird places like Donut Connetcion and Mister Donut.
Then, you pulled out like an occupying force ordered home. There’s hardly a trace of Krispy Kreme left in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I’ve noticed a lot of area locations like Greensburg, Pleasant Hills, and Monroeville are now Chick-fil-A restaurants, and a still-empty Krispy Kreme building sits as a shell of sadness in Robinson Township. I remember the “remodeling / be back soon” sign hung for years before someone just gave up. I mean, I absolutely love all the full service Chick-fil-A locations, but I also like hot fresh donuts every once in a while. You used to be in several Sheetz locations, but now I think they mostly receive their donuts from somewhere else. Plus, they’re not exactly hot n’ fresh there.
Remaining on your email list has become simply receiving an occasional taunt for something I can’t have. Perhaps I should unsubscribe?
Dunkin Donuts seems to be making a rebound, and I must confess that I find their Boston cream (Boston creme?) offering to be a much fuller, larger, and more satisfying confectionery treat. But, they don’t lure me in with a hot fresh free delicious donut, and I can’t watch them being made.(Is it doughnut, or donut?)There’s also a killer “mom n’ pop” donut shop that’s a bit of a hike for me, but worth the trip… Big Daddy’s Donuts.
The truth is… I miss you, Krispy Kreme. Do you have plans to come back to the area with hot fresh goodness? Are you going to make me drive all the way to Washington county to get a doughnut & take a chance on the hot light being on? Why did all of the area locations shut down? Were you muscled out by local donut barons? Did too many yinzers line up for free doughnuts and not actually buy anything? Did Sheetz want too much too soon? Did people go on diets or realize that too many donuts are a bad thing? Was you plan all along to wipe out local donut shops and leave the area starved of donuts because of the high geographical rate of diabetes, thus ensuring better health for the population of the Pittsburgh area? I need (and feel that I deserve) some answers, my friends. What happened? Please don’t brush me off with the standard, “it’s not you, it’s us.” I need some concrete reasons.
Thank you for your time, I hope you’re doing well. I’m sure you’re as hot n’ fresh as always… just not for me.
Hungrily Yours,
-Waldo Lunar
Well, there it is. And here are more that I have thought of since…
Why do you spell Krispy Kreme with K’s? Why not Crispy Creme or even Crispy Cream?
What’s the difference between Cream and Creme?
Why don’t you call a Boston Cream doughnut Boston Creme? Why is it Custard-filled? Is the Custard just pudding?
Is it “donut” or “doughnut”?
Why spell “doughnut” in long form, yet blatantly disregard spelling in Krispy Kreme?
What’s your favorite doughnut?
Thank you once again for your time & assistance in satisfying my inquisitive nature.
Aloha,
-Waldo Lunar
Here’s what they sent back…
From: <krispykreme@casupport.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 15, 2012
Subject: Case #1099627
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Lunar,
Thank you for your email regarding your questions about Krispy Kreme. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. I have provided the answers to the questions that you have asked, I hope you find this information helpful.
– Why do you spell Krispy Kreme with K’s? Why not Crispy Creme or even Crispy Cream? Krispy Kreme is spelled with the K’s simply to be different and stand out.
– What’s the difference between Cream and Creme? There is no difference between the two words, “cream” is the American pronunciation and “crème” is the French pronunciation.
– Why don’t you call a Boston Cream doughnut Boston Creme? Why is it Custard-filled? Is the Custard just pudding? It’s just the spelling we used for that doughnut. It can be filled with chocolate frosting, creamy vanilla, or custard filling. The custard filling is the same as the Bavarian crème filled, it’s just a different name.
– Is it “donut” or “doughnut”? Either way is fine, “donut” is just the shortened form of “doughnut”.
– Why spell “doughnut” in long form, yet blatantly disregard spelling in Krispy Kreme? Again, you can spell “doughnut” either way you would like. We just choose to spell it the old-fashioned way.
– What’s your favorite doughnut? My favorite is the Original Glazed doughnut.
Pertaining to the inquiry of the 2005 article that you have provided us, we have no privy to this information here at Krispy Kreme Customer experience. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you.
Insanity. Absolute insanity. But, they did answer all of my questions. Well, all of the new ones anyway. They artfully dodged the highlighted paragraph o’ questions for a second time. Should I send a follow-up? Maybe I willdrive to Washington to get a doughnut one of these days.
I’ve been getting emails from Krispy Kreme reminding me to come buy & eat some doughnuts. The only problem is that there aren’t any Krispy Kremes around where I can go buy said doughnuts. Much like Quiznos, they seem to have parted ways with our area. I decided to write to them and see what happened.
From: Waldo Lunar <world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012
Subject: So, what happened?
To: JBryant@krispykreme.com; hotlight@krispykreme.com; contact@krispykreme.com; lwatson@krispykreme.com; webmaster@krispykreme.com; jmorgan@krispykreme.com; friends@krispykreme.com; krispykreme@casupport.com
I’m writing to ask you what happened. Occasionally I get an email reminding me to visit a Krispy Kreme, and I think to myself “yeah, that’s a good idea.” Sadly, there are no Krispy Kremes around any more. I remember the stir of excitement when you first came to the area many years ago. I believe it was even a news story… “Pittsburgh is getting Krispy Kreme!” The fervor for hot fresh donuts was palpable. The neon sign beckoning me in for a visit worked on several occasions when I wasn’t even craving donuts. I’d generally come in to buy a Boston cream donut & an iced tea or chocolate milk… all because of that glowing invitation. I always loved the retro decor, the smell, and the ability to see the magical doughnut making process. You quickly dispatched with local competition. Dunkin Donuts most decidedly took a hit, and you wiped out some of the local weird places like Donut Connetcion and Mister Donut.
Then, you pulled out like an occupying force ordered home. There’s hardly a trace of Krispy Kreme left in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I’ve noticed a lot of area locations like Greensburg, Pleasant Hills, and Monroeville are now Chick-fil-A restaurants, and a still-empty Krispy Kreme building sits as a shell of sadness in Robinson Township. I remember the “remodeling / be back soon” sign hung for years before someone just gave up. I mean, I absolutely love all the full service Chick-fil-A locations, but I also like hot fresh donuts every once in a while. You used to be in several Sheetz locations, but now I think they mostly receive their donuts from somewhere else. Plus, they’re not exactly hot n’ fresh there.
Remaining on your email list has become simply receiving an occasional taunt for something I can’t have. Perhaps I should unsubscribe?
Dunkin Donuts seems to be making a rebound, and I must confess that I find their Boston cream (Boston creme?) offering to be a much fuller, larger, and more satisfying confectionery treat. But, they don’t lure me in with a hot fresh free delicious donut, and I can’t watch them being made. (Is it doughnut, or donut?) There’s also a killer “mom n’ pop” donut shop that’s a bit of a hike for me, but worth the trip… Big Daddy’s Donuts.
The truth is… I miss you, Krispy Kreme. Do you have plans to come back to the area with hot fresh goodness? Are you going to make me drive all the way to Washington county to get a doughnut & take a chance on the hot light being on? Why did all of the area locations shut down? Were you muscled out by local donut barons? Did too many yinzers line up for free doughnuts and not actually buy anything? Did Sheetz want too much too soon? Did people go on diets or realize that too many donuts are a bad thing? Was you plan all along to wipe out local donut shops and leave the area starved of donuts because of the high geographical rate of diabetes, thus ensuring better health for the population of the Pittsburgh area? I need (and feel that I deserve) some answers, my friends. What happened? Please don’t brush me off with the standard, “it’s not you, it’s us.” I need some concrete reasons.
Thank you for your time, I hope you’re doing well. I’m sure you’re as hot n’ fresh as always… just not for me.
Hungrily Yours, -Waldo Lunar
I also had a Twitter exchange of sorts, but it was all DM’s on their end…
From: <krispykreme@casupport.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2012
Subject: Case #1099627
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Lunar,
Thank you for your email regarding wanting a Krispy Kreme in the southwestern Pennsylvania area. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. We, here at Krispy Kreme, always love to hear from our customers and it is great to hear that you enjoy our products! We would like to take this time to thank you for taking the time to share your comments.
There are many reasons why stores close. Generally speaking, the franchisee decides to pursue other business ventures. We have shared your concerns and requests with our operations department for review.
Please be assured that we are working hard to open new stores and continue expanding throughout the United States and Canada. For your convenience, new store locations and details are also available on our website at www.KrispyKreme.com. The site is regularly updated with information as soon as it becomes available.
Best regards,
Lyndon Palmer
Krispy Kreme Customer Experience www.krispykreme.com
Doughnuts or Donuts?
I’m still left wondering if “Donut” is a bastardization, like “Late Nite” instead of “Late Night” or “Drive-Thru” instead of “Drive-Through. If so, why spell doughnut correctly while blatantly (and borderline offensively)misspelling Crispy and Cream with K’s? (I mean, add one more K in there…) While we’re at it, is it Creme or Cream? Are they the same, or different things? And, isn’t the filling just pudding or is it custard?
They declined to comment on the wiping out & eventual rebound of their spelling-handicapped competition. Perhaps a classy move. Dunkin’ Donuts never replied to that tweet, either.
You know you want some doughnuts. Come get them. Eat the free one, then buy some more. It's hot, well... warm, and fresh... and you can see some being made. Man, you're hungry for doughnuts.
I don’t believe that Franchisees simply chose to “pursue other business ventures.” You don’t quit if you’re making money. You don’t all dry up if there is demand for your product and you’re selling it at a reasonable price. I find it funny (odd funny not “ha ha” funny) that a lot of the old Krispy Kreme buildings became Chick-fil-A’s.
In fact, I’m not sure if they answered any of my questions directly. Should I perhaps write back?
Also, tell me in the comments where you get your donuts! Am I missing some great local shops? Who has the best donuts? What’s your favorite donut? Is it “donut” or “doughnut”? Let’s talk all things do(ugh)nuts in the comments!
Beto’s is another place nearby that is just excellent. They’re the place that you’ve probably heard of that doesn’t cook the cheese & other toppings. You’ll probably either love it or hate it. I dig it, the wife does not. The only thing I’d change is the consistency of the sauce… I’m not a fan of chunks of tomatoes in pizza sauce, but the flavor is excellent. They don’t get all fancy with toppings here either, just simple, straightforward pizza with cheese that’s melting as you eat it. I think my favorite way to eat it is just as plain cheese pizza. Why mess up such a beautiful combination?
Molly’s Pizza is close by too. They have some great pizza, and some really crazy specialty pies like the Ranchero Steak Pizza and the Pierogi Pizza. I personally like to get a pizza with zucchini on top. Excellent stuff! It’s hard to pick a favorite around here.
Foiri’s is a south hills institution. Sorry, I don’t get it. Is it good pizza? Most definitely. Is it overrated? In my humble opinion, yes. Maybe I’m biased because you can get deathfish as a topping there. At any rate, if you’re in the area and a pizza aficionado, it’s worth checking out before you decide that Slice is the best place around.
Il Pizzaiolo isn’t your regular Pittsburgh pizza shop. They’re fancy. They have great pies in a steep Neapolitan tradition. As they say themselves…
…the restaurant has become a vibrant gathering place for lovers of Neapolitan pizza, pasta and Italian wine. Nearly everything on the menu is hand-made. And if it’s not made in-house, it’s imported from the best artisans, cheese-makers and salumeria in the world. Mozzarella di Bufala comes direct from Naples every Thursday and the pizzas are baked at 1000˚ in a handcrafted, wood-fired brick oven for less than 90 seconds. This, along with perfectly leavened dough, San Marzano tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil, produces the most authentic Neapolitan pizza possible.
So obviously, this is no Pizza Hut. They make incredible gourmet pies. Unfortunately it’s entirely not what I’m craving when I “just want a pizza”. This is where you want to go when you’d like a nice evening out to enjoy some of the lightest most delicious pizza you’ve ever eaten.
Italian Village Pizza is all over the place. Both by location and quality. They used to have a killer A1 Steak Sub at the one on Rte. 51, but I don’t think they have that any more. The last one I frequented was the one in McMurray, but I only ever got the pizza once or twice. The steak & Italian subs are incredible, but the sauce was just too bitter for me. It tasted like straight tomato paste with some basil thrown in. Some people love it, but it just wasn’t my thing.
I’m still not sure what the exact dispute is… if there’s still a dispute, and if there are only two Vincent’s involved in this saga. Can anyone fill me in on this? I’ve heard several amalgamated stories over the years. Some credible news even. First, you’ve got to get your head around the locations…
I haven’t been to Vincent’s Pizza Park in Holiday Park in a long long time, but I remember it as the greasiest pizza I have ever had. It was good, but greasy. Some people like that. I’m not the biggest fan of grease, but I remember they had a nice thick crust & a flavorful sauce.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to the Vincent’s in Greentree, but the one in Southpointe has great steak subs, garlic buns, and pretty good pizza. Their “like it” percentage on Urbanspoon is pretty low though. No idea what’s up there.
Which Vincent’s is your favorite? Which Vincent’s location is the best & the original? (I think it’s Vincent’s in Forest Hills)
Please, chime in on any of these locations, any from my previous pizza post, or any that I may have missed. I may dive into pizza chains next. Pizza is always a subject of hot debate (and it goes well with beer).
I love barbecue, or BBQ or Bar-B-Q or whatever you want to call it. This isn’t going to be a blog about what you think the “real” definition of barbecue is (wet/dry, smoke/no smoke, slow & low/fast & hot, sauce/no sauce, charcoal/gas, grill/pit)… the purists all claim to be right, and the term can be applied to the meat (or veggies I guess), the cooking, the spices, the sauce, or the gathering. If you want to argue/learn about the differences, check out Wikipedia.
Since I’m just a fan of barbecue, not a professional BBQ cook, and live in Pittsburgh not the south*… I won’t take a stand on the issue. I like all varieties. (Although, would chipped ham barbecue be “Pittsburgh Style” BBQ? I’d support that.)
I was inspired to write about BBQ today because I recently had an excellent dinner form the Pittsburgh Barbecue Company. It reminded me of my three favorite barbecue joints. I was just wondering what other people thought of them, and what other awesome local BBQ joints might not be on my radar.
Rowdy BBQ
Rowdy BBQ Tagline: “We think of you when we pull our pork!” – I swear this place used to be called Brentwood Express or have it in the name somewhere… but now the site’s commercial strictly says “Rowdy BBQ”, so we’ll go with that.
At any rate, this is my favorite barbecue sauce. I love this stuff! It’s a sweet yet spicy sauce. They have a killer menu with all kinds of fun things like “The Big Pig”, “The Whole Hog”, and the “Knuckle Sandwich”. I usually get the ribs/chicken combo with some fries and eat just enough to make myself almost sick. The ribs are always cooked perfectly, sometimes the chicken is dry, but not “ooh I can’t eat this” dry. The fries are awesome, and this is the only place out of my 3 favorites that even has fries. (They used to have excellent pierogies, but I don’t think they’re on the menu anymore.) I’ve had the Big Pig & the brisket sandwiches, they are awesome. I want to try the cheese steaks, but at pulled to the BBQ offerings every time I’m there. I want to buy the sauce to bring home, but then I won’t have an excuse to go there. The parking lot is chaos, and you’re eating about 5 feet away from the traffic on Rte. 51 when you’re on the one site… but I can never wait to get home to eat, gotta eat it there! (And, I’d miss the rowdy rooster!)
Pittsburgh Barbecue Company Tagline: “That place on Banksville…” – This place is the closest to home for me, and is pretty damn tasty BBQ. The sauce is a little more tangy than sweet. I go for the brisket or pulled pork here more often than the ribs… but the ribs & chicken are damn good. I like their mac n’ cheese. It’s got a tasty homemade feel. They have a pretty minimalist menu, but I really like that. They know what they do, and they do it well. My wife Bethany loves their baked apples side. The cornbread is excellent too. They seem to be a little expensive here, but again, it’s worth it. You definitely get what you pay for… the meat portions on the sandwiches are huge.
The sauce is nice & peppery. I get a spicy tingle every time we dine here. There’s also a nice outside dining area, and although sparse like Rowdy BBQ, you’re not eating amid exhaust like you are on Rte. 51. It’s got a nice little log cabin/shack feel inside. They also tout a bunch of “#1’s” on their site, most recent being Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Best in the ‘Burgh 2010”. This place is no secret, even if it is hiding back off of the main road.
Clem’s Cafe Tagline: “Home of the nice racks, big breasts, juicy thighs, and warm buns! ” – This one is way out there, but really worth the drive. They have an excellent tangy sauce… I can taste the vinegar in it, but it blends well with the overall flavor. The best part about Clem’s is that hands down the meat is always falling off the bone on the ribs… and always always juicy with the chicken. I like the mac & cheese here, and the ability to get the Boylan’s root beer or birch beer.
The dining facilities are great, it’s always a nice place to sit & eat. They have a concise menu, again not too much, you know exactly why you’re there… for the BBQ!
So, where else should I try? My #1 criteria in finding a cool new BBQ place is that they don’t have shrimp(or any other shellfish) on the menu… like Rib Cage BBQ. I like the BBQ places because of the limited menu & no chance of cross-contamination. It’s nice to be able to completely relax at an eating establishment.
I would love to be able to get some turkey at a BBQ place though… either deep-fried & topped with some sauce… or in a pulled-pork style or brisket-style sandwich… or turkey legs. Man, I love turkey legs.
So, flood me with commentary!
*There are a number of people around here that do indeed think we are a southern state… “Pennsyltucky” and all…
The other day, I wanted to cook a few hot dogs before the US vs. Canada hockey game to enjoy along with some nachos, cheese, & jalapeños. These are the things I like to get when I have the opportunity to get out to a Pens game, and thought they’d be fun (and cheaper) to enjoy at home.
My outdoor grill is currently out of commission until I get some new knobs for it that won’t melt, and I really didn’t want to fire it up to cook 3 hot dogs anyway.
So, I thought of how to cook the hot dogs… Microwave? Oven? Toaster Oven? Foreman grill?
So many decisions. So, I did some Googling and found an article about 6 different ways to cook a hot dog. There are certainly more than that. I never really put that much thought into cooking hot dogs. They’re not even one of my favorite foods. Usually they only come out when the grill is already being fired up for hamburgers or we have some sort of campfire or bonfire going.
I ended up cooking the dogs on the Foreman grill, not the best idea – even given the recommended cooking times. They blackened more than I’d like on the outside, & were not quite done on the inside.
I should have slapped them in the oven or toaster oven. The microwave is just “eh”, and boiling is just out of the question… although I might try boiling them in beer some time as the one article recommended.
I’d just like you to tell me , in the comments section below – how you cook your hot dogs. I may post a wrap-up and make a list much longer than six methods at some point if I get enough of a response… and may cook them a goofy way for the chili cook-off.
Molly’s Pizza
World (and Lunar) Domination 