An Interview with Braddock’s Dean Gress

How do you determine Braddock’s Signature Dishes?

Braddock’s has three dishes I would call “signatures”.

First is the house-made potato gnocchi and lobster. It’s a well balanced dish. A rich parmesan cream sauce, mushrooms and artichokes. Our customers go crazy for it. It’s a unique dish; you won’t see it anywhere else.

Second would be our short rib pierogies. We took a classic dish that is purely Pittsburgh and put a twist on it. We make the dough in house and put tender, braised short ribs inside.

Third is our Amish Roasted Chicken it is from Gerber farms and is an all natural product that is brought in fresh. We brine it to introduce new flavors to the chicken. By doing this the flavors are fully integrated throughout the chicken and leave it juicy and tender.

How do you prepare these dishes and what makes them unique to Braddock’s?

These dishes are all unique. You can find pierogies almost anywhere in Pittsburgh, but no one does them like us.

You’ll be hard press to find pierogies in a fine dining restaurant. The short ribs are braised perfectly and the melted leeks compliment the dough and short ribs very well.

Gnocchi are a popular dish in many Italian restaurants, but our standout. Chef Brian has a recipe that makes the gnocchi melt in your mouth. The gnocchi themselves are so delicate, that it needs the rich sauce to balance it out. The addition of artichokes and mushrooms really add complex flavors and textures to the dish. The lobster on top is icing on the cake. The lobster brings the dish to a whole new level- the dish stands out and is uniquely Braddock’s.

The Amish chicken is brined for 24 hours, fresh herb butter is rubbed under the skin for added flavor and it is slowly roasted. We serve a half chicken with our own unique Coponata and a pan jus

How long do you keep your Signature Dishes on your menu?

All of these dishes are standards on the menu and I don’t see them going anywhere. People come to Braddock’s for these dishes. Though Chef Brian and Chef Dean are always in the kitchen working on Braddock’s next
signature dish- we will always have a few of the dishes on our menu that give us our identity; while our concept is an American Brasserie we use as many local products as possible so that we can identify with Pittsburgh. We hope by doing this we can offer a comfort level to many different people and allow them to try some new dishes with a Pittsburgh feel. Cooking for our guests and seeing them come back again is why our culinary team loves what they do. There are more then just 3 items that are popular for example our beet and goat cheese salad is out of this world…

What type of comments have you been getting on these dishes?

“My meal at Braddock’s was fabulous and the lobster dish just melted in my mouth and was delightful!”  Kelsy Frank  Manager CBS Radio Pittsburgh

“I wanted to let management at Braddock’s know how much positive buzz I have heard about the potato gnocchi dish they served at the Best Restaurants Party. Not only was it the most-commented-on dish of the night, I got another in a series of unsolicited comments today      at lunch. They have a standing invitation to sample at any of our events! Please let them know how pleased we were with their participation.” Betsy Benson Publisher and VP Pittsburgh Magazine

“Their decadent gourmet spin on the perogie was filled with sweet and savory short ribs, but it was rivaled by the sinfulness of the lobster gnocchi served with a parmesan cream sauce.” Dish Trip: Pittsburgh

“One of the most memorable dishes we had during our first visit was the Braised Short Rib Pierogies, so we just had to get it again this time…and while the pierogies are good on their own, the flavorful sauce is really the icing on the cake.”   -foodcollage.com

“Another favorite from our last visit that we got again this time was the House-made Potato Gnocchi & Lobster…there was no skimping on the lobster, the potato gnocchi had a fresh chewiness to it and the mushrooms supplied a nice   contrast in texture” -foodcollage.com

“The braised short-rib peirogis are a reason to go and have a drink and an appetizer alone.” – thepittsburghtastebuds.com