Signature Dishes: 'Knife and Fork Burgers'
September 9, 2021
If you are tired of the typical hamburger with lettuce and tomato and maybe a slice of cheese added, try the special burgers at Carol & Dave’s Roadhouse Restaurant in downtown Ligonier.
Dave Cassler, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Carol — thus the Carol & Dave’s — call it their speciality. It is their “knife and fork burgers,” so-named with good reason. These are a half a pound of beef without buns — topped with a whole lot of other tasty food. Both are served with a healthy side of green beans.The portobello mushroom burger is served on spinach, topped with a portobello mushroom, red peppers, fresh mozzarella cheese and blackened tomatoes. Its companion is the black-and-blue burger, topped with sautéed onions, bacon, blackened seasoning, dry blue cheese and Buffalo sauce drizzled on top. “It’s a whole meal. People love it,” said Cassler, who offers it as an alternative to those who do not want to eat the burger buns.
The burgers are part of an eclectic menu at the restaurant, situated on the second floor of a building just a block north of the town’s famous “Diamond.” Diners have a wide choice of seafood-based dishes, salads, pasta, sandwiches, wraps, chicken and steak. Gluten-free meals are available upon request. The menu is a blend of items from his 40-some years in the business and from the sous chef and kitchen staff, Cassler said.“If somebody comes up with an idea and we feel it is good, then we put it on the menu,” Cassler said.
Carol & Dave’s Roadhouse Restaurant was aptly named when it opened in 2003, because it was along Route 711 North, next to a car dealership in Ligonier Township. The customers were making it their destination, Cassler said. They moved into their current Marker Street location in 2012, a decision Cassler said was much better for business. “We’re in town and we get a lot of walk-in traffic.” When they walk into the restaurant, they are stepping into an establishment with reminders of the history of Ligonier and Westmoreland County, dating back to Fort Ligonier in 1758.
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