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“DRY” — UNSAUCED — SAUTÉED GREEN BEANS WERE EXCEPTIONAL
VEGAN FUN FOOD
{BY MARGARET WELSH}
With menu items like Kale Satan and War Pig (a vegan hot dog with sautéed kale, cashew cheese or lentil chili), it’s clear that the folks behind mobile food company Onion Maiden are fans of heavy metal and puns. They’re also devoted to providing appealing options for those who don’t eat animal products. Onion Maiden — which has recently set up at Pittsburgh VegFest, the Polish Hill Arts Festival and the Strip’s Bayardstown Social Club — is all vegan, with a focus on Asian fusion. “We make all of our own toppings, including kimchi and vegan mayo,” says Elyse Hoffman, who runs Onion Maiden with partners Diana “Dingo” Ngo and Brooks Criswell. The menu also includes baked goods and nachos: “We cater to nostalgia for vegans,” Hoffman says. “People are really excited to have nachos again.” The idea for the pop-up restaurant was born in February, when Hoffman’s music-promoter husband was putting together a show and wanted to provide food for concert-goers. Ngo and Hoffman had already talked about collaborating on a food-service project, and gave it a shot. “The response was really positive, so we kept going.” You can track Onion Maiden’s whereabouts on Facebook and Twitter, though Hoffman says a food truck will be in the company’s future. For now, the goal is to make food that vegans and non-vegans alike enjoy. “[We want] to make it approachable,” Hoffman says. “We’re trying to keep things fun.” MWELSH@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
www.facebook.com/onionmaiden or @onionmaiden
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It’s one of the new signs of fall — the annual Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival, now in its third year. Celebrate these delicious dough-pockets, on Sat., Sept. 19. Live music, merchandise and photo-ops with the Pirates’ Pierogies, plus more than 30 vendors selling pierogies. Event begins at 1 p.m. Stage AE, North Side. Tickets are $12.50; free for 12-and-under. More info and tickets at www.pghpierogifest.com
{PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL}
Diced-chicken Chongqing style
NEW, OLD-STYLE CHINESE {BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
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NLESS WE LIVED in China, most of us probably grew up with generic “Chinese” restaurants. That is why the current trend toward regional Chinese cuisines, especially the assertive Szechuan (or Sichuan) tradition, is so refreshing. As its name makes clear, Sichuan Gourmet is part of this recent boom in notyour-parents’-Chinese food. And yet, in a sense, it literally was Jason’s parents’ Chinese restaurant. Sichuan Gourmet opened recently, but it continues a decades-old line of Chinese restaurants in its Squirrel Hill location, a line that was well established when Jason ate there with his folks as a college freshman. The quality has varied over the years but, other than one pan-Asian predecessor, previous offerings have generally hewed closely to old-school, Americanstyle Chinese.
In keeping with the more adventurous tastes of modern diners, Sichuan Gourmet’s menu features primarily dishes that were scarcely available here five years ago, let alone 10. There’s no “secret” menu, no pleading with the server to bring the “good stuff”; at Sichuan Gourmet, you’re
SICHUAN GOURMET 1900 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill. 412-521-1313 HOURS: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun. noon-9 p.m. PRICES: $5-20 LIQUOR: BYOB
CP APPROVED free to pick something as familiar as kung pao, or as out-there as duck tongue, and roll with it. Of course that’s easier for some of us than others, which is why there’s also a full
American-style menu (called online the “Pittsburgh Menu”), from which we ordered a couple items in case our kids flinched from hot chili oil and tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns that are the signature ingredients of the cuisine. Pan-fried dumplings went over well with the spice-averse set. They were dense and meaty with flavorful pork fillings. Honey-roasted ribs got a mixed review: The child who ordered them found them too sweet, but Jason, a fan of neither sweet meats nor honey, thought they were pretty good. The seasoned ribs’ rich, nutty flavor stood up to their syrupy surface, and the meat’s texture was tender with some chew and a few crisp edges. For the adults in our party, ordering Sichuan was not intimidating; the only problem was narrowing down the epiclength menu. We began with Sichuan CONTINUES ON PG. 18
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