Eat It And Love It is written by 6 friends in Pittsburgh, PA - we have 2 vegetarians, 2 vegans, and 2 omnivores in our group. We don't make any money from the site and do the reviews for fun and to aid others when searching for the perfect spot to eat!
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3 of the authors of EatItAndLoveIt recently visited Del's for a birthday celebration for Kim. None of us had ever been there before. About 5 minutes before we left for the restaurant, I read some pretty harsh reviews of the place online. All of the reviews were from 2002, so I hoped that they had improved since then.
Del's parking lot is quite small, but the restaurant itself is nice. It is mid-scale Italian dining, but not too fancy that you would feel under dressed in a pair of jeans.
They had a pretty expansive menu, with lots of different combinations to mix and match. You could also upgrade to whole wheat pasta for a dollar extra, which I really liked. I decided on the Mediterranean Pasta (with whole wheat pasta), which was excellent. My side salad left a little to be desired though - mostly iceberg lettuce and strangely cooked carrot strips.
The one thing I do take issue with Del's is their portion sizes - my pasta bowl was what I expected. I had enough to take home for a small meal later on. My dad's lasagna, on the other hand, was large enough to feed a family of four. I'm not exaggerating. Then Kim's dish looked to be about a quarter of the size of everyone else's.
Despite the miniature parking lot and the portion issues, I had a positive experience at Del's and I would go back. They gave us about 29 coupons for 20% off a meal, so why not?
www.delsrest.com
4428 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
412-683-1448
Posted by Julie at November 1, 2005 10:31 AM
I hope you didn't go to Del's on the strength of my mentioning it - I only get pizza and antipasto there and am skittish of the diner like looks of their sit down dinners. But what I do love at Dels is those blanched carrots, which have been marinated in vinegar!! The very thing that so baffled you all . . . I can't eat raw carrots, and I don't like cooked carrots, but I'd love to see in the dark and so . . .
Posted by: zp at November 1, 2005 09:58 PM
Hey man - I thought you liked it! You even posted pictures of the pasta! I have to admit though - the main draw for me was the big "WHOLE WHEAT PASTA" sign they have out front. I'm a sucker for whole wheat things. Are you retracting any good statements you have ever made about Del's?
Posted by: Julie at November 1, 2005 10:52 PM
Oh dear. I am sorry.
Antipasto/antipasti is a category of food that includes cooked and marinated vegetables and cold meats and cheeses. It's an appetizer salad course in Italian cuisine, not an actual pasta dish. The SALAD thing is what my photo is of, what I've eaten at Del's and what I have recommended. I stand by that, but then I like those weird carrots.
And I like whole wheat pasta too, tho' I haven't had it at Del's and won't if the sauce is as you say. My aunt, who has lost a ton of weight on weightwatchers (congrats auntie!) made it for me for the first time this summer. In my own recent experiments, wheat angel hair turns out much better than penne - less sticky. And wheat pasta is particularly good with white beans and a VERY spicy tomato sauce . . . spicier sauce goes well with the wheat flavor, I think.
Posted by: zp at November 2, 2005 11:36 AM
This place is one of my favorites for take out pizza. I recommend trying their pizza with mushrooms! The mushrooms are large and not sliced, and not canned. Good stuff!!
Posted by: Mike at November 3, 2005 02:42 PM
I agree with your comments on Del's pizza. I've been going there for about 10 years and just recently tried their pizza. I think it may be the best in the city. The secret with their mushrooms has got to be a marinade.
Posted by: John Cord at November 6, 2005 02:56 PM
Vegetarians and Vegans-- be careful at Del's. A waiter once told me the sauce on the eggplant parm has chicken broth in it. Bummer.
Posted by: DH at September 5, 2008 10:15 AM