089 Jennifer Grippo of the Original Oyster House

A 155-year-old bar in Market Square doesn’t survive by chasing trends; it survives by knowing exactly who it is. We sit with owner Jen Grippo of Pittsburgh’s Original Oyster House and dig into the choices that keep a landmark alive: a no-frills tavern seafood identity, house-made sauces with stories, and a jumbo fish sandwich that defines comfort. 

Market Square’s reconstruction for the 2026 NFL Draft could have been a setback, but Jen treats it like a stage. She walks us through the expanded patio, the daily dance with fences and foot traffic, and the unwavering customers who “go through the trenches” to reach the door. 

We celebrate the balance between preservation and small, smart updates—from the traditional fish sandwich to a salmon salad that meets modern needs without dimming the classics. 

Later in the show, we take a sweet detour with Ken of Point State Fork to Butterwood Bake Consortium in Lawrenceville, a late-night dessert haven where cakes carry lavender, black sesame, and Earl Grey notes, and the doors stay open until 11 for a different kind of nightlife.

If this story of grit, hospitality, and city pride resonates, tap follow, share it with a Pittsburgh friend, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us. Your support helps keep these neighborhood stories on the air.

Transcript

Doug 0:00

Welcome to The Pittsburgh Dish. I'm your host, Doug Heilman. How do you keep a restaurant going for over 150 years? This week we learn the secret sauce from Jen Grippo of the Original Oyster House. And if you're craving a sweet treat and an alternative nighttime experience, our newest contributor, Ken, of Point State Fork, has just the place. All that ahead, stay tuned. Well, thank you so much for coming over and for being on the show. Would you introduce yourself to our listeners and what you have going on right now in the world of food?

Jen 0:45

So I am Jen Grippo, and I am the owner of the Original Oyster House in Market Square.

Doug 0:50

Yes.

Jen 0:51

And if everyone has heard recently, we have a lot going on in Market Square as we prepare for the NFL draft that we are hosting in April of 2026.

Doug 1:01

Yes. As we record, it's December 2025. And there is a ton of construction in Market Square. I think it's getting better. Smiling at me.

Jen 1:13

Yes, it is. Our side of the square is done. And so it's back open to vehicular traffic. And we have finally been able to see what our new expanded patio area looks like. Okay. So it's actually nice to actually see it in real life. You see all these renderings, you go into all these meetings, and it's so hard to visualize it in the space whenever you're there every single day. And now that we're actually seeing it in real time, we're excited about it.

Doug 1:42

It's feeling good. Absolutely. And just to back up what you said there, will you have your own sort of expanded patio outdoor area?

Jen 1:52

We will. Yes. Absolutely. I think if I'm not mistaken, I believe it was bumped out like 12 feet. Okay. So we definitely have a lot more patio seating. Oh, that's great. I'm excited about it. Yeah.

Doug 2:04

Yeah. I think a lot of that sort of came about right after COVID, and it was all sort of like, how far can we go? It wasn't really initially made for it in the last renovation of Market Square. Right. This is a little bit more intentional. For sure. Yeah. And we also should say every restaurant around the square is open. All the businesses are open.

Jen 2:23

Absolutely. And the team at Mascaro, they've done a wonderful job. And also the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and collaboration have made a tremendous effort in making sure that folks can find the businesses. I obviously understand, once again, being down there every day, the way that the fencing changes, even sometimes we get turned around. But they have made just a great effort in making sure that everyone understands that Market Square is open, will continue to stay open, and these businesses are doing their best given our unique set of circumstances. And it's wonderful because all the businesses as well have gotten really creative with some of the different promotions and the way that they promote their businesses so that folks can really know that they're still there and how to get to them. Right.

Doug 3:11

Attracting that foot traffic while we're going through some changes.

Jen 3:15

Our customers, I have to give a huge shout out to the Oyster House customers because they will go through the trenches to get to our doors. And it is wonderful. They don't care where they have to drive to, where they have to park, where they have to take a train, anything it is, they will do it to get to us. And I I love them so much because without them, I wouldn't have a business. We wouldn't be able to say that we have an institution that's celebrating 155 years of business and another unique year for small businesses and restaurants in general. And so it's been they're the best.

Doug 3:56

But if you have a newcomer, an out-of-towner coming into your establishment, how do you like to describe the original Oyster House and promote that legacy in history? What would you say to somebody that's never visited before?

Jen 4:14

So we always start off with saying that we are a no-frills shot in a beer joint. Because sometimes you will have folks that will see that word oyster and automatically assume that it is oysters on the half shell and prosecco. Our prosecco is Iron City beer and our oysters on the half shell are pre-shucked oysters and a little plastic souffle cup with some cocktail sauce and maybe some vodka if that's what you want.

Doug 4:39

That's the that's really the only raw oyster you're serving. Is that right?

Jen 4:42

Yes. Yes, absolutely. We never really had um raw oysters before because when the oyster house was first established, there was a bunch of oyster houses established all along the East Coast in the 1800s. And if you had access to water, the oysters just came in abundance. Here's some oysters, do with it what you will. And in Pittsburgh fashion, we put some breadcrumbs on it, fried it, and said a prayer and hoped that everyone woke up the next day.

Doug 5:12

It created perfection, by the way.

What The Oyster House Really Is

Jen 5:16

And it's been recipes that have been passed down for generations. And so it's it's a unique challenge as well to how do you communicate that to folks? Because then, of course, like our number one seller is a fish sandwich. And so sometimes it doesn't necessarily translate. And we're like, hey, you know what? This is what we do. Just try it. You'll like it. We're gonna tell you you're gonna like it because even for our family, our first ingredient in any recipe that we have is love. Yes. And so that's how we are, that's who we are. And Pittsburgh and the Oyster House, we're community. And whether you're an out of towner or you're a regular, we're gonna treat you the same because you are family. And I don't care where you come from, you come in the same way that you came in, all like all my other customers do over the years, you're gonna be treated the same way. And as you get starting to talk to some of our staff, it's it's really interesting and it's super important as far as even training our staff is that you have to understand that this is not just a come to work, make your money, and you leave. This is preserving an institution. You are responsible for making sure that anyone who is around you knows the importance of this business and what it stands for. And not only just the oyster house in general, but also the Grippo family. My dad was a product of the strip district, he was born in 1931, and he had a very colorful life. Growing up in the city came with a lot of interesting challenges as well. And the oyster house was a part of his history, yes, and so it's become a part of our history, 55 years. Oyster house is in our blood.

Doug 6:57

I I do just want to rewind. You mentioned it's it's been established for over 150 years, 1870. And your dad bought it in 1970. Okay. So it was a hundred years old. Yes. Then how long have you been at the helm of the business?

Jen 7:17

So I took over in 2017 after my dad passed away. Okay. Yeah. So I was 26 years old. Wow. Which was an experience.

Doug 7:25

I bet.

Jen 7:26

My gosh. My dad was 86. So to kind of put it in perspective, there, there was certainly an age gap. But uh, yeah, it was a it was an interesting transition for me as well because I was I'm the quintessential definition of a daddy's girl. And it was interesting because in one moment I am Lou Grippo's daughter, who is the owner of the Oyster House. And next thing I know, I am the owner of a Pittsburgh institution. And it was a lot. What a spotlight, right? Ugh, big shoes to fill. Right. And I knew I was gonna make some mistakes for sure. And even some of our regulars, I owe less on. Please show me some grace as I'm navigating this because even though my dad was older, it was also very unexpected.

Doug 8:09

Yeah.

Jen 8:09

Because also, too, you look at your parents, you're like, oh, geez, you're gonna live forever. You know what I mean? We're you're gonna outlive the dinosaurs. I'm probably gonna pass before you do. And so I just it was a very unique transition for me, something that was challenging, but something that was also very important. I knew how important that business was, not only to my family, but also to Pittsburgh. And I was determined to make sure that it was going to see many more years. And here we were, we were finally hitting our stride, and then 2020 happens. Come on. Wow. But once again, another unique challenge, and we were celebrating 150 years of business in the height of COVID. And once again, I just kept telling my staff and I, hey, this business has already survived 150 years. What can't we do? Exactly. This industry is very resilient. Sometimes when you're in the moment, it's very stressful and you don't know when will it end, but somehow it always manages to work out, and you just have to remember that. And especially the restaurant industry, it's such an amazing community. Everyone does look out for each other. You know, in Market Square, uh, all the staff across all the businesses in Market Square, I am Mama Bear. Oh. And they are my cubs. Oh, you mess with them, you are messing with me, and that's just the way that it is. We are a community, it's super important, and I love them for that. Without them, COVID would have been a very different um outcome experience for me. Yeah.

Doug 9:40

I wanted to ask too, uh, while you were taking over the business, you know, so suddenly, were there other uh mentors for you, anyone else that really helped you along the way?

Jen 9:52

My mom was a big part of it. She still is. She's still at the business with me every day. And she was she's actually celebrating 43 years at the Oyster House this January, whenever we go to close. I was like, mom, that's your gift as we get to close for the month of January. Yeah, you guys take a break. Yes. We do, yes. We take a nice long winter's nap in January. So good. But my mom definitely guided me for sure. And a lot of our vendors and other business owners who have been around for a long time, who I grew up around, they were all there for me, helping me any which way. But also at the same time, they would always say, Well, you were raised by the best. Oh you'll figure it out.

Doug 10:34

Yeah. So good. Yeah.

Jen 10:36

Because that's what my dad would always say. He goes, If you are a leader, you do not panic, you pivot.

Doug 10:41

Right.

Jen 10:41

And people, you're responsible for people and their livelihoods. And you have to be that person to suck it up and and deal with it. And if you can't, then you get off the ship.

Doug 10:52

Yeah. Well, I'm so glad you've stayed on and not just stayed on course. Like, I feel like it's having like the best of times, even in all of this adversity, you've we've talked about the market square renovation and all that. So thank you and great work.

Jen 11:06

Thank you. Yeah.

Doug 11:07

Let's let some of our listeners know too. If they haven't visited, and we were talking about that newcomer, you're walking into what is described as the oldest bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh, is that? Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And there's so much memorabilia and history just as you enter. I I mean, I love the flooring. I love like the marble on the bar, but then there are all these pictures up behind the bar. Tell us a little bit more about uh that history, like who has visited or who hasn't visited the Oyster House? It's kind of like a destination place, right?

Jen 11:40

It really is. When you walk into the bar side, even the other additional rims, you'll see you'll see all kinds of pictures everywhere. The iconic original Miss America pageant photos, those ones are on the bar side. Those pictures are from Louis Americas, whose family owned the oyster house before my dad bought it. So the Americas family is actually the family that kicked my dad out of the oyster house whenever he was caught stealing. Oh, and there's this thing he said then, right? Yes, at the tender age of 10, he said, you know what, mister, I'm gonna come back, buy this place, and fire you, and walked out. Like dad, after he stole all this food. And it happened. And he did, and he did, and he bought it from the widow, Mrs. Americus.

Doug 12:27

Wow. Oh yeah. And they were fond of the Miss America pageant, which is why all this messability.

Jen 12:33

So they so they had a beach home in Atlantic City.

Doug 12:35

Oh, so they would took place.

Jen 12:37

Yes, yes. So they would go every year and Mr. Americus would sit at the front, as legend has it, Mr. Americus would sit at the front row, and he would have a silver dollar that he would play with in his fingers and he would flick it at the girl who he thought should win. And then every year he would come back with a panoramic.

Doug 12:54

Wow.

Jen 12:55

Yeah. And then a lot of the other photos, that was really from whenever my dad took over. So before my dad bought the Oyster House, he was also an attorney. He specialized in criminal defense and adoption. And so through all of those connections, he met a lot of folks that he ran around with Frank Sinatra back in the day. All those folks. Incredible. Absolutely. So he always rubbed elbows with a lot of politicians and judges. And so everyone would always come down. A lot of the Steelers, just a lot of really interesting, cool people my dad has gotten to meet. And they all come into the Oyster House even now. And you have a lot of folks that they'll come over to the Oyster House if they're on site for filming or concerts or whatever else. And they're always recommended to come over to the Oyster House because you can sit there and not be bothered. Yeah. Most of my staff probably won't even know who you are and they'll be like, Do you want a beer or do you want to get out? I was told the one time, two instances where I was not there and I was so upset. Adam Levine was in the restaurant and also Christian Bale.

Doug 14:05

Okay, so Maroon 5 and Christian Bale, maybe during Batman?

Jen 14:08

Yes.

Doug 14:08

Yeah.

Jen 14:09

None of my staff knew who either one were.

Doug 14:12

They had no idea.

Jen 14:13

I found out later on the day after it was on Twitter. Oh, that's right. Pictures were posted. Yeah, which was cool. But I was like, hi, that would have been nice to know.

Doug 14:22

You were maybe upstairs in the office, and who knows?

Jen 14:25

I was probably upstairs cutting fish. I mean, my goodness. Who knows what was going on? But I thought that was so interesting. But it it just happens that way. It's very natural.

Doug 14:33

And but some people in that caliber love that they don't want to be messed with, so to speak. They want to go have a quiet lunch or dinner or whatever.

Jen 14:42

Absolutely. I get that. You're winding down. You want to be left alone.

Doug 14:45

Your establishment has also been in movies a couple of times, right?

Jen 14:49

Yes.

Doug 14:49

It's a great setting for a movie.

Jen 14:51

Yeah. Oh, yeah. We were recently just in the opening scene of Driveway Dolls. That was our most recent with Pedro Pascal, who is also a very nice guy. Oh. Very nice to meet him. I got to meet uh Ethan Cohen and his partner Trisha and really great crew. It was a very interesting experience for me. That was the first time that I had ever been involved. My parents had been involved all the other movies. That was the first time that I actually got to witness that. And that's another thing, too, is this business has provided so many opportunities, which is so great. A restaurant, this old hoopty on market square. And look at the the opportunities that it has. It is so cool. It's very rare, especially that sort of a place. It's just awesome. I'm grateful to it. I think with without the Oyster House, I couldn't say that I've lived as full of a life as I've lived just in 36 years. Yeah. It's brought so much more. Absolutely. It's brought a lot of heartache, but also a lot of joy. And the good far outweighs the bad. That is for sure. I love that. This is Jen Grippo, owner of the original Oyster House, and you are listening to the Pittsburgh dish.

Doug 16:05

You sparked just another question. I did wonder when you said you were cutting seafood, like your vendors, like where is everything coming from? Do you have like longtime vendors that you like love and trust?

Jen 16:16

Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Our our main supplier is nappies. Okay. And land and sea. Yeah. And these are relationships that we've built 15, 20 plus years.

Doug 16:26

Yeah.

Jen 16:27

And they're always looking for out for me and knowing that I want the best product, I will do whatever I can. I will pay whatever I need to pay in order to make sure that the quality is there. Absolutely.

Doug 16:41

I'm familiar with the Nappies name. Where are they? They're local, right? In the address Steubenville Pike. Yeah. Yeah. They're local. They're actually close, I think, to where we are. That's why.

Jen 16:50

They're a great family.

Menu Icons And Family Recipes

Doug 16:52

I love that. Yeah. I do want to bring us a little bit more back to the food too, because we're talking about the history and the setting. Like, are there some items that they've been on the menu since virtually day one? And then since you've owned it, are there any items that are newer or things that you wanted to bring to the menu that weren't there?

Jen 17:14

The items that have always been on the menu has been the jumbo fish sandwich and the original breaded oyster. So that's the one that's a single oyster that's stuffed in the dough that looks like the hockey pot.

Doug 17:25

Yes, it's kind of huge. You're thinking like one oyster, but it's kind of big. Yeah. It is. For sure.

Jen 17:32

And then it's so funny because my mom actually rolls those oysters now. Yeah. And she's like my dad's aunt used to work at the oyster house before she passed away. And she was the one who used to roll the oysters. And you sometimes you'll have customers that'll come in and they're like, the oyster's not in there. My aunt used to cuss out these customers. I know I put it in there. I know I put it in there. And my mom assumed that role. And she also works on the floor. She's very much more a front-of-house personality than I am. I like being in the kitchen. I like being, you know, in the thick of it. Where's the tickets? Where's that fish? I've been waiting for for seven minutes. What's going on? And so she'll be out on the floor talking to customers, and they don't know that she's made those oysters. And they try to tell her that an oyster is not in that little ball of dough there. And she's like, listen up, sir. I have just been rolling out a hundred of these oysters in a kitchen that has no proper heat. There was an oyster in there, believe me.

unknown 18:31

And they're like, oh.

Jen 18:33

She was like, but just so you know, I'm gonna get you another one. Yeah. And we're gonna pick through it and we're gonna make sure that we're gonna find that oyster. But anywho, so those are the two menu items that have always been on there. And at that point, whenever my dad bought the restaurant, they didn't even have tartar sauce. They had the spicy vinegar. If you were lucky that day, they may have had salt and pepper for you and uh hot sauce. Then whenever my dad took over, he was actually the one that was responsible for the rest of the menu. And then, of course, incorporating tartar and ketchup and then eventually malt vinegar, which we there was a big pushback with malt vinegar. Really? Yeah. We would get customers that would request malt vinegar, and then some of our older time staff who were there from the beginning, they were like, You're gonna have the spicy vinegar, that's our malt. Yeah.

Doug 19:25

Do you guys make the spicy vinegar? We do. Yeah. Yes. Trade secret. Oh yeah. Yeah, okay. And the hot sauce? Yeah. Because I thought it has your label on it. Yeah.

Jen 19:34

Oh yeah. That's great. Outside of the ketchup, that's the only thing that we don't make. Okay. But all of our sauces, we pride ourselves on that. And the tartar sauce was actually a recipe that was inspired by Kelly's out in Boston. Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. So we've gone through different phases from the tartar sauce. And my mom actually lived in Boston for a while. So she had family or friends that she still was close with. So my parents would go out there and we would always go to Kelly's Roast Beef on the beach.

Doug 20:02

Yes.

Jen 20:02

And so we would always try, you know, anytime we travel anywhere, we always will try different seafood. And of course, up in Boston, we just that's where we get a lot of our inspiration. And uh so we went went to Kelly's Roast Beef and got the tartar sauce. And my dad was like, hey, I'll pay whatever money you want to get this recipe. And these folks told him, you know, screw off, you're done. Like whatever. And so we were taste testing tartar sauce recipes. Oh my gosh, until we finally got what we felt was the closest thing. So it was an experience. And then as far as me, to me, if it's not broken, I'm not trying to fix it. Yeah. The only thing that I've actually brought on on the menu full time is a salmon salad. I have food intolerances. So I always like to try to cater to those that may not have, you know, the gluten intolerances and whatnot. So that was the only thing that I incorporated onto our menu. But I like it just the way it is. I do. I really do. There's something about tradition. It will include certain things. Like during the summer, we have a dish that's pretty popular. It's called the Cod Rachel. And once again, that was actually inspired by a business that we have up in Boston. And that's always a fun one. It's very unique as a big, big sandwich.

Doug 21:22

Can you describe it to us?

Jen 21:24

So it's the famous jumbo fish. Yes. With coleslaw, okay, like a Rachel. Cheese, coleslaw, Swiss cheese, and the Thousand Island dressing on rye bread from Sabronis. Oh. But with fish, I don't think I've ever had that.

Doug 21:41

It's so good. All right, I'll have to come down this summer.

Jen 21:43

It's so good.

Doug 21:44

Yeah. It sounds good right now.

Jen 21:46

My mouth is actually kind of watery. Just thinking about it. Oh my goodness. Yeah. As far as our bar goes, we're very much a shot in a beer joint. Yeah. Um, we do Iron City beer, and what it used to be a shot of Imperial Whistle. But we now actually I think they discontinued that.

Doug 22:06

Which is it forced the change.

Jen 22:08

Right. Right, exactly. That one that one was forced. But it also kind of opened up a new opportunity because we are now working with Iron City distilling. Yes. And so our boiler maker is Iron City beer and a shot of their rye whiskey. Yes. They just came out with that. They did.

Doug 22:26

They did. Beautiful facility up Route 28.

Jen 22:29

Oh my gosh. Yeah. I'll tell you what, those folks, they spared no expense. Yeah. They're absolutely incredible. That facility is extraordinary, and the folks that are there are even more incredible. Beautiful people.

Doug 22:42

Yeah.

Jen 22:43

And I can't ever imagine working with someone else. I know there are obviously there are a lot of other wonderful companies to work with, but these folks have just been amazing. Like truly, truly wonderful. But recently we did team up with Wiggle Whiskey, actually.

Doug 22:59

Okay.

Jen 23:00

Um, we worked with their uh the old fashion that they have.

Doug 23:03

Yes.

Jen 23:04

And um that was really the only other thing. You know, we put on an espresso martini. You did. We did. Okay. So we don't announce it, but we do. I don't really do drinks. Okay, so like craft cocktails. I rarely don't. I if if I go like I want to be the one drinking them, not making them. So that's how we kind of kept our bar. If whenever I'm having a drink, honestly, it's either tequila on the rocks or scotch. You know, some folks say, yes, I am an 80-year-old man in a 36-year-old woman's body. Yes, you're right.

Doug 23:40

But this is this is the this is the aura of the bar. It's a much more straightforward bar. It's not, it historically has not been craft cocktails first. Correct. But what I think what I hear you saying though is like we could maybe accommodate that a little bit if that's really what you're going for. But to set the expectation, that's not what we're historically doing.

Jen 24:01

No, absolutely not. And honestly, especially with a lot of the craft cocktail bars that are downtown, right? Once again, we are about our community and small business. And there's a lot of wonderful small businesses who we would love to recommend you to after you've been with us. Hey, if we don't meet your expectations and you're looking for this, I can list off a handful of spots that are locally owned, hardworking, good people that I would love for you to go and go to their places and and patron them as well. I want to keep them downtown. Yeah.

Doug 24:36

Well said. And you know what you're doing. So thank you for that. Yes. Thank you. You had uh mentioned how there were all these other oyster houses up the like northeast coast. And isn't there a big old-time oyster house right in Boston too?

Jen 24:50

Yes, the Union Oyster House is the OG. That is the original oyster house. And so whenever all those oyster houses were established all along the East Coast, we have no affiliation.

Doug 25:00

Uh-huh.

Jen 25:01

So each each oyster house does their own thing.

Doug 25:03

Their own original thing.

Jen 25:04

Yes. So the Union Oyster House in Boston is the oldest. We are the second oldest operating oyster house in the United States.

Doug 25:12

Wow.

Jen 25:13

As far as all those oyster houses opening along the East Coast. Yeah.

Family Food Traditions And Influences

Doug 25:17

I mean, that's incredible. It's just this historical marker for us. And I love it. Love it for you. Thank you. So, Jen, you're in the thick of it every day now. I mean, there's really not a day off. I am wondering what food life was like for you, you know, before this ownership role, and and even just growing up, like early life, did you guys eat at the restaurant a lot? Was your family cooking at home or were you cooking at an early age? It was a healthy mix.

Jen 25:47

Yeah. We were eating out a lot, but then also cooking out at home. So it just sort of depended on the hours that my parents were working. Yeah. If we wanted to just go out, if we wanted to just bring some fish back home and cook it, or just go to George Aiken's and grab some chicken before we head home. It really just sort of depended. I really didn't start cooking until later on in life. And I think it was just because we were working so much that it really like you cooked certain holidays. Like Christmas was was my dad's holiday. So we did all the seven fish. We did all that. Of course. My mom's side of the family, they do a tradition every year called Italian Fest. So it's all of the old traditional recipes that have been passed down for generations on her side of the family. And then we have my dad's friend, uh Franco D'Amico, who sadly has passed away. And we would be eating his food. So I'm very particular now about what I eat and where I eat. And I just it's sometimes it's uh it's an experience for sure. So um good stuff, but I it really just depended. You know, it was always like you never really knew. Some days you thought that your days at the office would be five, six days, and the next thing you know, you're working 12, 13 hours. And yeah, if I was coming back from school and my parents were still at the restaurant, I was with a neighbor, hey, there's money for pizza or there's soup in the freezer, that sort of thing. So it really just depended on on what was going on.

Doug 27:27

You're the latchkey kid. I was there too.

Jen 27:30

Yeah, yeah.

Doug 27:31

But I think what I'm hearing too is when it wasn't seafood or related to the oyster house, there sounds like there's a lot of Italian dishes happening.

Jen 27:39

Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We were all out. Uh-huh. All out. And uh it's interesting too because on both sides of my family, you have different influences. So my there's a healthy mix of both northern and southern Italian. So one week it would be risotto with a brown gravy, heavy on the cheese and red meats. And then the next week you would be sitting at a table in someone's basement, picking your corner of the polenta on the table and making sure hopefully you got enough red sauce and peppers before someone else took the rest of it. Oh my gosh. So it really all just depended. A Sunday dinner was definitely something that was crucial for my family for sure, but it was certainly heavy on the Italian. Like I grew up with Franco's granddaughter, and I'm just naturally an early riser. And Franco was also up with me. So it would just be the two of us and be eight o'clock in the morning. He's like, You want a meatball? You want some eggplant? I'm like, I mean, if you want to make it. So he would make, he would make me meatballs, I would have pasta, I he would make me fried zucchini. So it all just really depended. But that was that was my life growing up. It was it was an experience.

Doug 28:53

Is this the Franco of Franco's in uh Fox Chapel, the O'Hara Township restaurant? Yes. I got to meet him. We were definitely underage for drinking, but we were there for like our snowball. It was like a winter kind of prom. And he brought us over drinks because we were all dressed up. And the waitress rushed over and said, Let me get you something more festive. And she came back with like Shirley Temple things because he didn't know, but he was so great, and it was such good food.

Jen 29:19

Oh my gosh. Yeah, he was he was the best, one of the best. And he was another person that was really all about the homemade pastas. Yes. I mean, our kitchen would be destroyed after Franco and my dad would be in the kitchen. My mom's like, What is going on? I need a whole clean team to come in and just deep scrub this kitchen. But it was so awesome because you knew everything was gonna be absolutely delicious. I mean, 30 pots and pans for six people. It was awesome.

Doug 29:48

And now, just for me for a clarifier, was he just a good family friend or neighbor or a relative? He was a good family friend. Good family friend. So it's just over all the time. Oh yeah. I love that. Yeah, it was good stuff. I forgot about Franco's. Oh actually, that location is now the Alta Via uh for Big Burrito. That's right. Yes. So there's still life there.

Jen 30:08

Yes, absolutely, yes. But that's what I mean. And like, ah, for being my age to have been able to experience all those guys, like those the old school guys, it was really, really incredible. I'm really happy, very blessed to have been able to say that I got to experience all of that and and those folks and how they moved in the space and how they did business. Yeah. Because that's very much how I align and I I love that.

unknown 30:39

Yeah.

Doug 30:39

Some of the best early restaurants that we had. Oh my gosh. Absolutely. Well, Jen, taking us forward with your restaurant, with your establishment, I did want to ask too, how do you like to describe the Oyster House? Is it a seafood tavern bar? That's what I like to say. Yeah. What do you like to say?

Jen 30:57

Tavern seafood. Tavern seafood. Yeah, we're saying, yeah. Okay. Little historic landmark serving up some tavern seafood. Yeah.

Doug 31:05

So once you're back, and as we know, like the NFL draft is coming, uh, are there any events or goals that you have for your restaurant, or are you gonna be just holding steady doing the same thing that you do every day?

Jen 31:19

For the draft, we'll definitely extend our hours and days. Yeah. We have a duty. The Oyster House has a duty to represent our community on a national stage, period. That is something that, and so I've already been planning things. My staff already knows. I'm usually very steadfast with my commitment to the four-day work week and making sure that my staff's mental health is first and foremost.

Doug 31:49

Yeah.

Jen 31:50

But they also understand the assignment as far as how important the draft is and how we are to represent. And so we will be open at least five days with extended hours and making sure that we really not necessarily sell the city, but just show people exactly who we are and why who wouldn't want to move here.

Doug 32:11

The hospitality, you need to extend it and bring as many people in as you can.

Jen 32:15

As I told the staff, I was like, that's fine. We'll sleep on the bar, we have plenty of tables upstairs. You know, I have a shower in my office. That's fine. We just take well, that is an interesting side fact. Well, because when my dad, he was still practicing law and owning the restaurants. So he he would actually go. Sometimes he would be in the kitchen, he would go shower, go to court, come back. Wow. Depending on the day. So he had to have that that shower installed. I feel like that's highfalutin, actually. How smart.

Doug 32:45

I love that.

Jen 32:46

Oh, yeah.

Doug 32:48

Wow. Well, Jen, it's been such a pleasure. Can we remind folks if they haven't visited or they just want to find and follow you? What's the website, your social handles?

Jen 33:00

Um, can you remind us of that? Yeah, our website is original oysterhousepittsburgh.com. Our Facebook is also original oysterhouse Pittsburgh, and we have an Instagram, Oysterhouse PGH.

Doug 33:13

I did notice too, you guys do a lot of private events and stuff too. If someone's looking for like a work event or something, it's not just that you're open all the time, but you could actually book something there.

Jen 33:22

Absolutely. Oh yeah. Even on days that were closed. Okay. I can normally get a staff in there and and do a couple of events. We do events sometimes, you know, Monday lunch or a little happy hour from time to time, or you know, pre-drinks before folks are going to their other whatever holiday party they may be going to or reservations or whatnot. All you have to do is ask. Yeah.

Doug 33:44

Have your gathering there.

Jen 33:45

Absolutely. And we're accommodating. Yeah. You know, and we understand, you know, to your point about folks with different food allergies and everything like that. It's like, hey, if the majority of folks want to come in and order our food, great. And if you have some folks who have an allergy, I don't mind if you bring in that food. I would love it if you asked me first. But yeah, yeah. But we'll accommodate that. I completely understand it.

Doug 34:09

All right, great points. Okay. I always have one final question for our guests.

unknown 34:15

Okay.

Doug 34:15

The name of the show is The Pittsburgh Dish. What's the best dish you've had to eat this past week?

Jen 34:23

The greens and beans at Girasole. Oh, good pick. I had to ban myself from there because I live right up the street. I had to ban myself.

Doug 34:31

I was like so easy to stop in.

Jen 34:33

Jimmy, you're gonna be rolling me out of here.

Doug 34:36

They have some good greens and beans. Oh yeah. I think that's the perfect. And you know, it's kind of chilly right now. It's like the perfect comfort food.

Jen 34:42

It is, absolutely.

Doug 34:45

That's the right answer. Jen Grippo, thank you so much for spending time with us today. And thanks for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.

Jen 34:52

Yes, thank you for having me. It's been wonderful.

Butterwood Bake Consortium Vibe

Doug 34:56

Up next, we hear from one of our newest contributors to the show, Ken of Point State Fork on Instagram. Hey everybody, we're joined today with Ken of Point State Fork on Instagram. Ken, I was wondering when you're out and about and you're craving maybe a a sweet treat, a decadent or you know, do it right kind of thing. What's a place that comes to mind for you?

Ken 35:23

I think like my favorite spot um for a sweet treat in town is definitely Butterwood Bake Consortium.

Doug 35:29

Oh yeah, over in Lawrenceville, Upper Lawrenceville, Butler Street, right?

Ken 35:33

Yes, right there. Yeah, parking lot.

Doug 35:35

That is the thing. It is so easy to get in and out because there is a parking, I think it's a paid lot right beside it. Yeah. Yep. Let's describe to folks if they haven't been, which actually Butterwood has been around for a while now. It's the cutest place, right?

Ken 35:50

It's super cute. It feels like it always feels like you're foraging for your own slice of cake. Like if you look at their uh display case, it just like it's beautifully decked out in greenery. Um, but yeah, like this place has been around for I guess I've been out of college for a while now, but uh, we used to go in college, so it is such a special place. And um, I feel like it hasn't changed all these years.

Doug 36:12

In such a good way because they've been doing it right, I think, since day one. I know you can get coffee and tea. And like you said, the case has a lot of full cakes, but they also have some smaller things. I I know I've picked up a brownie in there and maybe a cookie or two, but the whole point is you go and you ask for that slice of cake, you sit down, you take your time.

Ken 36:36

Yes. And uh so they really have great coffee. Like they have KLVN coffee, which is like one of my favorite coffee spots. Um, and some people say that they have the best hot chocolate in Pittsburgh.

Doug 36:46

Oh.

Ken 36:47

Yeah.

Doug 36:47

This is a hot take. I don't know this one.

Ken 36:49

Uh yeah, people love their hot chocolate. I think I had it only once, but it was actually it was it was really good. It was delicious.

Doug 36:55

I think the other thing that I remember is they're open a little bit later. So if you're one of those folks that are, you know, you're not going for like the cocktail or even a mocktail night, you could go to Butterwood and just have a sweet treat night.

Ken 37:10

Wait, that is such a good point. They close at 11 p.m. Um I think like they open like Wednesdays to Sundays and they close at 11 p.m., which is amazing.

Doug 37:19

When you think back to the the times you've visited, what are some standout things that you've had there that give you a good taste memory?

Ken 37:28

They have um these like two-layer like mini love cakes that are really good. Oh. And like I love that they can do like their little tea cakes if you're not looking for, you know, any double decker cake situation, but even their love cakes, they're pretty tiny. I love that they have like the vegan options too. Right. Um they they always use these like crazy beautiful combinations. Like you'll get like rose and earl gray, you'll get lavender, matcha, black sesame, and they kind of it all flows together.

Doug 37:57

It all works. Yeah. All of these flavors are in the cake or in the frosting. It is, it's so unique. You usually don't just see a white cake or just a chocolate cake. They're gonna do something to level it up in some way.

Ken 38:10

Right. And I think like a lot of the herbs that they use, they sometimes grow themselves too, because like when you walk into their display case, like right next to them, they have these like dried flowers. And I I do remember at a time where they were like, Yeah, we grew these herbs and dried them, and they're in the cakes.

Doug 38:27

That's amazing.

Ken 38:28

Yeah.

Doug 38:28

I love that. Yeah, it is such a vibe. And again, we're talking about Butterwood Bake Consortium. Consortium? Am I saying that right?

Ken 38:36

I think it's consortium, yeah.

Doug 38:38

Probably located on Butler Street, Upper Lawrenceville. There's a parking lot right beside them. And I was checking the hours as you were talking. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays right now, but every other day they're open noon to 11 p.m.

Ken 38:52

Those are some awesome hours because, like, those are like, you know, the later hours is when you want dessert. Exactly.

Doug 38:57

I know all of my my nighttime munchies happen after 9 p.m., so it is perfect. Ken, thanks so much for the recommendation and thanks for being on The Pittsburgh Dish.

Ken 39:05

Thank you for having me, Doug.

Doug 39:08

We'll be hearing more from Ken in upcoming episodes. And in the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram at Point State Fork. If you enjoyed the show, consider buying us a coffee for this episode or supporting the show monthly. You can find links to those options at the bottom of our show description. And if you want to follow my own food adventures, you can find me on social media at Doug Cooking. That's our show for this week. Thanks again to all of our guests and contributors, and to Kevin Solecki of Carnegie Accordion Company for providing the music to our show. We'll be back again next week with another fresh episode. Stay tuned.