There’s plenty worth devouring at Oakmont’s Carnivores

Carnivores in Oakmont looks like your average, ordinary neighborhood bar from the outside, but one glance at their menu moves it into an upscale status.

The menu has wonderful choices to match any palate, whether a big meat eater or not.

We started with an order of Zucchini Planks ($5.95) and quickly devoured the platter that held six long planks of breaded and crispy zucchini with marinara sauce for dipping.

Only a Lunch Bunch veteran would be bold enough to order a salad at a place called Carnivores, but take note -- there is a grilled veggie hoagie available on the menu, so we felt right at home.

The Romano-Crusted Chicken Salad ($9.25) had our name on it after we scanned the vast menu. Although it had iceberg lettuce, not the mixed greens as the menu stated, it still was a worthy salad. Plenty of diced, bite-size pieces of romano-crusted chicken topped an ensemble that included real bacon bits, croutons, strips of roasted red peppers and black olive slices. The house dressing, a balsamic vinaigrette, was superb.

We don't know who Joe Conte is, but we decided we had to sample his burger namesake, because we were blown away by the description. The Joe Conte Burger ($9.95) is a 16-ounce burger on a stone-baked bun, topped with grilled onions, bits of bacon, mushrooms and American and provolone cheeses. We shared this with several individuals and still had leftovers. It comes with a large serving of fresh-cut fries. We ordered our thick burger "medium," and it was yummy.

The Classic Meatball Hoagie ($8.95) is a long sandwich with golf-ball-size meatballs that are sliced in half so they sit on the long, chewy bun without rolling off. They are held in place, too, by a thick, rich marinara sauce and a coating of provolone cheese. The hoagies are stone-baked so that the rolls are crispy on the outside yet soft and yielding on the inside. This sandwich is a winner.

A dozen Wild Wings ($7.95) were small but tasty. A combination of wings and mini drumsticks were lightly seasoned and fried. The meat was tender on the inside, while the outside was fried to a crispy golden brown.

One of Carnivore's signature sandwiches, the Turkey Cordon Bleu ($8.25), was served on toasted focaccia bread. It held grilled turkey, ham, Swiss cheese and mushrooms with Carnivore's special sauce. The sauce gave this signature sandwich a spicy mustard flavor. House-made fries were served alongside.

During a chance conversation with the owner's friendly mom who visited our table, we learned Carnivores will soon expand the restaurant by taking more space next door and opening up another wall. That's the second expansion of the restaurant since owner John Keefe took over 15 years ago.

Keefe says local delivery is available for a $1 charge and a new Family Pack deal, which mixes and matches choices of pizza and sandwiches, has been especially popular because of the price and savings.

Compiled by Rebecca Killian, Sis Reola and guests. Meals are paid for by the Valley News Dispatch and are unrelated to advertising.