Dig in With Graver: Iron & Basil Opens for Takeout In West View
Located in the former DiPietro’s, the full dining room and bar will open this fall.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
Today, I did something I haven’t done in years: I walked a few blocks from my West View apartment to get an Italian meal at 412 Perry Highway.
It was worth the wait.
After years of construction and delays, Iron & Basil Ristorante is now offering takeout from the former DiPietro’s Ristorante, a beloved business that operated from 1979 to 2023. My stomach will forever whimper for their Mostaccioli Arrabbiata.
Takeout hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. You can order in person, online or by calling 412-282-8300.
The menu includes appetizers such as bruschetta dip, arancini and Romano artichokes, 16-inch pizzas, pasta dishes, hoagies and salads. Gluten-free pasta options are also available upon request.
Fellow West View residents Katie and Terry Malsch are almost done remodeling the landmark building and wanted to give community members a taste of what’s to come when they open the full dining room and bar this fall.
They also had heated sidewalks installed outside of the restaurant, so I won’t slip when I go to get a slice in the dead of winter.
Chef Michael Wedge and his kitchen staff are making everything by hand, from the pasta and sauces to the bread (Mancini’s Bakery still supplies the hoagie rolls to help them keep up with demand.)
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER / TAKEN DURING MY LAST APPOINTMENT IN DECEMBER
Before I skipped home with a large portion of Pappardelle Bolognese, I dropped off a cheese pizza to my pals at nearby Hair We Go, a Steelers-themed salon. They inquire about Iron & Basil’s status every time I stop in for a trim, so it seemed fitting to give them the first cut.
I had just walked into my apartment, salivating and sweating with excitement over my years-in-the-making lunch, when I got a text from Hair We Go confirming that the pizza was a touchdown.
So was the Bolognese, made with a house Luganega sausage blend and soffritto. It came with two warm slices of homemade bread and lemon butter, which made it more like a dessert.
PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
Typing that sentence made me crave more. It’s dangerous to live this close.
As for my neighbors, the Malsch family: Katie’s a veteran of the service industry and Terry, a general contractor by trade, used his hands-on experience to bring the 76-year-old building into the 21st century.
I got a literal peek behind the curtain to see the wonders that await West View.
A few walls and the drop ceiling have been removed, opening up the space that is being designed to look like an Italian piazza, complete with string lights and greenery.
The bar will have a separate entrance on Perry Highway. It’ll feature a draft system with local beers and wine on tap, a small cocktail menu, to-go bottles of wine and a cooler stocked with six-packs.
How in the world could I give up carbs when my apartment is located between Severina Restaurant and Bar, which I wrote about in 2022, and Iron & Basil Ristorante?
My equator will definitely be expanding.
