My blog n'at

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.

Lushie picked up beef kabobs from Giant Eagle for dinner tonight. They’re soaked in red wine (don’t ask me which, its not on the sign). Really, how can you go wrong?

July
Began the month with recording at the BeerDependence Day celebration at Bocktown. Attended the Penguins Stanley Cup DVD Release Party. Started a contracting job at EDMC that would become the longest month of my life and that’s all I’m going to say. Enjoyed my first ever bowl of Pho. Rocked the Beer on the Bay festival in Erie which the videos are epic and may never be released. End the month being interviewed by KDKA for the Craft Beer Summit.

August
Won a 2009 Mustang! Bees invade our bathroom (landlord still has yet to remove the dead bodies). I got a full-time job in social media/web dev that has turned out to be freaking cool plus I’m on a rockstar team. Threatened Lushie with divorce after she gets rid of the Back to the Future marathon channels.

September
Attended “Best of the Burgh” at the Warhol with sickpuppy, PittGirl, Woy and Rachel. Go big time and hosted Beer School at the Cabaret downtown to a sold out crowd. Teaspoon hits 17lbs.

October
Hosted 2 sessions at Podcamp Pittsburgh 4. Should I Drink That passed 500,000 download mark. Pens start defending the Stanley Cup. Revised Google Maps errors. Celebrate 4 years of marriage with Lushie. Lay the smackdown on poor fact checking by the Post gazette about Erie. Teaspoon goes pumpkin farming.

November
I blogged the whole month. Seriously. Bought a X-box. Teaspoon’s first Thanksgiving. Wonders of fatherhood and a kid who grows like a weed. Craft Beer Dinner with Lew Bryson, Education on the Pittsburgh Potty. Making your own Bacon. BEER AT GIANT EAGLE! Yinz Bowl 2.o

December
Still living it for 5 more hours. Remembering dad on his anniversary. Hosted a Christmas beer sampling at Bocktown. Saw KISS in concert. Teaspoon’s first Christmas. Finished the school year with a 3.65GPA. SNOW!

So what do I have to look forward to in 2010?  Come back tomorrow and find out!

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To most of you outside of Pennsylvania this may seem like a normal thing but here in the fine SW corner of the commonwealth this is a first. For the first time we are able to buy beer in a grocery store and Giant Eagle’s Market District is the place.

Nestled in the corner of newly christened Settlers Ridge the mansion of foodie heaven opened its doors this weekend. You’re here for beer though, and quite frankly that’s why I went.

Layout
There are 2 coolers. The one pictured above and then around the corner from it that is 4x’s as long. There was also a display of Christmas beers at the street entrance to the cafe. I would loved to have taken more pictures of the beer layout but there were so many people in there you wouldn’t have seen anything. If you’re familiar with Wegman’s on Upper Peach in Erie the coolers are similar. No rows of bottles though.

Selection
One worker told me they have 250 different beers which, from a bottle shop standard, is on the lower end of the spectrum but I do give them credit for going above and beyond the Bud/Miller/Coors. The cooler pictured above is for single bottles. I was pleased to the gang from Ommegang (avg price $7.99) going top shelf and joined by Brooklyn’s Local 1 and 2, Chimay, Orval (for $5! wooo) and a class from Lindemans.

Unfortunately this is the only section with freestanding bottles. Everything else is 4 , 6 or 12 packs. Overall display and appeal of setup was pretty high and everything was clearly marked with a price which is great when you’re there for a quick pickup.

Price
This is where the knife will be plunged into the heart of most bottle shops who rely on carry out beer sales. I like using Arrogant Bastard as a price gauge. That’s pretty much a staple of any craft beer store and if they stick you on that then you’re in for an expensive trip.  Market District price was $4.50, avg. bottle shop $7, restaurant price $11. Based on prices I’ve seen recently, Market District offers beverages $1-3 cheaper than most bottle shops on the singles and almost $5 cheaper on the 4 and 6 packs.

Rules

Overall
This is a huge step for craft beer in PA. I don’t see a lot of the bottle shops losing too much business since its 2 different levels of service you’re getting… for now. Market District is too new for us to know what they’re going to do in terms of events or how educated the staff will be. Local bottle shops are usually staffed with beer geeks and have a wider selection meanwhile if you need a beer in a pinch and want convenience odds have it you’ll hit the supermarket. Now with Wine and Spirit stores in many Giant Eagles you really can have a one stop shop. Local breweries who are getting their beers into these stores will now have unremarkable visibility and the BMC drinkers will hopefully get a better understanding of the varieties out there. My wish for now is that they get some aisles for single bottles and 6packs that aren’t already chilled in the coolers.

Here is the beer list for Market District.

cheers!

P.S. Oh yeah my shopping. I picked up 3 Philosophers, Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale and Orval for $19.

Every week I look forward to Sunday dinner at my house. We don’t go out to a restaurant but instead have fun with food in our own kitchen. Lushie and I will use this time to try a new dish or recipe and then spend the day making it. It’s a great way for us to do something together since we’re always hella busy during the week to spend enough quality time together. The meals are rarely a greasy/fatty dish and is usually very healthy eating. As an added bonus this also gives me time to work on my beer/food pairing.

Yesterday was a sweet and spicy day in our kitchen and also a BBQ lovers wet dream on Food Network (which we finally have in HD now! woohoo!) as all day it aired grilling and BBQ specials. Lushie made a trip to Giant Eagle and picked up a piece of salmon, 1 strip steak and shrimp since the area we live lacks a serious meat/seafood place that isn’t a chain. Plus side to the meal was that we had fresh squash and corn left over from our latest Good Apples order.

I marinated the steak for 3-4 hours with a new concoction I picked up from Trader Joe’s called Soyaki. It’s a mix of soy, teriyaki, garlic, sesame seeds and ginger which blew my palette away with oriental goodness. Another fun thing I picked up were reusable aluminum sheets from Lowes to put over the grill so veggies and smaller items wouldn’t fall through. Yeah these have been around for awhile but this one is very easy to clean and extremely flexible should you need to wrap it around something large you need to contain.

The corn was given a brisk butter shower, wrapped in foil and placed over the flames first. Usually takes about 20-25 minutes for it to cook the way we like it.  Hands down the best grilling corn we’ve had over the last year came from Good Apples. Steak and squash came on next with a light salt & pepper seasoning followed by the salmon in foil. These usually take 15-20 minutes but honestly depends on the thickness of the cuts. I also know how my grill burns so you can’t always use traditional timing methods. As the food was just about done we seasoned the shrimp with my new favorite accessory, Old Bay.

The final 2 additions some baked beans (had a craving, maybe I’m pregnant) and a sweet and spicy slaw dish (pic) that Lushie whipped up. She had the base for the slaw written down and decided to change it up a bit to fit our taste. The end result was a mild sweetness with a spicy back end. We’ll talk later about posting recipes.

So how did the food turn out? As you can see with the picture above presentation was not a concern of ours. The marinade made the steak one of the tenderest pieces of meat I have ever grilled at home plus the residuals left on it created a delicious crust of oriental bliss and didn’t have the slightest taste of char. The shrimp was fantastic (you really can’t screw that up) and the corn was juicy. The beans and slaw you also read turned out perfect. At the end of the day it was a little sweet, a little spicy and a whole lotta deliciousness.

cheers!

Woy and I have this ongoing joke about “Herky”. The only place either of us had heard the name before was at a gas station in Wesleyville (from the previous link) so whenever we see the name out n’ about it needs to be documented.

The Herky above can be found in the Seven Fields Giant Eagle seafood counter.