Local Legend 1 drink

PRIMANTI BROS. • PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh’s most famous sandwich shop can be found in the bustling Strip District, a spot marked by blue neon letters that spell out a name that has been known in the Steel City since 1933: Primanti Bros. Founder Joe Primanti’s practice of stuffing a whole meal between two slices of Italian bread became a hit with visiting truck drivers because they could take the sandwich on the road. The legend grew from there. Although Primanti Bros. now has 38 locations across Pennsylvania and beyond, folks still flock to the Strip District — the street where Primanti’s original sandwich cart sat — to choose from the lineup of “Almost Famous Sandwiches” piled high with meat, melted provolone cheese, tomatoes, coleslaw and freshly cut french fries. With a roll of paper towels for napkins and plastic utensils at each table, this is casual, comfort-food fare at its best. 46 18th St., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222, 412/263-2142, primantibros.com — Gracie Wilson

Memorable Meal

SKYLON TOWER’S REVOLVING DINING ROOM NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO

Skylon Tower’s restaurant perched high above Niagara Falls would be impressive enough with its views of North America’s famous natural feature. Add the fact that every diner gets the opportunity to enjoy the best seat in the house during their visit, and booking a reservation becomes even more compelling.

Niagara Falls’ iconic observation tower rises 520 feet from ground level, but the distance between the top of the structure and the water of Niagara Falls Gorge is 775 feet, creating spectacular vistas that have made the landmark a legend since it opened in 1965. Diners can catch sight of the Maid of the Mist or Niagara City Cruises excursion lines crossing the falls’ basin like toy boats in a bathtub. Across the way, visitors to Cave of the Winds at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls look like tiny ants traversing the attraction’s wooden boardwalks.

These memorable sights are available to every diner because, as its name implies, the Revolving Dining Room makes a 360-degree rotation every 60 minutes. Tables are next to the enormous glass windows, providing plenty of photo opportunities. Diners are treated to spectacular views as soon as they are seated, and the room slowly rotates as it frames Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, Ontario’s Niagara Region and — on clear days — a glimpse of the Toronto skyline. The falls are illuminated with color each evening, making a trip to the top of Skylon Tower after the sun goes down distinctly different than a visit during daylight hours.

Reservations for lunch or dinner are a must, and the restaurant is accessible via separate elevators from those who are visiting the observation deck only. (All dinner reservations include free access to the observation deck that sits above the restaurant.)

The view is the main course, but the menu offers a lineup of continental cuisine that spans entrees like filet mignon, salmon, roast chicken breast and rack of lamb, as well as a vegetarian and a vegan option. 5200 Robinson St., Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 2A3, 905/3562651, skylon.com

— JIM VICKERS

Back to the Farm

JOSEPH DECUIS ROANOKE, INDIANA

Boston, Massachusetts, to Roanoke, Indiana, might seem like an odd move for a former New York Yankees front office employee turned successful insurance entrepreneur and an actress who studied theater at Denison University. For Alice and Pete Eshelman though, it was exactly the lifestyle they wanted.

Ensconced in the small town of Roanoke — about 10 miles from Fort Wayne, Indiana — the Eshelmans turned an old bank building into Joseph Decuis, a destination farm-to-table restaurant. The bank vault is now a wine cellar stocked with bottles that appear on the restaurant’s awardwinning wine list, and its larders are filled with Wagyu beef raised on the couple’s farm.

If you want further proof of the Eshelmans’ dedication, consider this: On one of Alice’s major milestone birthdays, her husband gifted her with 20 pregnant Wagyu heifers. Their herd now numbers in the dozens. Joseph Decuis — named after an 18th-century ancestor of Pete and the inspiration for the restaurant’s New Orleans-style courtyard and garden — follows the Japanese method of raising Wagyu beef.

Diners looking for something a bit more casual can opt for lunch at the Joseph Decuis Emporium Cafe next door. The Emporium is also the place to purchase take-out meals from the restaurant, Wagyu beef, eggs and wine.

For overnight stays, check into the Inn at Joseph Decuis on Main Street. Built in 1913, it is just a short walk from the restaurant. There is also the Joseph Decuis Farmstead Inn across the road from the Eshelmans’ farm. The brick home was built in 1884 and owned by the same family for generations. Now a lush and luxurious place to stay, the old farmstead includes outbuildings, a large rambling barn that is home to numerous resident cats and even a decorative windmill. (restaurant) 191 N. Main St., Roanoke, Indiana 46783, 260/672-1715, josephdecuis.com

— JANE SIMON AMMESON