I recently received an e-mail from a reader who requested some reviews of more affordable restaurants. His exact words were: "No one goes to those hoity-toity places. How about reviewing some restaurants for ordinary folks?" So today we are doing just that.

Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette O'Leary's in the lower level of One Oxford Centre, Downtown, offers a "Night on the Town" special -- twin highlander filet medallions with grilled shrimp, mashed potato and salad for $29.95 for two people. It also includes parking and the Cultural District Shuttle. Click photo for larger image. O'Leary's Pub and Restaurant One Oxford Centre Downtown 412-392-0350 Hours: Lunch and dinner Mondays-Saturdays 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Basics: A pub serving simple food and great Irish brews in comfortable surroundings. It has good burgers and sandwiches at reasonable prices. Appetizers: $4.99-$7.79; sandwiches: $6.79-$8.99; entrees: $8.99-$14.99; wines by the glass: $4.95-$5.95; Irish beers: $5 a pint. Smoking in the bar and at a few tables or outside on the terrace. Wheelchair accessible. All major credit cards accepted.

O'Leary's Pub and Restaurant, on the ground floor of One Oxford Centre, was until recently part of the Dingbats family. After 20 years there, Dingbats closed its Downtown location in September. Frank Sacco, owner of Piccolo Piccolo, took over the lease and reopened it as O'Leary's Pub and Restaurant just days later. Sacco intended for his pub to feature Irish food and beverages, but once in the space, he discovered that the regulars who had been eating there for years preferred that he keep more of the menu items with which they were familiar. That meant big burgers, sandwiches and salads. Frank has slipped in a few entrees with Irish pedigrees such as Michael Collins steak, old-fashioned Irish stew, and fish and chips. Ireland comes through loud and clear in the bar with Guinness Ale and Harp Lager on tap. They also have Smithwick's and Molson and the usual Yuengling and Miller Lite and Coors.

Sacco has a long history with restaurants Downtown. In 1963 his father opened Napoleon III on Court Place across from the William Penn hotel. (Court Place disappeared when that block was razed in 1979 to make way for One Mellon Center. Today, The Carlton Restaurant stands approximately on the spot where Napoleon III once stood.) The elder Sacco eventually closed the restaurant and opened the Beau Brummel Club in its stead. In 1978 he added Piccolo Piccolo to his portfolio. This was a Downtown restaurant serving classic Italian fare made from scratch with fresh ingredients. Sacco inherited this restaurant from his father but recently closed it.

O'Leary's interiors are virtually unchanged from the Dingbat days. There is a handsome and huge triangular bar at the entrance. Behind it and on either side are paneled walls and a warren of wooden booths and tables. So much wood gives a somewhat masculine feel to the space. Walls are decorated with Gaelic symbols and medieval Irish reproductions. Tables are set with cutlery rolled in a heavy-duty paper napkin. There is a digital jukebox on the bar and the music is broadcast throughout the restaurant. At lunchtime, every table is filled, and yet the noise level is comfortable. The space between tables is such that you will not hear the lawyers next to you discussing their trials.

The appetizer list is lackluster and pricey compared to the rest of the menu. I can't imagine why diners would order nachos for $6.99 when they could have an Angus burger with fries for $6.59. I tried the Fried Zucchini ($4.99), which is perhaps the only appetizer wholly prepared in the kitchen. It was unrelated to the usual Pittsburgh zucchini appetizer. Instead of long, thin slices of a whole zucchini, O'Leary's used julienned strips (straw shapes) served with tomato sauce. The portion was tiny, and the appearance was unattractive.

May I suggest that you head straight to the sandwich and burger section of the menu? The Angus beef is tasty and the burger is plump. Served with fries, coleslaw and lettuce, tomato and a pickle spear, it is a satisfying meal. Burgers go from plain ($6.59) to fancy (blue cheese and bacon, $7.99) with just plain bacon or cheese in between. The Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($7.99) is a delicious crusted chicken breast with bacon, Swiss and Cheddar cheeses, lettuce and tomato on grilled sourdough bread. My colleague loved his Crispy Fish Sandwich ($7.29), which was an almost 12-inch filet of cod, battered and fried and served on a hoagie roll. Leaving the bread behind, it became a fish and chips lunch. The Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich ($8.99) is served on grilled Italian toast with caramelized onions and topped with cheddar cheese sauce. It could be renamed the Beef Devonshire.

If you are an iceberg lettuce fan, you will appreciate O'Leary's salad offerings. The Pittsburgh Steak Salad ($8.99) has strips of sirloin steak, Cheddar and provolone cheeses and hard-cooked egg on greens topped with the requisite fries. There are chicken, salmon and shrimp versions of the salad as well as a steak and chicken combination ($9.79).

The entree section of the menu offers Baked New England Cod ($9.99), served with salad and baked potato. What the menu calls Michael Collins Steak ($14.99) is in fact a hanger steak, the cut that butchers usually save for themselves. It can be ordered with fries or baked potato. Grilled Salmon and Grilled Shrimp ($12.95) are served with rice pilaf. A wonderful winter choice is the Irish Stew ($9.95) served over mashed potatoes.

O'Leary's menu is the same at lunch or dinner. It is geared to a casual crowd. Service is fast. Thankfully, portions are not overly large. No one wants to be carting Styrofoam boxes back to the tiny office fridge. O'Leary's is primarily a luncheon destination at this time of year, but come April, when it reopens its 80-seat terrace outside, it will be jumping until closing time. Everyone knows it is absolutely the best place in town for a brew and a burger in the fresh air after a long day at the office.

In my opinion, the desserts here don't merit the calories they cost.

This is a beer place. There are wines for those who desire them. The house wine is $4.95 a glass, and Yellow Tail wines are $5.95. But with Guinness and Harp available on tap and costing $5 a pint, who wants Yellow Tail? The bar also makes a mean $5 martini.

The bottom line is that this is a cheerful and affordable place for Downtown dining and when the weather warms up and those tables appear on the patio, I suggest you grab one and enjoy a simple, uncomplicated meal.