The Beer Snob Visits Burgatory AKA Burger Mecca

If you're a man's man then you can appreciate a good burger. Let me give you this scenario. You head out with your buddies craving a burger. All of you finally settle on a particular place. You head inside to get a table and you're told that the wait for one is approximately two hours.

What's to keep you from saying hell with this place and heading to the nearest Wendy's? Guess what? I'm about to make a two hour wait for a table sound worth it.

Burgatory, at the Waterworks Mall in northern Pittsburgh, has always been one of the prestigious burger joints around here. I just haven't made it there until this past weekend. The group I went with was told that we had an hour and a half wait for a table, which ended up becoming two hours. Let me say that by the end of my dinner, I would have waited double that amount of time to get another shot to eat at Burgatory.

To start, this place isn't just known for the burgers. It's also known for its milkshakes. The shake menu will make your jaw drop to the floor so be prepared  before clicking this link.

Two words: donut chunks.

I chose to go with the Coffee and Donuts shake, which had fine-grained Kona coffee and chunks of donuts in it. I never thought that having to chew contents of a shake after sucking it up through the straw could be such a rewarding experience.

Aside from my shake, I was also able to try the Apple Pancakes and Bacon which had a bit of bourbon mixed in. Not as good as the one I had, in my opinion. Other shakes that stick out to me on the menu are the Caramel Pretzel and the Campfire Smores.

For us craft beer folk, there is a pretty hefty selection to choose from. Always a plus if you aren't up to stomaching one of those hearty shakes.

The main course of your meal will definitely be some form of a sandwich. The burger/sandwich portion of the menu is actually somewhat disappointing, given the reputation Burgatory has, as you only have eight burgers/sandwiches to choose from.

I highly recommend going the route of making a custom burger. On your table you can take a small form and build your ultimate burger. You start my choosing your meat (beef, chicken, crab etc.), type of bun, meat rub (Angel Dust, Bayou Cajun, Sweet Onion etc.), cheese (Buffalo Cheddar, Amish Gorganzola, Horseradish Cheddar etc.), some sauce and sifting through a truckload of toppings.

Took five minutes to plot out an eating strategy.

As you can see the possibilities are pretty much endless. It also makes up for the deficiency on the actual menu. I decided to go with beef rubbed in crushed peppercorns with sharp provolone. I chose the house sauce which appears to some chipotle mix. As for toppings, I went breakfast style and got ham with a fried egg. I didn't forget about the lettuce and tomato so stop worrying. All of this was somehow fitted under a baguette. I couldn't believe it.

The picture I've supplied has sweet potato chips on the side. this is the default side Burgatory gives you, but I'm told that fries is also a possibility.

Burgatory truly provides you with a meal that makes you want to pass out once you've found a way to consume it. According to the website, there is a miniature version of Burgatory at Console Energy Center. Check it out.

The Beer Snob Visits Piper's Pub

Since I turned 21-years-old two years ago I don't think I've ever heard of a single watering hole that held as much prestige, at least according to fellow beer snobs, as much as Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's South Side. From all of the speculation that I've heard, the thought of Piper's seemed to help it stick out in my mind from all of the other bars along Carson Street. I can finally say that I have been to and had a few great beers from this fabulous place.

The infamous Sausage Rolls.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I sat at home and drooled at what I saw on Piper's online menu. In the appetizer section I think everyone eyes up both the Scotch Eggs and the Ploughman's Platter. If you don't know what Scotch Eggs are, they're hard-boiled eggs that are wrapped in sausage and deep-fried. I'm sure most of you have heard of some form of a Ploughman, which includes meats, cheeses and breads on a platter. A friend of mine who refers to himself as Beer Snob Sr. joined me on this adventure and decided that we should have the sausage rolls, which were excellent with a nice tad of mustard.

Beer Snob Sr. enjoys his Guinness and Sausage Rolls.

The rest of the menu features many meals straight from England. Some items that stuck out to me were Bangers and Mash (sausage and potatoes), assorted Shepherd's Pies (lamb, beef and chicken) and corned beef and cabbage.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings Piper's has one of the most interesting breakfast/brunch specials I've ever come across. There are many types boxties to choose from (large potato pancakes), your traditional Irish and English breakfasts and Belgian French toast with batter made from Lindeman's famous Framboise. Unfortunately breakfast at this place is going to require another trip and another post.

There are also many brews from across the pond as well that include Guinness Draught, Murphy's Irish Stout and Bellhaven Scottish Ale. Piper's also features an extensive list of Pennsylvania breweries such as Weyerbacher and Troegs.

I ended up having a Black Chocolate Stout by Brooklyn Brewery, a Black Velvet (half Guinness and half Strongbow Cider) and a full Guinness. You'll have to wait until later in the week to read my thoughts on the chocolate stout, but I'll certainly let you in on my thoughts for the other two right now.

The lovely-looking Black Velvet.

The Black Velvet was sweet and heavenly. Surprisingly the cider overwhelmed the taste of the Guinness. As for the straight glass of Guinness, I was shocked that I enjoyed it. The only time I've ever had a Guinness before was out of a bottle. It tasted like burnt coffee and thus I didn't enjoy it, but I've always been able to enjoy gravies and stews made with the beer. Off of draft it tasted so much smoother and creamier. Yet another beer applies to my Yuengling bottle/draft theory (the same beer tastes different depending on the serving type).

Overall, Piper's Pub might be the best place I've checked out since I've started sharing my beer and food adventures on this blog. I was very impressed. The bar is a tidy and quaint place. It has a wide selection of local foods and both English and Irish foods. The same goes for the beer selection. It's the perfect place if you're willing to be adventurous when it comes to putting exotic beer on your taste buds. Oh, and since the place is so upscale the typical South Side douche bag  looking for chicks won't stumble in. Piper's is too upper echelon. It's a great place to relax and try some good beer.