Yo, Go to the 7-Eleven on Vermont and Franklin
Plus, trying Indian-Californian pizza in Cranberry, Pennsylvania.
Heyo!
One of my duties as a writer/eater is to follow hot tips. How do I get those tips? Sometimes it’s a text message from a friend or a DM from a stranger. Other times it’s a strong Instagram follow. However, Instagram follows only get you so far. In order to get the real scoop, you need to read food journalism.
I have subscriptions to a lot of newspapers. The L.A. Times, NY Times, The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, Texas Monthly, and The Washington Post are my main rags, each providing valuable insight into the restaurants of their respective areas. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is a lesser known publication, but I’m telling you, the subscription is worth it for Hal B. Klein alone.
Hal is a senior food writer and dining critic for the Gazette, and man, he’s doing great work. If you follow him on Instagram, you’ll see him dining at places that you probably know about—Chengdu Gourmet, Fet Fisk, Apteka, and the like. He’s got a mean garden, and he’s also a champion of Pittsburgh’s burgeoning pizza scene (is pizza just popping off everywhere now? more on that later). If you’re from out of town or plan on visiting Pittsburgh at any point in the future (looking at you, comedians) Hal is a must.
Take his reporting on Angkor Restaurant in Oakwood. It’s a compelling, heartbreaking, and sobering story about how difficult life was for Cambodian immigrants who suffered under the regime of Pol Pot; it’s also a glowing and thorough review of the restaurant’s food itself. This is what food journalism does best—it intersects intimate stories of culture and community through dining, but it’s also informative.
Recently, I read Hal’s reporting on Mintt pizza, a restaurant that specializes in curry pizza in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, about 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh. Curry pizza is exactly the type of food that reminds me of Southern California, specifically Long Beach. So, I decided to give Mintt a try after reading Hal’s review. I wasn’t disappointed.
Yes, the pizza at Mintt is worth the drive.
In his article, Hal describes the crust at Mintt as California-style. It’s medium-thick, chewy, and porous. It reminds me of the sourdough style pies at Hail Mary in Atwater Village. That’s because chef Tamilselvan Thangadurai uses some yogurt in the dough (per Hal), which gives it a light texture but also a bit of a sour flavor. The undercarriage of the pie is nice and crisp, too, meaning this pizza can carry a lot of toppings and a lot of flavor.
I ordered a medium butter chicken pizza and a medium palak paneer pizza, both for about $20 apiece. The pizzas themselves look gorgeous; each pie gets topped with a colorful fine dice of red onion, chilis, and bell peppers. The trifecta is expectedly sweet, spicy, and pungent. If you like spicy, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised with Mintt. Also, I might just be convinced that raw, fine diced red onion belongs on every pizza now. The bitey and spicy tandem of chili and onion makes this pizza sing beautifully.
Every dish at Mintt is made from scratch and with fresh ingredients. When I ordered the palak paneer pizza, I watched chef Thangadurai go to the back to the kitchen, blanch the spinach and blend it on the spot. There are no pre-made pestos or pizza sauces; even the chicken at Mintt comes in whole and is broken down in the restaurant. This is thoughtful, lovingly prepared Indian food made fresh and slapped on a bright and bubbly pizza dough. It beams with Southern California freshness and flavor, whether that’s intentional or not. Thangadurai did work in San Diego last year, though, so perhaps that’s where he learned this pizza style.
The food at Mintt is fresh, and they aren’t afraid to let you know that at the expense of others.
Per Hal’s article, co-owner Hareesh Ghanta takes a swipe at other pizza places cutting corners…
We don’t want to buy pre-frozen fajita strips like a lot of pizza places do. It’s important we do it from scratch. The taste is better; the texture is better,” says Ghanta.
Even at the restaurant, Thangadurai made a few comments to me, a random diner who he did not know was a food writer, about other places not committing to freshness. “I make everything from scratch. Everything. Not like these other places,” he said to me twice. I appreciate it when people talk a little shit and then back it up. Sometimes, you’ve got to roll some heads.
The palak paneer pizza is the one of the best damn cheese pizzas you’ll ever have. Every bite is creamy, spicy, and herby; the freshly blanched and pureed spinach adds a refreshing leafy flavor. It’s smooth, deep green, and viscious, like an unadulterated pesto. The layer of mozzarella on the crust gives way to milky and mild masala paneer, ginger, and the aforementioned trifecta of green chiles, bell pepper, and red onion. Palak paneer on pizza is just a genius move. This is a pesto and cheese pizza, but through the lens of Northern Indian cooking. It rocks.
It should be said that the ranch at Mintt is bad. Like, very bad. It’s very watery and doesn’t taste much like anything at all. It’s really making me miss the ranch in Detroit at places like Jet’s, Grandma Bob’s, and Bunny Bunny. A small misstep.
Still, I’ll be back to eat my way through this pizza menu. It’s damn good. It’s the type of thing that makes me all giddy and excited about food. Go to Mintt if you’re ever near Cranberry, or hell, even if you’re not. Like Jonathan Gold said, “The best choice is always the restaurant 15 minutes further than you are willing to go.”
Speaking of restaurants that make me miss Los Angeles, Mintt makes me long for Southern California passionately. However, it also makes me feel at peace with being gone, too. Good restaurants, explosive flavors, and funky, cultural fusions exist everywhere in America. Finding it outside of L.A. might take some more work, but that’s the job. If nothing else, Los Angeles taught me that seeking out enriching and exciting food means making an effort. It means not settling for the cheaper, closer option when greatness waits for you just a bit further.
Mintt Pizza
1656 PA-228 Suite 103
Cranberry Twp, PA 16066
The 7-Eleven in Los Feliz Rules
That’s right!! Sometimes on the move, I’m going to tell you to fucking go to a 7-Eleven. Here’s why: Snack selection, baby.
It can be hard to find good potato chips in Southern California. It’s just not an area of the country that’s really known for their chips. L.A. has tacos. You don’t need a little bag of salt & vinegar chips with your al pastor, ok? The culture doesn’t demand potato chips, and thus, there aren’t many great ones to speak of.
Most of the potato chips you see in L.A. are imported. A lot of gas stations and delis will source Tim’s and Hawaiian (both owned by Utz). Of course, all the name brand, mainstream chips are available, too, but what about the esoteric snacks? The off-the-beaten-path chips that pack distinct flavor?
Enter the 7-Eleven in Los Feliz, at the intersection of Franklin and Vermont, which has an awesome, eclectic selection of potato chips, cheese curls, and tortilla chips. This is where the good stuff lives.
The selection of Herr’s chips at this 7-Eleven is rare to find in Southern California.
Herr’s is a Pennsylvania brand, and one that I’ve championed often, so to find them so far West is a delightful surprise. This 7-Eleven in particular carries a few of their very best chips, including Creamy Ranch & Habanero, Carolina Reaper Cheese Curls, and the legendary Jalapeño Popper Cheese Curls. Herr’s chips are an absolute treat, and this 7-Eleven is one of the only places in Los Angeles you’ll find them. Grab all 3, especially if you’re going to a buddy’s to watch football on Sunday. Be the hero who shows up with something new and exciting.
Andy Capp’s hot fries are great, but did you know they also do hot, beer battered onion ring snacks? These taste a lot like Funyuns, but with some noted added flavor. The snacks themselves are made from corn and oat (Funyuns are just corn), so they don’t just taste like a straight up corn snack. They’re really tasty, and definitely not all that common to see in the wild. This 7-Eleven got gems, man.
Also a good find are these salsa verde Doritos in a medium-sized bag. Instead of the big 9 ounce bag, these are a modest, medium-sized 3.37 ounce bag of chips. There’s roughly 2.5 servings per bag, so it’s the type of thing you can polish off in one sitting and not feel horrible. Salsa verde Doritos are severely underrated; they pack a spicy, herby punch. I’m of the opinion that spice serves Doritos well. Cool Ranch Doritos can kick rocks. ROCKS.
Pringles Habaneras are spicy and tangy (look at that slice of lime they want you to eat, what the fuck). Everybody is apeing Takis these days, but spicy, acidic Pringles are perfect junk food. Sometimes, you want a spicy chip that’s made from potato and not corn. This 7-Eleven has those in spades.
They also carry Zapp’s Jazzy Honey Mustard Pretzel Stix. They’ve got a honey mustard slant, but taste very bright and acidic, too. I guess that’s the “jazzy” flavor. Look at that bee wailing on the saxophone! Shred, little fella!
7-Eleven’s brand chips are pretty damn good, too. The smoked gouda Kettle chips are cheesy and delicious, and even the plain potato chips are like a saltier, greasier version of Lay’s original. 7-Eleven isn’t afraid to lay on the salt and fat. In short, this place doesn’t care if you live or die, which is why the chips are so good. Their curated section of chips and snacks from all over the country are a real gem in Southern California, and one snack lovers should seek out.
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I’m going to PNC Park tonight in Pittsburgh. Yankees vs. Pirates. Most beautiful stadium in baseball, in my humble opinion.
Have a good weekend!