The ever-changing brunch menu at The Vandal in Lawrenceville.
*NOTE*: Neither Joey Hilty nor The Vandal asked me to write this blog post. I am just a friendly Pittsburgh foodie, who enjoys sharing my foodie adventures with others. Photos captured with an iPhone 5s, and edited with Instagram and Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended.
This month and in October, I experienced my first two brunches at The Vandal, located on 38th Street and Butler in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Ever since I tried one of The Vandal’s dishes at Station‘s Cocktails and Construction event, I knew I had to dine at this restaurant.
Chef Joey Hilty (formerly of Bar Marco) and Emily Slagel (owner of Mid-Atlantic Mercantile boutique) set out to a bring casual, ingredient-driven restaurant to Lawrenceville.
Pictured above was the brunch menu for my first brunch visit in October. The Shala was hosting its first ever Bhakti Hour, where students and teachers alike discussed the Yoga Sutras and chanting. Since The Vandal is right across the street from The Shala, my golden opportunity arrived!
Close up of my beverages (coffee [which was REALLY good] and vanilla lemonade [I’m officially a fan now]), and the first course: granola with vanilla yogurt and sliced apples!
The Coffee was INCREDIBLE; just as good as the coffee I had at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, for my brother’s wedding food tasting. Also, I really liked the sweet taste of the vanilla with the tartness of the lemonade.
Close up of my tasty breakfast granola at The Vandal! Homemade granola and yogurt is the way to go, folks! I really liked the apple slices too!
The Vandal’s logo (Hang Out or Take Out).
Mom’s brunch: biscuit, egg, bacon and kale. I tried a bite of this dish- I must say it was REALLY good!
My main dish for the October visit (and my Mom’s main dish for our December visit): Beignets with Paw-Paw sauce! These were just as good as the Beignets that I had at Bouchon in Las Vegas!
Fast forward to last Sunday: my Mom and I were in Lawrenceville for the last day of the Joy of Cookie Tour. We arrived early due to parking, but our arrival was a little too early (meaning none of the cookie tour stops except The Shala, which I always enjoy visiting, where opened). Thus, we decided to visit The Vandal for a second brunch!
I had to get the coffee again! This time, the name of the restaurant was on the cup! 🙂
My second brunch at The Vandal included sourdough bread, ricotta cheese and lomo! All toast should be this good!
Close up of the GLORIOUS toast during the second brunch trip to The Vandal!
Another aspect of the restaurant I really appreciate (and is important to me) is the friendliness of the staff.
During the first visit, Joey asked my Mom and I: “What have you been up to today? What will you do next? Where are you ladies from”, and I discovered that Joey (and one of his chefs) and I are both from the South Hills (he represents Bridgeville and I rep Upper St. Clair). The other chef (forgive me for not knowing your name) was also very amicable, as well as the lady with the long black hair and glasses (forgive me for not knowing your name as well).
All in all, in two visits, The Vandal has become one of my new favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh! I can’t WAIT to see what The Vandal has in store for 2016!
Cheers to Food and Fitness,
-Friendly Fitness Foodie
Mindful Pittsburgh Foodie 