An Exquisite Taste of China
The Sesame Inn brings the region’s best Chinese food to Peters Township
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Server David Huang with the Sesame Inn Double Delight: shrimp and chicken breast sautéed with vegetables in a rich brown sauce
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Readers of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Magazine, The Pittsburgh City Paper, and more
all agree – they have voted The Sesame Inn the “Best Chinese Restaurant” in town since 2002.
The consensus is clear, but what makes the Sesame such a fantastic place to eat?
The restaurant’s extensive, ever-evolving menu includes close to 200 dishes, including Szechuan, Hunan, Shanghai, Peking and Cantonese specialties. Some recent additions include salt and pepper bean curd, duck crepes, West Lake beef soup for two, volcano chicken, lobster with vegetables, Hawaiian fried rice, pad Thai, and Singapore-style rice noodles.
Lunch specials, ranging in price from $5.95 to $8.50, are served with a choice of soup or egg roll, plus steamed, fried or brown rice, and a fortune cookie. Dinner specials run the gamut from lemon chicken to “honeymoon” duck, sesame beef, and salt and pepper shrimp. Vegetarian options and American cuisine are available. Hot and spicy items are clearly marked, and lighter-fare selections are identified as being steamed and low in sodium, as well as made with little oil and no MSG. A new menu will be available in the spring.
Owner George Lee hails from Taiwan, but now lives in Mt. Lebanon. He opened the first Sesame Inn in 1987, expanding to a restaurant in Station Square several years later, and other locations in Peters Township and the North Hills in 1994. He takes pride in all the restaurants’ creations, but especially the Amazing Chicken, which is unique to the Sesame Inn. Strips of chicken breast are dipped in a light batter and fried. “It’s the tangy sauce that is different,” he says, but he isn’t willing to reveal the special “amazing” ingredients.
The four restaurants contain party rooms that are available at no extra charge. A variety of banquets are offered for large parties. The Peters Township location, for instance, seats 120. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, the staff knowledgeable and helpful. Each dish is prepared authentically and presented with flair and consistency. The Sesame Inn is offering a family-style banquet in celebration of the Chinese New Year from February 18-24. This is 4704, the Year of the Boar. A special menu of soup, appetizers, main courses and dessert will be available by reservation at each of the restaurants.
The Peters Township restaurant is located at 2975 Washington Road. Hours are Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday Noon-9 p.m. Lunch specials are offered Monday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday specials are from Noon-3 p.m. Carryout service and free delivery to a limited area are available as well. Call 724-942-2888 for more information.
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