The yellow of this building is almost painfully bright, but once you notice the Steelers’ signs, it all makes sense. From what we learned from one of the regular customers, the owner of Mad Dog’s is a huge Steelers fan. The place looks entirely unpretentious, where one would expect a more or less standard fare of seafood favorites. The dining area is clean and comfortable; a place one could relax in. The restaurant serves only beer and wine, so we settle on a pair of Fosters, and proceed to peruse the regular menu and a list of daily specials. We were somewhat surprised to find dishes like pierogies and gyro plate nonchalantly strewn among various sea food items, and struggle to make our selection. The waitress recommends one of the specials, a selection of seafood over penne pasta, and my company opts for that. I decided on blackened flounder, to satiate my craving for spicy food. We decided to share a pair of appetizers, home made pierogies and jalapeño poppers. There is something to be said for good casual dining. The atmosphere was so relaxed we forgot that we were working, and digressed into regular conversation. The appearance of our appetizers on the table interrupted our little break. The pierogies were outstanding and we both had a few. The jalapeño poppers were very spicy, yet the most interesting ones I have ever had. Inside each was a shrimp, which took the edge off the rather large amounts of jalapeno pepper. For anyone who truly likes spicy food, they are absolutely delicious. Dinner salads arrived, and were fresh and full of baby greens. So far the meals were utterly enjoyable, and we hoped that the entrees would not disappoint. They didn’t. Both were fabulous, though I must say that blackened in this place means really blackened, and unless you really love your food hot, ask for lightly blackened, an option I was offered by our waitress but declined. The portions were quite generous. We took our time, as no one seem to rush us through our meal, enjoying every bite. While we had absolutely no room left for dessert, lava cake sounded really appealing, and we agreed to share a slice. The cake was superb, with warm chocolate center, and almost flourless on the outside, it was definitely the perfect finish to a great meal. While this restaurant is not a place to take a date for a night of fine dining, for a great casual meal, this place is as good as it gets. In too many casual places, the food is subpar, and this restaurant is definitely a notable exception.

Here We GO STEELERS!!!