Sesame Inn Is the ‘New Kid’ at The Block Northway
A fixture in Pittsburgh since 1987, the Chinese restaurant will open in the former Wahlburgers this month.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SESAME INN
Iwent through a New Kids on the Block-phase in the ‘80s, so, admittedly, I was intrigued when band member Donnie Wahlberg and his famous family opened Wahlburgers at The Block Northway in 2017.
The Boston-based burger joint closed a little over a year ago (I guess they didn’t have the right stuff), but, in another nostalgic culinary twist, the new kid at The Block Northway is another familiar favorite: Sesame Inn.
Business partners George Lee, Kenneth Cheng and Kevin Li are relocating the popular Chinese restaurant in Ross to the shopping center a mile away. It’s expected to open at the end of February serving Chinese, Thai and sushi.
The dining room, which includes a full-service bar and sushi bar, has slightly less seating than the original site on Browns Lane, but with high ceilings, large windows and impressive decor inspired by Beijing’s Forbidden City, it seems bigger and more opulent. Red gates with ornamental dragons dominate the entryway and a lyric poem by Yang Shen, a literary figure of the Ming Dynasty in Luzhou, Sichuan, takes up an entire wall.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SESAME INN
Lee, a native of Taiwan, opened the original Mt. Lebanon location in 1987, which predates my NKOTB fandom. Cheng joined the team in 1990 and the business sprouted faster than a sesame plant. At one point there were four restaurants in operation, including spots in McMurray and at Station Square. In my hungry opinion, Sesame Inn should re-open at Station Square to help revive the place. Bring Tequila Junction back, too, please!
The North Hills’ Sesame Inn opened in 1994, which is around the time I started dining there. Tucked behind a Toyota Service Center on a hilltop above the bustling McKnight Road corridor, it truly is a hidden gem.
Earlier this month, I met Lee and Cheng for lunch at the familiar space that Toyota acquired so it could expand. Over family-style servings of sesame chicken, Mongolian beef and vegetable lo mein, we talked about the influx of new Asian eateries in the immediate area, Wei Lai Dim Sum, Eiwa Japanese Ramen Bar, Chengdu Gourmet, Little Viet Kitchen and Hong Hot Pot & BBQ.
Competition is hotter than a Sichuan pepper right now, but the Sesame Inn crew is hangin’ tough. I think my fortune cookie summed up their business philosophy best: “To be hopeful is to believe in a brighter tomorrow.”
Before I exited the eatery for the last time (NKOTB’s “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)”) echoing in my head), I pointed to the umbrellas on the ceiling and asked if they were moving into the new space, too. The decorative fixtures-turned-North Hills-landmarks have been ready for a rainy day for three decades! Lee and Cheng laughed and said no. They are ready to embrace the sunshine.
