I’ve been waiting to get to this part of the day. We’re driving back on the Parkway East which is always a nightmare. I don’t care what you people say who live out there, it’s a engineering nightmare of road. Our next stop was the Waterfront for dinner. The Parkway was backed up for 5 miles so we jumped off, took some back roads and hopped on 837 in North Versailles. We start driving and 30 minutes in realize we must have missed a turn. We start calling friends for directions and needless to say we ended up 45 minutes from town. After 2 hours of driving we realized what happened. Some jagoff stole the sign for 837 where we were supposed to turn. The post was there as was the arrow but no route number. Stupid yinzers.
We finally arrive at the Waterfront and head to Red Hot and Blue for a “southern style dinner”. I’m usually skeptical about local places that boast about bbq because everyone I’ve had has been OK at best. We get to our booth and admire the dedication the store has to local jazz and blues (plus in my book). The beer selection? It’s decent. I had soem Great Lakes on draft so I was content. The food? Just LOOK at that picture up there! Ribs were fantastic and the brisket was hands down the best I’ve had. Guys, if you’re not a grass eater this place is a must. It’s meat heaven. Ladies, take your men there!
We wrapped up dinner and walked around the Waterfront stores before heading back. It was a perfect day to be offline and take a walk. Overall we had a great day besides our asses going numb from driving in circles but it was just the 2 of us which is how we wanted it.
There’s not much more to tell you about for days 3 and 4 except that we ran errands, watched some TV and ran more errands.
This weekend is Emerson’s wedding so you can bet that there will be some great stories from that one coming!
cheers!
I was interviewed for a story(that’s not me in the pic) about the recent purchase of Iron City Brewing (formerly Pittsburgh Brewing Company) and what they should do to become a dominate name once again in the beer industry. Also a side piece was done on what I think is the greatest beer marketing icon ever, Olde Frothingslosh. The piece ran yesterday so I’ve linked to the story below. Yet another masterpiece by Mike Pound 
Here is an small piece of the article “There is a comfort zone with this beer in Pittsburgh and with yinzers all across the globe, so getting rid of it would be a huge mistake,” Derda said. “You need to build on your brand. You don’t need glitz and glamour to have someone try a new product, you just need a great-tasting beer.”
Due to the size of the actual paper, you can read the whole article online here and view a scan of the Frothingsloth article here.
cheers!
It was 2 years ago at this moment that we said our vows and made “official” what people had already known since 95. Time has flown by since that day and honestly I can’t believe it’s been 2 years. Heck it’s been 1 year since Niagara Falls too!
We’ve had a great last 4 days and tonight we’re going out to dinner at a place to be a surprise. Thanks to all of our friends and family for their support over these last 2 years.
Here is the photo album of the bachelor party, wedding, reception and honeymoon.
That’s myself and Robert Irvine from Food Network’s Dinner Impossible at Good Taste Pittsburgh yesterday. Good Taste was a great event to showcase food in the Pittsburgh area to people who may not know of some great products made here in PA. The highlights for me were Smith’s Hot Dogs (gotta support my Erie guys), Kelchner’s Horseradish (a definite sinus opener but they REALLY need to put the website on the jar), BEEF it’s what’s for dinner, Pronio’s Organic Foods, Buy Local (support your local farmers!), Tusca Global Tapas and Red Hot & Blue (more on them later).
One thing that did bug me was the amount of wine snob bitches (wine version of my beer snob bitches) that were pushing through the Wine & Spirits tent. These people are exactly why I can’t get into wine. Not only do you talk down to people and act all elitist but you have spew “hey look at me! I know how to drink wine!”. I know that there are multiple craft beerfests in our area but it would have been nice to see some local guys there.
Now for the man of the hour, Robert Irvine. I admit that going in I was not a fan of the guy. He always seemed like an arrogant ass. We went to his session and left in the middle because his audio wasn’t loud enough over the crowd. As we’re getting ready to leave my wife sees that he’s doing a book signing. I figured this would make a cool anniversary gift for ourselves so we bought the cookbook and waited in line. After 45 minutes our time was finally here.
What a great guy Robert was to us. Greeted us with a warm smile and firm handshake (the guy is RIPPED). Very polite, talkative and personable. He spent time to ask us well, about us and if we both cook together. We posed for a picture (above) and went on our way. Here is one more admirable thing Robert did. Ahead of us at the signing was a group of young chefs from the Art Institute. He gave each one of those young kids advice for being a chef and reminded them to never forget where they came from and to give back to the community because even Soup Kitchens can use help. That blew me away and quickly vaulted him to the top of my favorite list.
Tomorrow I’ll bring the 2nd part of day 2. Day 3 we’re just doing stuff around the house and getting ready for the Steelers game at 8pm.
This coming Monday will be our 2nd wedding anniversary so it was only fitting to take a 4 day weekend for ourselves. Our plans are to have no plans. We’re going to do what we want with minimal planning and just enjoy our weekend. Usually we travel but since we just finished moving we decided to stay in PA this year.
Today started with a trip to First Watch in Cranberry for breakfast. Honestly, I’m not a breakfast person. I could do without it but someone was hungry Amazing food that made me reconsider my stance on breakfast. We then headed to town to pick up our passes to the Good Taste Pittsburgh which is happening tomorrow at the Expo Mart. It’s a full day of cooking toys and foodie goodness (thanks Norm!).
Realizing that we had to go grocery shopping and that we were close to the Strip District a trip to Wholey’s was in order. Stocked up on meats for the freezer and some chicken. The pic above is the Delmonico with Cajun rub that I made for dinner. Shopping on a Friday is a must if you don’t want to be tackled by aggressive shoppers on the weekend. Plus you have time to talk to the butcher which I love to do.
I had order a CD back in late August from Record Rama and honestly just forgot to pick it up. Since we had today off we drove to McCandless to pick up Patricia Barber’s Cafe Blue. Yes, some people still buy CD’s. Record Rama is hands down the best music store in Pittsburgh and probably PA based on the selection in store and online.
One last stop was to 3 Sons Dogs n Suds for beverages this weekend. If you listen to the show you already know of this place. We spend quite a bit of time there so it was a no brainer where I was going for my beer. I had a taste for Stone so I picked up the Smoked Porter (pictured above), 11th Anniversary and Russian Imperial Stout. I swear it’s a candy store for me. I was able to spend a couple minutes talking to owner Bill Sr. before he was bombarded with lunch time customers. They have a free beer sampling every Thursday night and last night the store had over 130 people for the Pumpkin Sampling. I had a family function last night otherwise you know I would have been there!
Tonight we cooked a great dinner (again, pictured above), I’m doing homework for my class and we’re watching the Pens/Cans game. OK, I’m doing homework in between periods and commercial breaks
I may need my rest for tomorrow!
I have been a die hard XM supporter for a few years now and can’t imagine my life without it. I have only hit a couple dead spots when I was in the WAY deep hills of PA. In other words I am extremely satisfied with it.
Today something odd happened. I’m sitting at an intersection on my way to work and listening to the home ice (hockey) channel when all of a sudden my signal wasn’t just interrupted but air hijacked by someone with Sirius radio. I use the FM signal to connect to XM via a little black node that sits on my roof. I’ve had some static before but this was full blown Sirius. I looked around and the only car next to me was an old lady. I HIGHLY doubt she was into Pantera. Light turned green and the signal was gone.
Some of you may think “well maybe it was another car?”. There is no way a signal from another car at least 100 ft away from me could cause this problem when there’s less than 4 ft from my node and antenna.
Very odd… well at least I didn’t have to listen to Stern.
btw, EP27 Wailing your Wench Offshore is now online. We’ll be recording EP28 tomorrow night. Hooray for 4 day weekends!
*whew* I almost missed it. So what is Blog Day?
BlogDay was created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from other countries and areas of interest. On that day Bloggers will recommend other blogs to their blog visitors.
With the goal in mind, on this day every blogger will post a recommendation of 5 new blogs. This way, all blog readers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, previously unknown blogs.
In keeping with tradition here are 5 blogs I read daily/weekly via my Google RSS Reader and think you should subscribe to.
1) The Burgh Blog – Pitt Girl’s hysterical look into life as a Pittsburgher in a city filled with killer pigeons, a mayor who wants everyone to drink and David Conrad addicts.
2) Men in Aprons – Cooking for men in a world beyond ramen noodles and delivery.
3) Chris Brogan – I was hesitant to link to Chris since anyone who has ever breathed a podcast or scribbled a blog knows of him. He’s a bud of mine that is the social networking grand poobah of the New Media Generation. Oh yeah and likes it when I buy him beer. I have learned a lot on getting more involved in my own show let alone the local community from Chris via the Podcamps and his blog. Check him out if you’re looking for some tips and inspiration.
4) Erie Media-Go-Round – As the description reads “Jack Tirak’s Very Candid Views and News About Erie Media”. Ever since I left Erie in 98 (for Pittsburgh) I have been obsessed with news from back home. I don’t know if it was from how 1/2 assed I realized things were done there after the move opened my eyes or the fact that I honestly wished that someone would turn things around. Jack’s blog is the epicenter for what is happening in Erie Media today. Users in the comments section have countless times called out the local media on things they missed or screwed up. I do without the chickens posting as Anonymous but eh, you’ll have that. If you’re from Erie this is a must bookmark.
5) Something to be Desired & STBD Behind the Scenes – Yeah this is a 2 parter. 1st being the show and second the behind the scenes blog. Every week Just Kownacki releases a new episode in his long running web series which is filmed and based in Pittsburgh. I have been friends with Justin and some of the cast for over a year now and will admit that I am addicted to the series. The behind the scenes is a unique look as to what goes on behind the scene with the filming of each episode and the hard work involved.
There are my 5 for today. If you want more check out my Blog Roll to the left.
cheers!
October 14, 11:52pm – Atlanta, GA
The day Pirates fans will always remember as the start of the downward spiral that is professional baseball in Pittsburgh today. It was at that moment which Sid Bream, who had 2 broken legs, a heart monitor and was on crutches, ran from second base on a Francisco Cabrera single and beat out a rainbow throw from Barry Bonds to Mike LaValliere sparking a 3 run 9th inning comeback to send the Braves to the 1992 World Series. To this day he is known as Sid “f*cking” Bream.
Pirate fans have never forgiven Barry for the play and in a few short months would jump ship for San Francisco where he remains today. The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since.
Joe Starkey was the only reporter who bothered to recognize this anniversary and did so with an excellent article which you can read here. I remember where I was and I remember my brother, who then worked for the team, calling and uttering the words “what the hell just happened?”
Next to the Stanley Cup this is my favorite piece of hardware in professional sports. I took this pic with my cameraphone at the Pens home opener last Saturday before they beat the Ducks 5-4 . If you’re not familiar with this trophy it is awarded to the NHL player who leads the league in scoring. Last year it was Sidney Crosby with 120 points (G36 A84) winning the title along with the Hart Memorial Trophy which you can see in the background for league MVP.
This is yet another reason why I love the NHL. Not only did the league come back after the lockout in better financial shape than any current professional sport is now but the fan experience has been tremendous. Case in point, what other league will let you get pictures let alone touch its most prized possessions? In the last few years The Stanley Cup and most of the major awards have been brought to town for display and fans respect that.
I’m pumped for this season and coming off a summer of the Pirates losing I’m itchin for ice time. When you look at the Eastern conference this season you can’t help but get excited. Besides Atlanta and Florida you have 13 teams fighting for 8 spots and I think it’s going to be the closest yet. Want to hear more? You’ll have to wait for my “First 30 Days Roundup”.
I was lucky enough to partake in some fine beverage this weekend as we celebrated Emerson’s bachelor party. For fans of a typical Pilsner, don’t even think about this purchase. Coming in at 110 IBUs this bad boy will punch you in the face with hops. Honestly my mouth puckered after 3 and I had to switch beverages.
Being a fan of hops, this was heaven. It had the strong hop flavor but it still wasn’t overpowering so you couldn’t drink it. Other guys were drinking Miller Lite and talking about women while I’m holding my glass up to inspect color of the beer, sticking my nose in to get that hoppy good aroma and taking my time savoring the work put into this. Thankfully I know when to turn off the beer snob and get into the conversation. In this town just say “How about dem <insert pens or steelers>!” and you’re golden.
Griff told me it ran about $62 for a case so I may need to stock the beer cellar. Though at 24 bottles that may be sitting for awhile. I’ll have to stop at 3 sons instead and get a 4pk.
cheers!
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07158/792198-85.stm
HARRISBURG — Senate Bill 674 would allow distributors, for the first time since Prohibition, to sell beer in six-packs, 12-packs, 15-packs and a new package of 18 cans or bottles, as well as the traditional 24- and 30-can cases. Restaurants or taverns with a beer license would be allowed to sell three six-packs of beer or an 18-pack.
I’m excited to see that the state of Pennsylvania is finally loosening their long lasting stranglehold on the beer community that other states have been able to enjoy responsibly since the end of Prohibition. Granted that it still irks me that I can’t go into a mini-mart or grocery store to purchase beer, this is a step in the right direction.
The main concern I hear from fellow craft brew fans in this state is “What will this do to our bottle shops?”.
1) First off, don’t worry. The people that this law will benefit are the Bud, Coors and Miller drinkers that we’re trying to broaden their taste.
2) Bottle shops offer variety. 3 Sons Dogs and Suds, where I shop, has over 500 beers to choose from. D’s 6pk shop has around 1000. These stores will stick around because not only do they sell 6packs to go at an affordable price but you can also buy singles and mix-n-match your 6pk. They’ll stay because of variety.
3) Bottle shops offer knowledge. These stores are also ran by craft beer aficionados. I’d say that the majority of the beer distributors who go for 6pks wont know an IPA from an ESB. Anyone can sell the high volume beers but not everyone can tell you how a beer is brewed or the different styles across the world.
4) Once the fad passes the field will level out. Same thing that happened when we were able to purchase beer on Sunday’s for the first time. Everyone did it because they could and now people don’t think twice.
5) Restaurants are the ones who should worry. No more 200% up-charge on a 6pk because there’s no other option available to buy a 6pk in a rush.
Those are just some quick thoughts I wanted to throw out there. If you want to discuss this more leave some comments!
cheers!
