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Friday, February 25, 2000
By Woodene Merriman, Post-Gazette Dining Critic
Trivia time --
Question: How many racks of ribs does the Monroeville Damon's sell in a typical week?
Question: Who would drink wine with ribs when a long list of good beers is offered?
I'm not surprised at the last answer. But he's missing out on what I think is the perfect accompaniment to the tender, meaty, well-trimmed ribs served at the ferret's place. They're slathered with a slightly sweet, mild sauce. This big glass of Yuengling Black and Tan draft beer is great with the ribs, much better than H.H.'s BV Chardonnay.
Read inside the menu and you see that Damon's ribs are No. 1 in places like Marietta, Kettering and Steubenville, Ohio.
No.1 ? The best? Come, now. Certainly they're good, but could we just leave it at that? (I'm no fool, I've heard that ferrets have a nasty bite.)
The 900 racks of ribs dished out here each week all have the same sauce, and if you get really hooked on it you can buy a bottle to take home to make your own. Here they are served by the whole and half rack, and in combination with chicken, prime rib, shrimp or wings.
Other big sellers are the prime rib, chicken and onion loaf. The prime rib is every bit as good as the prime rib we've had at much more expensive restaurants. It's juicy, tender and well-flavored, and comes with separate containers of horseradish sauce and au jus. What's more, you can order just the amount you want -- from an 8-ounce petite cut to a 24-ounce "main event."
Onion loaf is the popular starter here. In other restaurants it might be called a blooming onion, and have a different shape, but here the lightly battered, deep-fried onion rings are pressed into a loaf shape, from the smallest, or regular loaf, to the big Mother Loaf. Each one comes with a sign instructing you to "Pull from the top with fork or fingers." However you eat it, it's a lot of fat.
Damon's restaurant started in 1979 in Columbus, Ohio. The chain went international in 1988, when a Damon's was opened in England, and was sold to new owners in 1989. There are more than 100 Damon's now, including four in the Pittsburgh area.
They sell entertainment as well as food. The restaurants have traditional dining rooms, a sports bar and a room with tiered seating and giant TV screens. The traditional dining room here is a comfy place with booths and tables, a fire burning in the fireplace, and a baby sleeping in the booth next to us. His (or her) brother and sister are climbing all over the booth.
The baby's parents, seated nearby, are watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" with most of the rest of us in the noisy room. A basketball game on one of the screens seems to be ignored; the cheers go up when the wannabe millionaire gets a correct answer.
Two men at a table in the center of the room are oblivious to it all. They have an open Bible on the table, are checking it, conferring, and making notes.
Damon's serves food for the masses. Some of it -- the prime rib, racks of ribs, and a swordfish steak we had one night -- is pretty good. A lot of it is average. The house salads are poor -- big chunks of iceberg lettuce, some with brown spots, with tiny bits of tomato and cucumber and a covering of two kinds of finely grated cheese. The spinach artichoke dip, popular in so many restaurants, is white and gluey here.
"I've had better," I said. "Not my thing," said H.H.
The swordfish steak, by the way, was surprisingly good. It was grilled to order -- not overcooked -- and came with a nice chunky pineapple salsa. But I couldn't work up any enthusiasm over the Snappy Grilled Chicken with Rose Pasta, a fancy name for grilled chicken cut in strips and served over linguine with a blush cream sauce.
Sweet potato casserole, a side dish, is soft and sweet, with a super sweet topping. But if you want sweet, go for the peanut butter pie. It's exceedingly rich, and has whipped cream and chocolate, too.
Damon's Monroeville is open late (1 a.m. Friday and Saturdays, midnight all other days) to accommodate the bar crowd. But the busiest hours, according to Anne Dischner, general manager, are the traditional lunch and dinner hours. When we've been here for dinner, the bar and back room with tiered seating were almost empty, but business in the dining room was brisk.
Prices are affordable. A dinner of a regular rack of ribs and sides is $13.49. Prime rib ranges from $12.99 to $19.99 (which is the highest item on the menu).
Servers have been especially good. Professional, friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Just one small complaint, manager Disch-ner: How about teaching them to sing? That group rendition of "Happy Birthday," sung to a smiling young customer surrounded by balloons, was so flat it was painful.
Damon's
Other Pittsburgh locations: 7217 McKnight Road,412-367-7427; 511 Clairton Blvd., Pleasant Hills, 412-653-7427; Waterworks Mall, 855 Freeport Road, 412-782-3750.
Question: Where did the restaurant chain, Damon's, get its name?
Answer: Damon was the name of the founder's pet ferret.
Answer: About 900.
Answer: His Honor.
50 Miracle Mile Shopping Center, Monroeville
412-858-7427
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.The basics: Part of national chain that emphasizes ribs, prime rib, wings and chicken; mall parking spaces in front of restaurant; full bar, many beers and basic wines; seats 224; traditional dining area is no-smoking; wheelchair accessible to all parts of restaurant; can be noisy; all major credit cards; phone-ahead seating.The last word: 2 stars