As I am a Pitt alum, your skepticism, dear reader, of this review is natural. But still, lend me your ears (err, eyes). Yes, the O is an infamous Oakland institution, your first accidental order of large fries is a rite of passage when you're a Pitt student, the regular employees look like they came out of a slasher flick, the setup is questionable, and the place is dingy as all hell.\n\nNow, all that out of the way, how's the food? Well, it varies. In general, anything they do in-house or get private label is quite good. To elaborate, their fries are cut fresh, their hot dogs are made exclusively for them, and the hoagies are made to order without frozen ingredients. These are all wonderful. The fries shouldn't be even called fries in a strict sense; they're prepared in the same manner as French or Belgian frites. Due to double frying, the outsides are potato chip crispy, the insides are sublimely creamy, and they're deftly salted. The fact that they're served in absurd portions adds to the experience, as do the lowbrow but delicious options of processed cheese or beef gravy as dips. The hot dogs are natural casing and thus have an unparalleled snap. They lack the mushiness commonly found with lower quality dogs and so eat more like a piece of meat, with excellent spicing to boot. Factor in free chili (among other toppings) and a piece of freshly steamed cheese for $0.50 and you have drunk food bliss or sober great eats. Although I've never tried the subs, I've heard nothing but great things.\n\nThe rest of the menu is, unfortunately, mostly pre-frozen including the 21 shrimp (which I admit to gorging on while inebriated), chicken parm sandwich, and fish dinners. Not worth the dough you have to shell out. Why you would order pizza here with $5 Sorrento's or $8 Romano within walking distance is beyond me. The beer selection is puzzlingly excellent.
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