Tessaro's

Today for dinner I had the joy of dining at Tessaro's in Bloomfield, dubbed Pittsburgh's "Little Italy". Having arrived a little past 6 PM, the early diners were just getting settled, so waited around 10-15 minutes for seats to open up for us. I have read and heard many reviews of people raving over the pure bliss of eating a Tessaro's burger.

We were seated in a cozy corner booth with dim lights and a denim tablecloth. As soon as our waitress handed out the basic laminated menus, I tore it open to find the burgers before she could ask us for our drink selections. I opted for a medium rare cheeseburger (American) with a side of home fries. After another maybe 10-15 minutes, all the burgers arrived, served open-faced on soft fat buns with the basic rabbit food toppings of lettuce tomatoes and red onions and sliced pickles on the side. I opted out of mayo and mustard, as the burger should be juicy enough to not need the extra grease from the mayo, and I see mustard solely a topping for hot dogs or base for sauces and dressings.

My first thought was wow. These buns are huge. The top bun was awkwardly round and I had squish it a little to get a first bite that consisted of both burger and bun. It worked out in the end, as the buns were able to sop up all the excess beef juice without getting excessively soggy and difficult to hold. The patty itself was perfectly cooked. A full half pound of loosely packed coarse ground beef. I'm not sure what blend they use (it has to be more than just chuck), but I want to guess around 75-80% lean, which is perfect in my book. The beef itself had an amazing texture and wasn't heavily seasoned. The beef itself tasted remarkably fresh and just the right amount of "beefy". I usually order cheeseburgers over hamburgers as the slice of cheese makes the burger more forgiving to being overcooked and dry; however, at Tessaro's, this was not the case. The slice of American cheese was perfectly melted and added the textural difference between the soft buns, the crisp lettuce, and the beefy patty. The lettuce and onions added additional contrast with their crunchy attributes, and the acidity from the two tomato slices balanced out the cheese. The soggy pickles were overshadowed by the red onion slices which offered not only a crunch but also a spicy kick, and I did not notice them at all.

The home fries were slightly charred, and tasted of butter. Delicious. I had half my portion "naked" and paired the half with the traditional Heinz ketchup. Honestly they didn't need the extra boost of flavor from the ketchup as they were amazing beforehand already. With the addition of the Heinz, the subtle tones of the char and butter were covered up, which was a pity.

Next time I shall opt for a naked cheeseburger with just the bun, patty, and cheese so I can enjoy the cheeseburger for it's simplicity. The addition of the rabbit food did offer a textural contrast, but it took away from the overall utility when I ate it, as I couldn't stop thinking about how healthy the burger was.

Tessaro's produces burgers that are definitely deserving of the title "Pittsburgh's Best Burger". I will most definitely return.

EB