{"id":344,"date":"2010-08-21T11:51:11","date_gmt":"2010-08-21T15:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/?page_id=344"},"modified":"2020-03-02T18:17:01","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T22:17:01","slug":"dining-monte-cellos-north-hills-pittsburgh","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/?page_id=344","title":{"rendered":"Dining – Monte Cello’s – North Hills – Pittsburgh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monte Cello\u2019s Dining Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now you all know I love a good pizza place and travel all over to find unique and column worthy establishments.\u00a0 I\u2019m thrilled this month to tell you about a place that\u2019s been around for almost 30 years, notorious for their pizza, but is soooooo much more.\u00a0 Monte Cello\u2019s, the \u201cItalian restaurant\u201d comes before pizza but when we hear the name, we think pizza!\u00a0 Let me dish on the dishes we sampled with delight\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

I have to admit that on my way out to Babcock Blvd.\u00a0 I found myself hoping for some Wedding Soup ($3.99 bowl & $3.25 cup).\u00a0 Chef Jeff Allen spent a few minutes talking with us about the food that was being prepared for us and I was very excited when I heard Wedding Soup!\u00a0 I told him I was hoping for soup on such a blustery cold night & sensing my affinity for soup- he brought out some pretty gorgeous & super delicious French Onion Soup ($5.99) to go along with my extra delicious wedding soup.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t remember being happier about homemade soup that wasn\u2019t made in my own kitchen!\u00a0 The French Onion Soup smelled so rich and the broth with the bread and bubbly cheese\u2026\u2026.oh my!\u00a0 It\u2019s made in limited quantities so definitely try it if you can!\u00a0 The wedding soup, a consummate favorite was as good as grandma\u2019s.\u00a0 Definitely no crackers needed!\u00a0 Then the appetizers were presented and let me tell you the little Lobster Rolls ($12.99) seriously take the concept of a pepperoni roll to a way new level!\u00a0 They are served with a Fontinella Cheese Sauce\u2026.perfect little puffs of rolled dough wrapped around succulent bites of lobster meat with garlic butter and cheeses.\u00a0 We tasted them first without the cheese dip and then couldn\u2019t decide if we liked them better with or without!\u00a0 Chef Jeff Allen explained that he was born and raised in Maine and this little bite of heaven was certainly reminiscent of his hometown.\u00a0 We had some leftover & even then next day they were still delicious.<\/p>\n

Monte Cello\u2019s serves fresh fish on Fridays with an ever-changing repertoire of specials and a Chef who creates dishes that sell out each week, sometimes in hours!\u00a0 Now aren\u2019t you glad we\u2019re getting to tell you about more than pizza!<\/p>\n

The entr\u00e9es were presented by Chef Jeff Allen and the decision of which one to try first was daunting.\u00a0 Chicken Madeira ($12.99) served with a sumptuous Madeira sauce, fresh mushrooms, topped with mozzarella cheese, and accompanied with asparagus and mashed potatoes.\u00a0 Looked so delicious and a very generous portion, extremely flavorful and with lots of mashed potatoes\u2026..<\/p>\n

The Flat Iron Steak ($15.99) marinated and char grilled to order served with garlic roasted red skin potatoes and grilled asparagus.\u00a0 This 10 ounce steak is a great value and a nice surprise for a notorious pizza place!\u00a0 We also tried the Linguini Allo Scoglio ($14.99) linguini with shrimp, clams & scallops sauteed in oil & garlic then mixed with a Sicilian style sauce.\u00a0 This pasta was so delicious that is would seem a shame not to give it a try.\u00a0 The shrimp & scallops were prepared to perfection and the red sauce with the clams, oh so delicious!\u00a0 And the price!\u00a0 When I was presented with this dish, I thought of so many over-priced places that we\u2019ve eaten at that can\u2019t even come close in presentation, price and taste. Each dish expresses its own unique flavor on a very extensive menu.<\/p>\n

Monte Cello\u2019s is very conscious of value and quality for the price.\u00a0 Their restaurant was founded on a family value that resonates true all these years later.\u00a0 What a great place to take the kids for pizza, while the parents can dine on specialties of the house.\u00a0 Monte Cello\u2019s is the best of both worlds and completely affordable.\u00a0 But there\u2019s more\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n

We would be remiss if we didn\u2019t get to try the pizza!\u00a0 We were presented with a NY Thin crust pizza with imported tomato fillets and cheese.\u00a0 Delicioso!\u00a0 Monte Cello\u2019s offers several specialty pizzas such as Steak Onion & Ranch, Spinach & Feta and Chicken & Broccoli.\u00a0 Your kids will love picking from the extensive topping list to create their own pizza.<\/p>\n

Monte Cello\u2019s also offers Salads, Sandwiches, Gourmet Burgers and Calzones.\u00a0 There\u2019s something for everyone here, and we seemed to have answered the question of why their parking lot is always packed!\u00a0\u00a0 Monte Cello\u2019s is a North Hills treasure and we\u2019re always delighted to share our finds & our friends with our Nightwire family!<\/p>\n

One last thing, my favorite thing to talk about- Dessert!\u00a0 Chef Jeff Allen brought us two dessert offerings made right in the restaurant- Cannoli and the Rum Cake.\u00a0 After eating a meal, both desserts seemed enough to share & I still can\u2019t decide which one I like the best.\u00a0 The cannoli were perfect with a light creamy filling and finished off with mini chocolate chips to give them the perfect sweetness\u2026\u2026..Ooooh!\u00a0\u00a0 The Rum Cake, well let\u2019s just say that every crumb remaining got put into a box for home!\u00a0 It was crazy delicious.\u00a0 It transported me to a very fancy, expensive restaurant somewhere in NYC!\u00a0 How lucky we are to have that quality right here in North Hills!!\u00a0 Plus, I\u2019m very excited to tell you these little bites of heaven are made by a server\/pastry chef, Leah Boehler, who comes in on her own time to make them.\u00a0 Her love of baking clearly shows as she is one awesome pastry chef. \u00a0Keep them coming Leah and we\u2019ll keep on coming back to enjoy them!!<\/p>\n

Monte Cello\u2019s is open 7 days a week.\u00a0 They are the flagship for local franchises so be sure to check out the website for other locations, menu\u2019s & specials or testimonials.\u00a0 I just love to read what other people have to say about a place they love.<\/p>\n

Monte Cellos – 2198 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15209<\/strong>
\nMonday thru Thursday<\/strong>
\n11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
\nFriday and Saturday<\/strong>
\n11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
\nSunday<\/strong>
\n12:00 PM to 10:00 PM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monte Cello\u2019s Dining Review Now you all know I love a good pizza place and travel all over to find unique and column worthy establishments.\u00a0 I\u2019m thrilled this month to tell you about a place that\u2019s been around for almost 30 years, notorious for their pizza, but is soooooo much more.\u00a0 Monte Cello\u2019s, the \u201cItalian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-344","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8aPSh-5y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2281,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344\/revisions\/2281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}