hi - things seem a bit quiet lately so-- 1. Tambellenis on 7th St. downstown has an all you can eat lunch buffet - tues-fri. $7.95 including a soft drink. It is upstairs and being in a hurry i didnt notice the decor - except for an impression it was dark. Tables did have cloth covers and napkins though - a nice touch. There was a bowl of salad greens that looked and smelled like it came out of a bag - plus the usual basic addons. some kind of soup. they were slicing ham and a plate of their famous fried zucchini was available. hot dishes included fish stuffed with spinach (very good), franks/beans, beef stew, lasagne, fried chicken, rice with something green in it, and turkey rolled around something. tiny tastes of all didnt impress. Rolls/butter and cherry pie completed the display. I dont know if the menu changes daily. It got quite crowded, so it was hard to catch the waitstaff for more drinks. Overall, we werent impressed. 2. Breakfast at the Pittsburgh Cafe - Meyran Street, Oakland. $7.95 = plus $1.25 for coffee. I was most impressed with the coffee cups - at least 12oz. in a conical shape with a lovely design. coffee wasnt bad either. I believe they offered flavored ones - thoug no one mentioned this. anyway, this is in an old house and you eat upstairs. Decor is nondescript and rather than a buffet - you can order anything from an extensive menu - as many items as you wish. No fruit or jusice was offered, just a plate of muffins - tasted packaged - accommpanied by grape jelly, apple butter and humus! Menu included omlets, eggs, waffles (with supposedly made-from- scratch whipped cream), kielbassa, pierogis, grilled chicken salad etc. Except for the home fries, which were really bad - the rest was ok - nothing special. Bagels wre offered later - but they only had raisen and honey wheat - nothing non-sweet. 3. Wyndham gardens Hotel - McKeel Place - off forbes. This is a real find. Excellent salad bar for 6.95 - or you can add a pasta bar for 8.95. Coffee though was 1.95. Typical hotel decor - but pleasant. Salad bar included lots of different stuff, including grilled chicken strips, chicken salad, salmon salad for protein and the usual upscale additions. I believe there were 2 soups and delicious cheese-garlic rolls were offered. all in all - i good place to try. Hope these add something to the group. Lois
Pittsburgh, PA