Kelly's

Sometimes I think there are simply too many restaurants to visit in our area, particularly when you consider those we want to revisit along with those we have not yet gotten to.  We typically go out once a week but sometimes this just doesn't seem like enough.  A case in point is that only recently did we finally visit Kelly's, a place just blocks from us that we'd been eyeing for a very long time.  What had originally attracted us to Kelly's was the old-fashioned neon sign, which I often saw as we drove by.  We knew little more about it than that, though there were rumors that it was a hangout for some of the hipper people in Pittsburgh.

The neon sign promised an interesting interior, and when we entered we were not disappointed.  There is a definite diner feel, though not in the "greasy spoon" sense.  The overall color scheme tended toward the red.  Lighting was dim from some nice wall fixtures.  On each table was a religious "lucky prophet" candle, with writing on the side in both English and Spanish, one of the many funky touches giving the place character.  The menus look a bit tattered and well-used.  Janna saw a reference to a tiki patio, but when she went out saw nothing particularly tiki about it.  I haven't gone out to look myself yet.

The music selection has been consistently interesting, one of our favorite aspects of Kellys' atmosphere.  There is big old Wurlitzer jukebox in a corner but I think the bartenders were mostly selecting albums for the music.  When somebody made jukebox selections they had to switch the input to the speakers by hand.  As an example of the diversity of the music, on our very first visit there was a Johnny Cash album on.  This changed to some Latin style of music, then Heart's greatest hits, and by the time we were leaving, something bluesy.  The selections on other visits have been equally diverse, and almost always satisfying to our tastes. There was only one case where we've had less than really good music; they were playing an album with a variety of lesser 80's hits.  Even this was entertaining in that we were able to play our own little game of Name that Tune.

Our first two visits did give us one bad first impression apiece.  On the first visit it was too warm inside, as if the air conditioning was broken.  This was fixed on our second visit but when we entered we encountered a burnt smell.  Fortunately this dissipated after a while, or else we just got accustomed to it.

Service has been spotty on our various visits.  One thing I do like about the service, though, is that they bring Frank's hot sauce out as a default condiment.  For some reason the condiments are brought out quickly but the dishes are brought out more slowly.

Kelly's has a decent selection of beers, including some from the local East End brewery.  They are a bit pricey, coming in at over $5.  Perhaps more notable is their cocktail menu.  They promote an organization called "lupec.org", dedicated to the preservation of old cocktails.  I have resolved to take advantage of Kellys' predilection for cocktails by trying a different one each visit, rather than getting my usual beers.  So far I've tried about 3 different ones, all gin-based since I know I generally like gin, and generally enjoyed them.  My favorite so far is the lime rickey.

The menu is interesting and diverse, perhaps inspired by the bar food you'd expect to get at such a joint but not restricted to it.  Pot stickers and crab Rangoon are some of the dishes you wouldn't think of as typical bar fare (I confess that I've tried neither yet).  In the more expected category was macaroni and cheese, served bubbling hot in a crock.  Sometimes it has a peppery taste to me, but this is no bad thing as far as I'm concerned!  It is probably our favorite dish there and likely to be something we'll get with every visit.

Another starter plate we've tried is the holloumi and olive platter.  Janna said she found the cheese good, but I didn't care much for it myself; to me it seemed more salty than flavorful.  The olives were large cocktail olives.  I have a weakness for them so I liked them all right, but I might have hoped for something a bit nicer.

For main dishes I have tried their "Pitt platter", with kielbasa and perogies, as well as their burger.  Both were good but not something I'd go out of my way for (fortunately, since Kelly's is in my neighborhood it's far from "out of the way"!).  The burger is satisfyingly large, but to the point of having too much bun for my tastes.  Another sandwich I've tried is the "PLT", an interesting variant on the BLT with pancetta substituted for bacon.  The pancetta is very crisp and salty.

We haven't tried everything on their menu, and indeed we may never do so simply because we've already chosen our favorites, which we tend to get on every visit now.  I'd say besides their macaroni and cheese, our other favorite is their mixed green salad with a good dressing and really tasty blobs of goat cheese on top.

All in all I find Kelly's a great neighborhood hangout that we'll undoubtedly return to many times.  Not all the food is fabulous, but we've found exactly the things we like, and the atmosphere is just the thing for a Friday night when we don't feel like going anywhere in particular.