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Aliquippa, Pennsylvania once hosted the largest steel mill in the world: Jones and Laughlin Steel that stretched 7 miles down the Ohio River. The huge smoke stacks extended over the hills of Beaver County like the arms of God, spewing flames around the clock, lighting the skies orange. The area is the hometown of many professional athletes such as Mike Ditka, Ty Law, Darrelle Revis, Paul Poszlusny, Tony Dorsett, “Pistol” Pete Maravich, Sean Gilbert, and many others. It still has some hidden gems when it comes to a great culinary experience. I want to fill you in on what you may be missing. Everyone knows that the Palms Brazilian Steakhouse offers “Gaucho-style dining”, featuring over 16 cuts of all-you-can-eat meats. However, I want to show you why this hidden secret in your backyard has so much more to offer. Let’s take a further look.
Fresh ingredients, a seasoned and passionate chef, and affordable prices make for a great foundation. I had the opportunity to play golf with head chef, Harry Divittis, this summer. I can’t quote him, but he mentioned something along the lines of, if you don’t put love and passion into what you’re cooking, it’s going to come out mediocre at best. The Palms Brazilian Steakhouse uses fresh ingredients. They have an amazing cheeseburger called the “Gaucho Burger.” The locals rave about the prime rib on Sundays. I’ve had their crispy, well-sauced chicken wings. Looking for a great salad, their steak and chicken salads are top notch. Bottom line, you can get a great meal at a reasonable price here.
The Gaucho Burger. I’m not saying this because it’s my hometown, but this is in my top 5 burgers in the Pittsburgh metro, seriously. And here’s why. The meat is ground up in house. They use pieces of filet, rib eye, and New York strip. Please read the last sentence again if you didn’t quite digest the ingredients. You can get it cooked to your liking. I know you’re technically supposed to eat ground meat cooked through, but I got it slightly red, medium well. The juice literally poured out of the burger. It also comes with ham, however, as most of America’s County knows, I’m somewhat picky. The brioche bun builds a good foundation. Fries are cooked perfectly, and at $9 plus tax for all you see, you can’t beat it. Most places, you’re going to spend around $15 for what you see in this picture, trust me.
The crispy, whole, chicken wings are another hidden secret. Looking for a solid wing at a good value, the Palms delivers. Most wings/wingettes in today’s day and age run around a $1 a wing. You get 6 whole chicken wings which equates to 12 standard wings/wingettes for just $8. Now, let’s do the math, $8 / 12 = 0.67 cents per wing rounding up. My point, well below the market average. Fresh chicken, not frozen. Cooked well and through, they’re crispy and easy to pull apart. Variety of sauces, and sauced well. Most wing lovers may agree extra sauce on bottom of plate for dipping. This is a great value pick.
As always, here’s my final take. To the best of my knowledge, there’s only 3 Brazilian, gaucho-style restaurants in the Pittsburgh metro – the Green Forest in Penn Hills, Texas De Brazil in Station Square, and the Palms Brazilian Steakhouse in Aliquippa. I feel like it’s a nice treat to have one in your hometown and in neighboring communities. Around 16 cuts of meat for only $45 with specials on Tuesdays and coupons in the Coupon Saver, yum. The locals rave about other items on the menu as well. The prime rib, jumbo shrimp, the steak and chicken Salad, and the cod fish sandwich are all supposed to be excellent. They also have a lunch buffet, all you can eat for only $9.99 plus tax. Hopefully, after reading this article, I have opened your eyes to the great food the Palms Brazilian Steakhouse has to offer. Give it a try. Do I ever steer you wrong?
