Primanti Bros (Part 2)
Flying out the day before the 20th anniversary of 9/11 means getting to the airport well in advance of your flight. Finding myself without 90 minutes to kill before boarding, I was very pleased to learn that Primanti Bros has a location at the airport terminal. After double-checking that they had the same/similar menu, I knew that I had to take the opportunity to try their fish sandwich.
The staff at the airport location were super friendly, and in keeping with airport regulation they were masked and very careful about sanitation. Within a minute of being seated I had a tall cold Pepsi and a menu. I knew from looking over the menu for a few days now that I had to try the “Colossal Fish Sandwich” and their “Deep Fried Pickles”.
The food arrived very in very short order, and was piping hot. If I’m being honest, half the reason for eating at the airport location was to see how it held up against the original downtown location. The Italian bread was fresh and thick cut. The fish fillet was HUGE, fried to perfection, and mouth-burning hot. The cheese was perfectly gooey, and the layer of fries provided a great buffer between the fish and the heaping mound of sweet and sour cole slaw, which also helped cool the overall heat of the sandwich. Meanwhile the tomato was fresh and far above your expected fast-food quality veggies.
The deep fried pickles were honestly the best I’ve ever had. Most places fry up slices of pickles, which get soggy almost instantly. At Primanti Bros they take a whole giant dill and slice it up into ⅛’s before frying. This provides real body to the pickles that prevent them from getting soggy. So instead you’ve got a firm, crisp pickle with a thin veneer of crispy fried batter. If any restaurants are reading this, THIS is how you do a deep fry a pickle.
Throughout the 45 minutes or so that I was seated, my waiter was constantly walking by to check in on me. Never annoying or intrusive, but just a quick nod to let me know that he was there and ready to help with anything I needed. My favorite surprise of the day though, was how warm the food stayed. Both my last bite of sandwich and pickle were still way warmer than you’d imagine.
So in the end, Primanti Bros passed my test with flying colors. If you find yourself in Pittsburgh and have the opportunity, please stop by the original location and enjoy it for the food as well as the history. But if you’re just here on a layover, or can’t make it downtown, please stop by the airport location and know that the food is just as good as the real deal.
