Pittsburgh classic
The story
Tessaro's sits in an 1892 building at 4601 Liberty Avenue that started out as the Keely Brothers wallpaper store, and the tin ceiling from those days is still overhead. It sold dry goods until 1933. When Prohibition ended it became the O'Connell Cafe, with an art deco bar and glass rod lights.
Richard Tessaro put his name on it in 1982. Kelly Harrington bought it in 1985, kept the name and built the place around burgers. The beef is ground in house every morning and formed by hand, then cooked over hardwood on a cast iron grill, and the buns come from Sanchioli Bakery right in Bloomfield. Courtney McFarlane has been working that grill since 1987.
Kelly died in 2009, and the family keeps it going. Ask a Bloomfield regular where to get a burger and you'll probably hear one name.