Mooooove over, beef.
The bison bandwagon has settled in Western Pennsylvania with restaurants offering bison burgers (and even a bison meatloaf!) on their menus.
Touted as being much lower in saturated fat than beef, 100 grams of raw bison contains 109 calories and 1.8 grams of fat, whereas the same amount of raw beef contains 291 calories and 24 grams of fat, according to data from the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Burgatory
Burgatory offers The Triple B burger ($18.50) at seven locations, including the Waterworks location near Aspinwall and Fox Chapel.
The hearty burger is made with all-natural Montana Range bison topped with house-made queso, applewood smoked bacon, tomato, and pickled jalapenos, served on a pretzel bun.
Burgatory sources its bison from AF Wendling, West Virginia’s largest independent food distributor.
“We work with their farming partners to bring us the best quality product,” said Burgatory spokesperson Meredith Feiler.
Feiler stressed the nutritional health benefits of bison.
“Our natural bison is exceptionally lean and has a rich flavor,” Feiler said. “As it’s much leaner than beef, we recommend getting it cooked to a pink or red center to best highlight the great flavor.”
Burgatory locations:
342 N. Shore Drive, North Shore
932 Freeport Road, Waterworks
299 West Bridge St., West Homestead
100 Blue Spruce Way, Murrysville
700 Providence Blvd., McCandless Crossing
2080 Mackenzie Way #600, Cranberry
300 Mcholme Drive, North Fayette, The Pointe
Urban Tap
A garlic aioli sauce and jalapeno cream cheese add a little something extra to the bison burger ($19.50) at Urban Tap, with locations in Shadyside and the South Side.
The bison meat is 100% free range and is made with a chicory rub, bacon and arugula.
1209 E. Carson St., South Side
216 S. Highland Ave., Shadyside
Stack’d Oakland
Customized, next-level burgers and milkshakes are the draw at this Oakland sandwich spot with more than 50 creative toppings to choose from.
Stack’d offers a build-your-own stack sandwich option and the bison burger ($15.75) is made with 1/3 lb. of ground bison.
3716 Forbes Ave., Oakland
The Warren Bar and Burrow
Pittsburgh’s Cultural District is where you’ll find The Warren, a neighborhood bar known for its delicious cocktails, sushi — and bison.
The bison smash burger ($19) offers two, 3-ounce bison patties served with Swiss cheese, grilled onions, black garlic aioli and arugula on a brioche bun.
275 7th St., Downtown Pittsburgh
Carmella’s Plates & Pints
Owner Carmella Salem tried bison meat for the first time in 2014 when she added a bison burger to the menu.
“I loved it. It’s been on our menu for years. You don’t feel so bad after you eat it (less fat) and our guests really enjoy it,” Salem said. “We always wanted to be known for offering unique foods here.”
Not a burger, but bison just the same, the current bison entree at Carmella’s is the Bison Meatloaf ($29), served with buttermilk mashed potatoes, vegetables, mushroom and herb gravy and grilled farm bread.
“It’s like our number one entree. It’s gluten-free and customers are curious to try it. It’s really good comfort food and the presentation is beautiful,” Salem said.
Keeping bison on the menu has proved popular.
“I chose it because we have, over the years, focused on serving game and a lot of our customers say they feel like they’re dining in a lodge-like environment here because it’s so cozy,” Salem said. ”I said with bison, ‘Let’s do something that will bring people in. Most people haven’t tried bison.’ ”
1908 E. Carson St., South Side
