Rye House

You don't see many restaurants in New York that try to capture the culinary spirit of Pittsburgh. Heck, you probably don't see that many in Pittsburgh that do so. Mercifully, the recently opened Rye House is absent any Steelers banners or . . . uh . . . whatever else is a visual marker of Pittsburgianity. They do have a great list of American spirits, though, and they make a pretty good shrimp roll.


But the best thing on the brief menu of upscale bar food is the spicy, sloppy, satisfying Pittsburgh, a sandwich made with andouille sausage, cheese, house slaw, and fries. Yes, that means fries in the sandwich, one of the few late-night-in-the-dorm-room ideas that actually works. Apparently it's a Pittsburgh thing.