I’m finishing up a project for work that has kept me away for a bit. Here’s the new kid to get you through until I’m back to writing
This is the final installment of Friday Fish for Lent. Next week is Good Friday and hopefully we won’t be putting in a full day at the office.
Cost: $7.99
Bread (B-) Soft but not chewy. Great job holding everything together
Tartar sauce (C-) runny and little flavor
Toppings (C+) Lettuce was fresh but the tomatoes were a little hard. Altogether with the sauce though it wasn’t half bad.
Fish (C+) Its cod and comes in 2 6inch pieces. Turned off by appearance and when I bit into the piece I ripped off it was watery. I’m not talking juices here, it was flavorless but the fish packed a punch.
Overall today it was the combination of all elements that saved this sandwich. Fries weren’t anything special but come on, this is a lunch special. Added bonus was the heaping amount of Frank’s Red Hot I got to drown it in.
The last 2 years we’ve been Team Teaspoon for our first son who was born at 32 weeks and spent the first year of his life in the NICU at Mercy. This year we’ve doubled up the efforts in support of our 3 mo old son who was born at 35 weeks to make Team Derda Bros. (no affiliation with the former butcher shop on the North Side; though they could be related)
Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We’re walking for our sons, Teaspoon (32 weeks) and Owie (35 weeks). Teaspoon did not have an easy start in life but thanks to all the great nurses and physicians in the NICU he is happy and healthy today. Not all families are as lucky as us, some children have life long health problems and some never make it home. The March of Dimes wants to change that, they want all preemies to be like the Derda Bros., healthy and happy.
Please support our walk. Support the March of Dimes. Support babies like Teaspoon and Owie who just want a chance to make a difference in this world.
JOIN NOW!
“like” our Facebook page Team Derda Bros
Donations and walk
I want to see us raise $1000! Making a secure donation is easy!! We’d also love to see you for the walk on May 22nd at PNC Park!
Walk Distance: 3.3 miles
Registration Time: 8:00 AM
Start Time: 9:00 AM
There will be food provided. Last year the walk took us through PNC Park and parts of the North Side/Strip District you might not normally visit.
Thank you for helping give all babies a healthy start!
Someday he’ll kick my ass for putting this online but since Lushie already Facebook’d it I figure it was free game.
Daddy doesn’t puke. Daddy hates to puke and will do everything in his power (like the night he had 12 Yuenglings and 2 shots of Jager at a concert in 2003) not to do it.
It’s mind powers and I hope he inherits them from me because mommy has the worst gag reflexes ever.
He’s potty training right now and amazingly has been since right before he turned 2. We didn’t push it on him; like most things he picked it up on his own and has already done some business on his own. Everyday this kid amazes me with his determination to do something new. You know what this means? We’ll never have a pet because I’ll come home to something shaved or attached to a rocket.
This week we go to a place that I frequent for great craft beer and kickass burgers but never have I tried the fish. Well, until today at least! Bocktown is located in the Pool City Plaza (across from Target) in what a lot of people assume is Robinson but is really North Fayette. Visit them online at http://www.bocktown.com/
Cost: $8.99 ($9.99 pictured above with onion crisps and cheddar cheese)
Bread (B) Solid hoagie bun that was soft and yet toasted really well.
Tartar sauce (B+) Packed with flavor but a little on the thick side for me. Incredibly tasty!
Extras (A) I was really surprised how well the onion crisps tasted. Typically I would expect greasy bastardized onion rings that weren’t ready for the big leagues but, just like the fish, these were fried to perfection. Under the bun was a pickle slice that is staple with most meals and a tomato that served as a perfect compliment to the sandwich
Fish (A-) I don’t think I’ve ever had a piece of fish fried more perfect. Succulent meat and a perfect crust that burst with flavor. This would have been a complete home run except the left end was overcooked and chewy. There wasn’t that much of it though so it got bumped up from a B+.
Its been about a week since news of the impending sale of Iron City Brewing to a NY investment group broke and in that time I’ve heard everything from how tragic it is to “they’re still around?”. I’m writing a hopefully unbiased review of the situation for examiner but on here, screw it lets chat and I need to vent.
Iron City makes shitty beer. plain and simple. Flavorless almost transparent swill.
IC had its place in Pittsburgh history and thats where it should remain while today its a shell of what it use to be. Kinda like that aging rocker who puts on the leather pants one more time while his gut hangs over. Iron City should have been put out its misery years ago but because like most things in this town, people can’t get go the past no matter how beaten it is.
Folks, its not even made here anymore. Its in Latrobe.
Iron City tried to reinvent themselves with a new marketing push a few years ago but they never improved their product. Instead they tried to make the already bad product seem cool and hip. The only people who were able to make a shitty beer popular again was PRB and they had a nationally recognized brand to jump from. IC, well if you weren’t from Pittsburgh odds have it you had no clue wtf it was.
People have suggested they try to reinvent themselves. Me? You fix that brewery you abandoned, spend money on improving your product and reposition yourself as a serious brewery. Otherwise, take that puppy out to the field and put it down before it becomes even more of an embarrassment to a failed Pittsburgh legacy.
I really should start “Shit my mom says” as a category.
Last week I’m talking to my mom on the phone and in 1 conversation I was told that the pedophiles are around because of the internet and asked, in complete sincerity, “Douglas, why didn’t you invent Facebook?”
I did everything I could to not crash my car on the Parkway while trying to process that one.
Mom learned about The Social Network on Oprah and ever since tells me how its amazing that such a young man is a billionaire. Anytime she hears of someone in their 20/30′s making it rich I usually get the “why didn’t you do that?” speech. I had to roll back the history and once again tell the tales of my history to her.
While in my freshman year at Pitt (94/95) I had my first taste of working on computers. Enough so that I wanted to change my major from Psychology to Comp Sci. That’s when they dropped the bomb, direct quote from her and my dad was ”you will NEVER make money in computers.”
I could go into greater detail about the lack of support because they didn’t understand and blah blah blah but really, wait for my biography or buy me a pint and we’ll chat. Honestly I think its an Erie thing and why so much talent flourishes once it leaves.
I still get phone calls asking to fix computers and you know what, they were right, I could never make a living because everyone wants their computer fixed, a website made or a social media strategy for free.
OK this post is taking a turn I wasn’t expecting when I started writing it. nice.
With world changing on an almost daily basis don’t discard someone because they’re not doing something you understand. We don’t know what the next big thing will be. I was told by a family member to quit podcasting when I started because it was a “waste of time” and in the 5 years since I started I think its treated me rather well.
I still hear “whats wrong with that person” because you dont follow the 1950′s idea of a professional. That is until someone makes money and your mom asks why you didn’t do it.
Don’t even get me started on the craft beer thing…
If you follow the negative jags on twitter you’ll see people come up with any excuse about why they won’t shop here but deep down they know they want to. Oh the crowds! The parking is so full! Its too big! Its too busy! Face it people, Market District Settlers Ridge is a mecca for food. I have my own personal views on how craft beer is handled here but thats not what we’re talking about today; its about the fish!
Today was my first time in the mass hysteria that can be lunch time in the area designated for food bars, hot, cold, deli, sammiches, reallyanythingyoucandreamof section. What drew me here was a tweet from Market District actually showing their special for the day (which I wish more places would do). The problem with this was I couldn’t find the fish! The sign you see to the left here was back by the ordering spot of the area but it was to the blind side of customers. You couldn’t see it unless you cut through the long line. I suggest moving it to more of the main traffic area or middle of the stand. Heck even hang something!
OK, the meal. I did the side and picked-up mac n’cheese and slaw. The slaw was already in a plastic container and the Mac n Cheese was slopped on the plate like a bad grade school lunch lady memory. Just as quickly I was moved to the pick up station and pointed in a general direction to pay. They were busy and had to keep the line moving. Fine with me, I was starving.
As you can see from this picture, what was tweeted and what I got were slightly off, it happens. I wanted to stick with the slaw since thats been a staple of my trip to find a fish meal in lent.
Cost: $7
Bread (A+) I don’t know what to say. This was the best bun for a sandwich I’ve had all Lent. Nice crust, airy and fresh.
Mac N Cheese (B+) It looks runny in the photo but was actually quite delicious. Creamy and flavorful.
Cole Slaw (D) I don’t know wtf this was. Instead of creamy it was dry and I saw some moisture on the bottom of the plastic container. If you’re eating there I would rather have this served from a bowl on my plate and not in a plastic tub. Felt cheap.
Tartar sauce (B+) This was good! Tasted like a hint of 1000 Island in it and good texture. Perfect serving size also.
Fish (B) While the bun was generous sized the fish is even smaller in proportion than in my pic; it was flat. Before I covered in my sauce I ripped a piece off and I have to give them credit, this is a damn tasty fish. The breading and cod were cooked perfectly and I found myself wishing I could get a side of well done crumbs. My only wish was that the piece was bigger. If you’re serving fish that size your bun should be smaller to give the illusion that you’re getting a bigger piece.
