Swissvale's Revered Triangle Bar & Grill Marks A Momentous Occasion
SWISSVALE, PA — On Sept. 7, 1934, Sam and Rose Catanzano opened an inconspicuous establishment in Swissvale called the Triangle Bar & Grill never suspecting what they would inadvertently help to launch: the Battleship.
Their two sons, John and Joe Catanzano, created the gargantuan sub for which the restaurant is nationally known. The Battleship is a more like an aircraft carrier of a sandwich; it’s 27 inches long and packed with 1.25 pounds of meat and cheese.
“It’s the sandwich that made Swissvale famous,” current owner Tom Crombie told Patch.
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The Triangle marks its 90th anniversary on Saturday and Crombie is promising a celebration from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. at the venerable tavern his parents bought in 1982.
“Bob & Judy Crombie took a chance and purchased the Triangle Bar from the Catanzano family,” Crombie said. “For that, my sisters and I are grateful for those who came before us and led by example.”
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In addition to the more than one pound of salami, ham, provolone and cheese, the Battleship comes with heaping helpings of lettuce, tomato, tomato, onion, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano.
Though wildly popular – the sandwiches have been shipped around the country to Pittsburgh expatriates – the Battleship’s vastness can be intimidating. So the Triangle offers two smaller versions, the 12-inch Destroyer and the 6-inch Torpedo.
Jason “Stewie” Stewart, a Triangle employee for three decades, will be on hand for Saturday’s celebration to add to the unbelievable number of sandwiches he has made during this time there.
“We put out 140,000 sandwiches a year and he may have made 10,000 to 12,000 a year for the last 30 years,” Crombie said when Stewart marked his 30-year anniversary at the bar in June. “My estimate is he’s somewhere around 350,000 to 425,000 made in his lifetime.”
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