The best pintxos and Spanish food outside San Sebastián await in Steel City
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© Keirnan Monaghan, Theo Vamvounakis 2016

The two things I’m about to say aren’t food-writer hyper­bole: (1) Justin Severino is the most underrated chef in America. (2) His new restaurant serves the best Spanish food I’ve had outside San Sebastián. I realize all this halfway through my meal at Morcilla, his love letter to the pintxos-eating, cider-drinking, fiercely independent Basque region of northern Spain. In front of me is a refreshing gin and tonic poured with house-made tonic and garnished with juniper berries and citrus, a foamy glass of Trabanco cider (yes, that’s a second drink, but it was dispensed from a two-foot-tall custom tap shaped like an arm!), and an army of small plates that I can’t keep my hands from.

I started with the cured meats because Severino is a charcuterie god. No matter what’s on the menu—chorizo, morcilla, cecina—it will probably be unforgettable. Even the chef’s classic egg tortilla, a dish by which all Spanish restaurants should be judged, comes out firm but still creamy on the inside.

Hilary Prescott Severino and Justin Severino.

Keirnan & Theo

One of the most memorable eating trips of my life was a few years ago in San Sebastián. My meal at Morcilla took me back there. After one croqueta in particular—a sticky, rich mixture of braised pig’s feet and cheeks inside an eggshell-fragile exterior—I began to wonder if I was really in Pittsburgh, standing at a 24-foot-long bar with hams hanging above me. Are the patatas bravas really so crispy that I needed to order seconds? The only thing missing is that thick Basque accent and toothpicks and napkins littering the ground.

Next time I go to Morcilla, I’m rounding up as many friends as I can find, taking over the bar, and ordering one of everything on the 30-plus-item menu. We’re going to eat and drink and party like only the Basque can. Then we’re going to hoist Severino on our shoulders like he’s Steelers legend Franco Harris in 1972. Yeah, America, he’s that awesome.

Get the recipes:

Goat Cheese Croquettes with Spiced Membrillo

Marinated Manchego with Orange Preserve

Jamón-Wrapped Spanish Tortilla with Piquillo Relish

Toast with Tomato Jam, Boquerones, and Lemon Oil

Spanish Chorizo with Dates, Cabrales, and Vanilla Oil

Red Sangria with Herbs and Citrus