Steak and greens: Asti's Italian Steakhouse open at North Braddock's Grand View Golf Club
Even as teenager, Francis Asti knew what he wanted to do with his life. The aspirations he listed in his Maryland high school yearbook include receiving a culinary arts education and owning a restaurant.
The 30-year-old, who has been working in the food business for half his life, owns Asti’s Italian Steakhouse located at Grand View Golf Club, an 18-hole public golf course in North Braddock.
He had planned to open in March 2020, but the pandemic dashed those plans.
Asti’s opened a year later, this past March.
During the delay, Asti worked with the golf course grounds crew. He spent some time learning how to run a pro shop. Asti also played some golf.
He said he enjoyed his time on the golf course, but said he prefers being at the restaurant.
Asti started cooking at age 10 when his mother, Chrissy Green of Landenberg in Chester County, let him grill marinated London broil. One of his first jobs was at a busy pizza place, just across the state line in Delaware.
He came to Western Pennsylvania to work at Tony’s Pizza Café in Buffalo Township, where he lives.
His cousin Bob Beam, of Trafford, owns the Grand View Golf Club. He often called Asti with restaurant questions.
“He gave me a chance,” Asti said. “I owe being able to own my own restaurant to him and to all of the people I worked for in this business. This is a dream I have been working toward my whole life.”
Asti said he’s been able to overcome the challenging times of running a restaurant during a pandemic thanks to his supportive wife, Jen. She cares for the family, which includes her sons Tyson, 12, and Maddox, 10, along with 2-year-old Francis, the son she has with Asti.
Asti’s strong work ethic comes from his father, Francis J. Asti, who is in the automotive and commercial rentals business in Maryland. He instilled in his son the drive to “be available, be honest, and work hard because you’ll never regret not giving your best effort.”
Diners at Asti’s have a view of Pittsburgh’s skyline and the Monongahela River.
The menu includes fried calamari, grilled Portobello mushroom caps, pepper jack cheese balls and loaded french fries. There are salads and pizzas – made with the Asti family recipe for homemade dough and Grande Cheese, from an Italian cheese company based in Wisconsin.
Sandwiches include burgers, chicken and beer-battered cod.
Pasta selections of spaghetti, gnocchi and chicken parmesan are available with house-made marinara sauce. Meatballs are homemade of beef, pork and veal.
Steak choices include ribeye, filet mignon, New York strip and Asti house sirloin from Erie-based Curtze Steaks.
The dessert menu features tiramisu, cheesecake, a tuxedo bomb (vanilla and chocolate mousse on a layer of chocolate cake) or a New York cannoli with homemade cream.
Eight beers are on tap, including some local breweries, along with wine and cocktails.
The space can accommodate wedding and bridal showers, birthday parties and other special occasions up to 200 guests. There are plans to build an adjacent outdoor patio.
Asti said he would not be able to run the business without bar manager Jenell Sullivan of North Braddock and assistant chefs Jen Melott of Pitcairn and Chris Kinkaid of White Oak.
“We all work well together,” Kincaid said. “There is no hierarchy here.”
Jack Duffy of Lincoln Place, a club member for 22 years, is a fan of the new restaurant. “The food is excellent,” he said. “It’s my second home.”
Asti’s Italian Steakhouse is located at 1000 Clubhouse Drive, North Braddock.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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