Thursday, June 18, 2009

Best Burger Ever. And Goodbye to a Gentle Giant.

I was reading Jorge Garcia's recent blog post about his favorite burger joint, P.J. Clarke's in New York City. Someone commenting on Jorge's blog mentioned that P.J.'s was ranked 21st by Burger Rankings, so of course I had to see if my favorite hamburger place made the list, Pittsburgh's own Tessaro's.

Unfortunately, Tessaro's didn't appear on the listing, so I decided to take a cue from Jorge and wax poetic about my favorite burger.

For the uninitiated, Tessaro's is really a Pittsburgh culinary institution. Tessaro's is co-owned by brother and sister Kelly and Ena Harrington, who bought the restaurant in 1985. Neither one of them had restaurant experience before (Kelly used to be a teacher, Ena a former attorney), but they soon had a successful restaurant with a loyal following.

Tessaro's in a nondescript-looking, narrow storefront tucked into Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. Inside, a long, shiny wooden bar dominates one side of the room, the other has small tables that seat two and can be combined for larger parties. It's a tight squeeze on the seating side, with the host actually lifting and moving the table so the person (or persons) seated against the wall can actually get to the seat.

Fortunately for all of us, in the mid-1990's, Kelly and Ena bought the rowhouse next door, tore down the connecting firewall between the two buildings, and doubled the floor space. The result is a cozy, dark, bustling place with tin ceilings, dark wood, with the small tables topped with tablecloths made of old, soft denim fabric.

Everything is hardwood grilled, with seafood, kebabs, chicken, and barbeque ribs (just on Thursdays--and Fridays, if there's leftovers) included on the diverse menu. But Tessaro's is really best known for its burgers. Also grilled, the hulking, half-pound burger can be served plain or gussied up with cheddar, dry bleu cheese, sauteed mushrooms or onions, and the more pedestrian lettuce/tomato/onion toppings.

Tessaro's doesn't have a deep fryer, so the usual sides of fries and onion rings aren't offered on the menu. Instead, diners can choose home fries, which are peppered with onions cooked on the flattop, making a crunchy, chewy, and flavorful alternative to fries.

Another restaurant anomoly is Tessaro's lack of desserts on the menu. People who want something sweet after dinner are directed next door to Crazy Mocha, for a piece of cake and an espresso. Desserts just allow people to linger, co-owner Kelly once explained, with lingering meaning fewer table turnovers. And with the line of people to get in often spiraling outside and waits as much as 45 minutes, it was wise of the Harrington's to omit dessert from the menu.

Kelly, a big bear of a guy with shaggy hair and beard, acted as host, manning the postage stamp-sized entrance and spill-over of people outside. Tessaro's doesn't take reservations, and Kelly never took names, and knew most people by sight or by name. When a table became available, he would just give you a beckoning, "come on over" gesture, and corral people over to their tables.

Ena is more diminutive both in size and personality, but she is no shrinking violet: Ena is, in a word, unflappable, and can quiet the loudest drunk with a withering look, one of those "I knew you when you were in diapers/your parents raised you better than that" glares that speaks volumes.

The last time I visited Tessaro's was April 17th with Tim, and Ena was playing hostess. "Finally gave Kelly the night off, huh?" I said to her as we came in. She just rolled her eyes and led us to our table.

What I didn't know at the time was that Kelly had actually been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He later had a stroke and passed away on May 11th, just two days after his father, famed prosecutor Dennis Harrington lost his battle with cancer. There was a wonderful tribute to father and son in the Post-Gazette, which is how I learned of Kelly's passing.

Kelly was just 57 and was just one of those guys that you instantly like, a gentleman that was truly a gentle man. He will be missed by many people, and visiting Tessaro's will never be the same without Kelly greeting us at the door.

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