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A STANDOUT IS THE “RAVIOGIE,” A MASH-UP OF MEAT RAVIOLI AND POTATO PIEROGIE
NEW FOOD, OLD NAME {BY ANDY MULKERIN} Veterans of the Downtown lunch hour likely spent time at Mario Moussa’s old Mexican restaurant, Madonna’s. It occupied a couple of different storefronts from 2001 until last summer, when it was forced to close for a second time because of changes to the Smithfield Street building it was located in. Early this year, Moussa re-opened — but not as Madonna’s, and not making Mexican food. His new spot was at first called Palmyra; it serves Mediterranean food, specifically dishes prevalent in Syria, where Moussa and his wife are originally from (though he lived in Bulgaria for years). Chicken shawarma, hummus, grape leaves and the like fill the menu. Moussa says the larger space at the new location lent itself to Syrian cuisine where his previous, smaller spots did not. The new menu was great, but the name was an issue: For one thing, old Madonna’s customers didn’t necessarily know Palmyra was Moussa’s new place. For another, Moussa’s brother opened another Middle Eastern restaurant, a few blocks down Smithfield, with the same name. (“I don’t consider it competition,” he says. “If he gets business, that’s good — he’s my brother!”) Three weeks ago, Moussa changed Palmyra’s name to … Madonna’s. He says almost immediately he saw old regulars from the Mexican restaurant drop in, and only a few have said, “Where are the nachos?” AMULKERIN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
408 Smithfield St., Downtown. Open Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. 412-281-4963
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Too many berries? Combine two cups of berries with a cup of sugar, and gently boil for 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then push through a fine sieve (to strain out seeds). Jar and refrigerate. Makes a great addition to ice cream, yogurt and smoothies, or drizzle over your favorite dessert.
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{BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
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SOUP AND MORE HE LITTLE Allegheny River hamlet
of Springdale doesn’t loom large in our culinary geography, but maybe it should. Ladles started as a soup-centric luncheonette in Arnold, but expanded to a full-service location across the river, where it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner six-and-a-half days a week. Ladles’ American and Italian-American menu is well in line with local standards, but its approach sets it apart from typical smalltown and suburban fare. Dominated by the stacks of a coalfired electric plant, Springdale’s main drag is mostly parking lots, but Ladles’ cottage-chic ambience is right at home in an older brick building nestled right up to the sidewalk. There’s a covered patio out back, hosting live music on a Friday night,
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 07.09/07.16.2014
{PHOTO BY TERRY CLARK}
Homemade soups, front to back: seafood chowder, crab bisque and wedding soup
and a tiny bar with a separate entrance off the side parking lot. The comfortable dining room is in the front, deftly decorated with just enough vintage gewgaws to feel cozy, but not so many that it feels cluttered.
LADLES 516 Pittsburgh St., Springdale. 724-274-5230 HOURS: Mon.-Thu. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri. 7 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat. 7:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. PRICES: Starters, soups, salads and sandwiches $3.50-10; entrees $14-24 LIQUOR: Full bar
CP APPROVED But it is the food that really sets Ladles apart. Co-owner Kathy Marsico-Kaminski’s passion for homemade soups is on dis-
play on the chalkboard menu daily; five were on offer when were there. And a large portion of the regular menu is homemade, including gnocchi, pierogie and ravioli. Keeping things local, Ladles features organic breads and grass-fed beef from Friendship Farms in Ligonier. The promise seems to be Western Pennsylvania home-cooking with a foodie ethos. A standout on the menu is the “raviogie,” a mash-up of meat ravioli and potato/cheese pierogie, available with butter and onions or marinara sauce. This could have been a gimmick, but Ladles’ kitchen executed it well, with thick yet tender pasta wrapping hearty meat and potatoes. Though the meat was a mite bland, with the onions, plus melted cheddar on top, the dish as a whole was satisfying.