Gone Fishin': St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church

CP  bravely goes forth into week three of fish-fry season at St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church, in the South Side. We're still on the hunt for a perfectly fried — and available — sandwich.

St. Mary's is the coziest fry we've visited yet. The church basement is covered with painted icons and in the corner is a parish library, as well as a food pantry. The priest, in full black vestments, shook hands with most of the lunch crowd on their way in. There is a built-in kitchen, and those serving the line did so from a shiny metal steam table. The operation was very smooth.
I attended this one solo, so I wasn't able to try as many menu items. I decided to stick to the classics: fried-fish sammy, pierogies (which were homemade) and a piece of chocolate cake.  The pierogies were hands-down the best church pierogies I've had in Pittsburgh. They were served swimming in butter and with plenty of soft onions to give flavor. The potato-cheddar filling was perfectly smooth. The fish sandwich, though, struck out. The quality of the fish was better than most — there was a sign saying it came from Wholey's — but the fry wasn't crispy or golden. The chocolate cake redeemed the end of the meal. All of the desserts are brought in by volunteers and change weekly. Only the carrot cake is a definite. "We make sure the woman who makes it brings it every week," said one of the volunteers.  

This fish fry is truly communal and sticks to its roots as a time for people to be together. That means no new-fangled Squares attached to iPads. It's cash only.

Check out the Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry map for lots of options throughout the season.

St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church
105 S. 19th St., South Side
www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.net