Esquire affords 2 eating places in Pittsburgh that we won’t afford to lose.

By jimadmin On Jan 5, 2021

The pandemic hit the catering industry hard. Some are gone, others are attached. And some are too important to fail during the covid pandemic, according to a magazine.

Last week Esquire Magazine named the “100 Restaurants America Can’t Lose”. Two Pittsburgh favorites were on the list: Tessaro’s in Bloomfield and J & J’s Family Restaurant on Mt. Washington.

Nancy McClaren, whose family has owned J & J’s for three generations, said she and her family were “quite excited and humble” to be recognized by Esquire.

“We thought it was really nice that we were thought that way,” she said. “That’s why we had a lot of new customers. We got old customers to comment on this. ”

As the Esquire story notes, family-owned restaurants and small local eateries across the country are at risk.

“We also hope you toast to these places around the country – old and new, scruffy and chic – that we consider to be restaurants America can’t afford to lose,” wrote Jeff Gordinier, Esquire’s editor for groceries and food Beverages. “Because if we lose her, we lose who we are.”

Tessaro’s – known for burgers, which Esquire describes as “the size of a flattened softball” – will open again for take-away on Thursday, according to a Facebook post. They will serve beef and pork ribs.

“We value national love,” the restaurant wrote on Facebook in response to the Esquire piece.

J & J’s family restaurant is open. The menu offers everything from breakfast to burgers as well as a catering menu.

Esquire’s deputy editor, Ben Boskovich, lived on the mountain. Washington with some friends after college. On the weekend they went to J & J’s for breakfast.

“We fell in love with the people who worked there and the food. That’s why J & J’s has a special place in my heart,” he said.

Esquire’s list is “inherently incomplete”. There are restaurants that Esquire editors have personal relationships with and that they value, he said.

“Every restaurant in the country deserves to live and thrive,” said Boskovich. “If we made the full list, it would be any restaurant in America.”

While McClaren said she was grateful for Esquire’s nod, she’s also grateful for the community that has gathered behind her restaurant during the pandemic.

“We are pretty blessed here. We have a lot of support from the community, ”she said. “We have good days and bad, like all companies, but we’re just trying to stay strong during the fight. We’re doing our best and have a lot of help from the community. ”

During the pandemic, McClaren and her family faced “scary thoughts” when they realized they were losing control of their own business. Due to mandatory restaurant closings, they struggled to keep a business alive that has been a family heritage for generations. Well, McClaren said, she hopes the promotion from the Esquire article will remind people to support local businesses through these unprecedented challenges.

“On-site support. Shop on site. We are just one of many who need your support, ”she said. “We’ll all get through this together if we all support. Our message is to tell the people in the church to only support your local place, just like our local church has supported us. ”

Julia Felton is a contributor to Tribune Review. You can contact Julia at 724-226-7724, jfelton@triblive.com, or on Twitter.