Having spent a few hours blankly staring in the mirror, questioning all that I know and hold dear after the World Health Organization’s announcement Monday that processed and red meats are likely causes of cancer, I’ve worked through the five stages of grief for my carnivorous ways, and added a sixth: defiance.
Because while I believe in climate change and evolution, and I’m sure the science behind the WHO’s recommendation is sound, when it comes to processed pig, as the proponents of another major cause of preventable death are fond of saying, they can pry it from my cold dead hands.
Especially when said nitrite delivery system is the Pulled Pork Dog at Io Deli in Mt. Lebanon: a nicely cooked Smith’s hot dog, split down the middle and pressed Panini style and topped with house smoked pulled pork, pepperoncinis, pepper jack cheese, a horseradish mustard and red onion on a toasted bun ($5).
Then there’s bacon, which is represented in an excellently house-smoked fashion on the Club Pretzel Wich, along with its processed suidae-sibling country ham, and roasted turkey, smoked bacon, gouda cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a pretzel bun ($10) at the deli’s neighboring parent establishment Cafe Io.
And let’s not forget sausage, used to great delectation in the worth-the-trip Cafe Io appetizer, the “Iovino” (named for owner and chef Jeff Iovino) — grilled cuts of Italian sweet sausage with dollops of tempura-fried mozzarella, marinated cherry tomatoes and basil over a bed of organic mixed greens ($10). It’s a perfect mix of flavors and texture when a bit of each was taken together as a single bite, as recommended by our dutiful waitress Samantha.
Mr. Iovino specialized in higher-end fare with an Italian lean when he originally opened his namesake restaurant in 2006 (Iovino’s Cafe) on the same Mt. Lebanon street where he grew up. Though it met with great acclaim, he changed the concept to casual comfort food and the name to Cafe Io in 2011, and added the narrow takeout Io Deli two doors down in the same building last year. The Cafe is a pleasant space with a view of the Beverly Road streetscape.
Though Cafe Io and Io Deli more than sated my need for meat-consumption solidarity, the cafe offers numerous options for the herbivore set including Tofu Fried Rice ($13), a Roasted Vegetable Flatbread Hummus Pizza ($10) and a Spicy Veg Head Grilled Cheese ($10) with spinach, tomato, caramelized onion, pickles, pickled jalapenos, Gouda and cheddar cheese.
That’s in addition to the healthy complement of hamburgers, sandwiches and pastas at the cafe, and paninis and hot dogs at the deli, and thankfully so, because despite the WHO’s best intentions, I’ll give up processed pork, just as soon as pigs … y’know.
Café Io & Io Deli: 300 Beverly Road, Mt. Lebanon; 412-440-0414 (cafe), 412-668-3162 (deli); http://cafeio.com/.
Dan Gigler: dgigler@post-gazette.com; Twitter @gigs412
First Published: October 29, 2015, 4:00 a.m.