My Market Square Favorites

Since I've been back in Pittsburgh (approaching the three-year anniversary mark!), I've been with the same small law firm whose offices have gone from the stately Henry W. Oliver Building to the glass castle called PPG One. Transitioning over toward PPG Place has made me a frequenter of Market Square - before work, during lunch, and after work. Here are some of my favorite options for fueling and feeding myself throughout the workweek:

BEFORE WORK
Bluebird Kitchen
I enjoy Bluebird for many reasons. 1) Delicious coffee. 2) Different and always tasty pastries. 3) Actual FRESH-SQUEEZED OJ (one of my favorite things in life). 4) My neighbor Alex works there! I need to make a mental note to get to work early enough one day to sit down and have an actual breakfast there, cause I'm on a big eggs and toast kick right now. I can only believe that would make a great start to my morning.

Nicholas Coffee Co.
Lovely lattes, especially when a "pick-me-up" is needed on a rainy, gray Pittsburgh afternoon. (Having an entire wall of your office be a window with an awesome view can get a little depressing in a stretch of rainy days.) They've also got a great selection of teas, and this is a normal go-to for me when I'm out of coffee or espresso beans at home.

DURING LUNCH AND AFTER WORK
WINGHART'S
If you've been paying even the smallest bit of attention to EvBetPGH, you probably already know my love for this place. But I'm a fan of beating people over the head with information. So here we go again: Best burger you'll ever have. Ever. I never stray away from my usual order (FYI: empty with extra cheddar medium, which I then dip in what even I consider an obscene amount of ketchup), but anyone I have ever taken to this place (there have been lots and lots) agrees that whatever burger they had was MIGHTY good. I love this place for lunch, and I especially love it for after work. When I worked in the Oliver Building, my dad and I would meet at the Smithfield Cafe before Pens games or whatever event we were taking in that night). Now we meet at Winghart's. A definite improvement in many ways.

Las Velas
Let me be nostalgic for a moment: Back when I was at Pitt, back when I was under-21, I ate many a meal at La Fiesta. The restaurant wasn't much - chairs and tables set up in the front two rooms of a mostly-shitty (but livable) South Oakland building - but the food was cheap, the queso (THE CHEESE!) was amazing stuff, and no one asked for my ID when I brought in a six pack. The queso was so amazing that on return trips to Pittsburgh from Boston, I would asked to be taked directly to La Fiesta from the airport. Las Velas, whose quality of establishment is about a billion times less shady than La Fiesta, has THE CHEESE. They also have the tacos and all the other delicious Mexican fare. Though it's not BYOB, I'm now able to consume alcohol legally. And I have consumed many margaritas from Las Velas and I can attest to their wonderfulness (as well as their strongness).

Prantl's
For whenever my sweet tooth is aching for a treat. Love their cookies, although I have to stray away from the ones with too too much icing. I think I may have entered into a sugar coma-shock after devouring one of those once.

Primanti's
Admission: I did not have my first Primanti's sammich until the Steelers Super Bowl against the Seahawks. I was a bad Pittsburgher back then. Now, I'll hit up Primanti's on the regular for lunch. There's a way a double egg & cheese hits the spot like no other lunch option can.

City Dining with Dad: Sausalido

For Christmas, I got my dad a deck of City Dining Cards. The plan was to take him out for lunch and dinner at new restaurants now and then. Tonight, I treated my dad to a dinner at Sausalido, a small bistro on Liberty in Bloomfield. I've lived in this neighborhood for nearly three years, and I've walked by Sausalido many times and wondered. When I told my boss I was taking my dad out to dinner in Bloomfield, it was her second suggestion.

A lot of the restaurants with Dining Cards in the deck were more bar-food type places, and I wanted to buy my dad a nice dinner, because we were actually making a trade. He gets a good meal, and I get about four loads of laundry done. As in, he took my laundry home with him, and will be dropping it back off here in a few days all nice and clean.

Did I mention I have a pretty cool dad?

This was a most excellent meal. Both my dad and I enjoyed every single thing put in front of us.

There was bread and a white bean dipping sauce, that was great cause it came quick and I was starving. We each got a cup of the night's tomato basil bisque, and I think we both wished we had ordered the bowl instead. (Seriously, delicious.) My dad had a beet something salad. I stopped paying attention when he started talking about beets. He looked delighted with it though. We each had fish for our main course. He had halibut over some rice and stuff (I never claimed this was a food blog!) and I had salmon over a caesar salad. My dad cleaned his plate, but I saved half of mine for lunch tomorrow.

The only drawback of the night was finding out the white chocolate espresso cheesecake hadn't been made yet! We had apparently arrived at the start of a new seasonal menu, and the restaurant had been too busy (a definite good thing - let's keep this place around!) to make the new desserts.

Getting a slice of that heavenly sounding cheesecake is a reason to go back, but obviously not the only one. My dad and I talked about how good it was as we walked the way back to my apartment.

Then he took off into the night. Belly full of good food and truck full of my dirty laundry.

2012: Definitely an Improvement

It's cliche, sure. But I cannot believe 2012 is already over. Tonight we usher in 2013, and I'm really excited. 2011 was a total bummer. I came into 2012 full of hope that it would be a better year, and it definitely was. (Truly though, the bar 2011 set was extraordinarily low.) I feel like the positive momentum of 2012 will carry into 2013 and whatever it has in store. As excited as I was for 2012, I'm just as excited for 2013.

In these final hours of the year, here's a look at some of my favorite moments and posts. 

I started the year by repeating a move that took me into the worse year of my life. I was a little anxious to kick 2012 off in the same way, but I figured I was more prepared and at that point mostly acting on gut decision.

Coming out of the Mon on New Year's Day. Love that this is becoming a tradition. Tomorrow will be my third jump in a row.

The brave souls who welcomed 2012 with an icy-cold dip in the river.

Ringing in 2012 with Rob and champagne and lots of dancing (and lots of '90s music).

Carrie and me at the river jump on New Year's Day.

There was hockey in 2012! Which, sadly, it seems like that may not be the case in the first half of 2013. I miss games! I miss my Pigman! I miss Tommy the Beer Vendor! I miss my hockey family!

Continued another good tradition of winter camping. I'm happy to have friends who thinking sleeping outside in the cold in a bag on the ground is terrific fun too.

Allie and I drove to Bethel Park, hometown of my youth, after Mitt Romney's Cookie-Gate broke, to pick up the most wonderful thing in the world: a Bethel Bakery cake. Oh, and we broke down and met a black pug named Petunia.

Hey, have you guys heard about how I like to bike and stuff?

My brother - my baby brother! - treated me to a night on the town. We went ate burgers. We saw a zombie musical. We went to a Halloween bar. It was pretty special.

My brother and me sitting in the splash zone in our ponchos at the zombie musical.

John took me on my first motorcycle ride. And I survived. (And I kinda loved it.)

Need a book to add to your list of things to read in 2013? I'd suggest a book about my new favorite Pittsburgher.

I may have missed out on the fireworks, but I think white-water rafting on the Fourth of July was a very American thing to do. (Beer on the river and jumping off a huge rock also seem that way too.)

Papa Rowland and me, at the Pirates Skyblast featuring Boyz II Men. 

I celebrated two years being back in the city. Is it weird that it's only now seeming permanent?

I. Rode. My Bike. To Washington D.C.

Dirty, scratched up legs on the C&O Canal.

Rode my bike to D.C., and then rode another bike past the White House.

I turned 29. I spent it in wonderful ways.

Celebrated my 29th birthday by going to an amusement park for kids.

I got to see and do some pretty super things because of biking this year. It's weird to think there was a time in my life when biking wasn't a huge part of it. Was I just bored all the time?

Trying to power up a blender to make margaritas at the Carrie Furnace. My long legs weren't long enough!

Made sure to sneak a trip up to The Hat this year too. Always a good thing. (Sneak Peek: There's a big adventure in the planning stages that combines two of my biggest loves.)

Found these dinos hiding up in Niagara Falls. (On the Canadian side, of course.)

My bloody knee after crashing my bike on Queen Street West in Toronto. (So embarrassing.)

Put my feet in Lake Ontario.

I stayed up all night riding bikes with a bunch of people I'd never really met! And it was a really really good experience. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Participants of the second leg of the DC-PGH 24-hour relay. (No one told me about the dress code!)

The Bloomfield Halloween Parade 2012.

We had a pretty epic fall this year. Thanks Mother Nature for the drought? Is that what happened? Whatever. It was so beautiful for so long.

Guys. This movie. This book.

Ross and I went to go see a Halloween laser show. It was not exactly what we expected.

I rode my bike 3,000 miles! (I was trying for 4,000 on a dare, but Australia and that whole lefthand-side of the road thing...)

Me and Corey at the Steelers-Eagles game. 

Someone thought it would be a good idea to put me on TV. Yeah. I know. I love hot dogs. (And I love WQED and Rick Sebak!!)

I went to Australia. And I had the best time.

Souvenir from a crazy night out in Melbourne.

And, finally, my biggest fans of 2012: baby Australian goats.

Wingharts: Back in Business (EvBetPGH December Survival)

Confession: I kind of hate the holidays. I'm the grinch in my group of friends and in my family. Skipping over everything between Halloween and New Year's Eve would be all right in my book. But I realize that is impossible and that the months of November and December are bound to happen EVERY GOSHDARN YEAR. Fortunately, I spent a chuck of November in Australia, which made that month come and go quite quick. Now, there's the pesky month of December to survive. 

My first EvBetPGH December Survival tip: Wingharts. Burgers. Beers. Whiskeys. 

Wingharts in Market Square had been closed for what was waaaaaay too long in my book for renovations. There was a rumor they'd be reopen the afternoon of my flight to Sydney, but they ended up reopening the day after I left. Though every fiber of my being wanted to go there for lunch on my first Monday back after my vacation, I told myself that waiting until Friday after work would be just the "treat yo self" reward I needed to dangle in front of my face like a carrot to get through a full week back. 

The wait? Definitely worth it.

The new Wingharts has the same amazing burgers and fries. But now they have a slightly expanded menu (though I doubt I will ever stray from my empty with extra cheddar medium well), a few more beer selections, a second floor with a bar, outdoor seating on the balcony, and a jukebox. The new Wingharts also has the same fun staff I've come to look forward to interacting with whenever I'm there. This place, without a doubt, is my favorite Pittsburgh spot for food and drink. And so, for the rest of the month, I will treat myself to a Wingharts night one night each week after work. 

I ushered in December on the last night of November with a lager drink, a cider drink, and a whiskey drink. I might have missed out on that vodka drink, but I really did have my fill of those when I was a freshman at Pitt. 

Stay tuned for more EvBetPGH December Survival tips. One way or another, I'll get myself to the end of 2012 in one piece.

Steelers v. Eagles: A Win, A Gray and Rainy Sunday

I'm very lucky to enjoy the privilege of attending a Steelers game once a year. My dad and his fraternity brothers have had season tickets to the Steelers since they were living in the Beta Theta Pi house at CMU. They had the foresight to procure an extra ticket in their group of seats, so I've been enjoying this privilege throughout my life. Even while I lived in Boston I tried to keep the one-game-a-year tradition alive by flying home for a game whenever I could. 

Last year, I got to witness the Halloween Miracle of the Steelers beating the Patriots, which is pretty important for a person who despises all things Boston sports. (Sorry, but five years of living in a hostile sports environment will do that to you...) This year I also got to see a win, but it was less miraculous and more gray and rainy. I also got to sit way closer that where I normally do AND bring a friend with me. So, all in all: excellent. 

Before the game, Corey and I rode our bikes down to the Strip to eat some food before the game. The perfect pre-game meal: double egg and cheese from Primanti's. Kiiiiiiiinda makes me want another one right now.

Today is a Sunday, and there is a game in about ten hours. My dad and brother will be coming over for dinner and then hang out for a while and watch the game. (A Bethel Bakery cake has been procured. Yes.) My fervor for the Steelers feels a bit tepid this year. I need to fix that STAT, especially with hockey being (very very sadly) MIA.

On that note, I'm off to research Steelers bars in Sydney, Australia...

Afternoon on the North Side

On the same afternoon that I had my first iceball from Gus and Yiayia's, Corey and I spent some time just meandering about through the Mini Maker Faire, through the park, through the War Streets and and through Deustchtown. It was mostly done on a whim (we had planned to attend the Maker Faire, but only checked out the stuff outside), and it was quite the enjoyable whim to be retold with photos.

Have you ever seen this fountain near the Children's Museum? I don't think I had ever noticed it before. I work in an office with a (baller) view of the PPG fountain, and this one kind of puts it to shame. It wouldn't be able to double as the location for a skating rink though, that is for sure. (Ouch.)

Part of my excitement about going to the Mini Maker Faire, was the possibility of lunch from a food truck. And we had options of hot dogs (Franktuary), grilled cheese (Oh My Grill), or pierogies (PGH Pierogi Truck). We both went with grilled cheese (finally - after wanting a taste of Oh My Grill since summer's food truck round-up). Help keep food trucks in Pittsburgh a growing trend - check out Pittsburgh Mobile Food's site for information on how to get involved or for announcements of awesome food truck events.

The Mini Maker Faire was pretty interesting, for the little of it we ended up seeing. (We had to decide to pay to get into the Children's Museum or stay outside where it appeared free. We chose to keep it cheap.) We spent the most time learning about a couple projects going on at HackPGH.

Small version of a lighting project JackPGH will soon be displaying at their location.

After checking out the Faire, we walked on over the to park.

And then we walked through the War Streets. (Someone please buy me a house in the War Streets.)

Finally, we walked down the main drag in Deutschtown to check out if the Priory Bakery was still open. On our way to find out, Corey spotted this gem of a t-shirt hanging in the window of the neighborhood Goodwill. After doubling over in laughter on the other side of the street for a good three minutes, I immediately made the decision to purchase it. (Of course I did. Not even my dad was surprised when I showed him the picture below later that evening.)

In other news, the bakery was open and I bought some cookies. They were delicious.

Thanks for a lovely afternoon, North Side. Hope to be seeing you again soon.

30 Before 30: Iceball from Gus and Yiayia's

Corey and I were on the North Side to check out the Mini Maker Faire at the Children's Museum a couple Saturdays ago. It was such a lovely afternoon that we decided to take a walk around the park and the War Streets (more on that later!), and in doing so, I recognized an opportunity to knock another 30 Before 30 Item off the list: an iceball from Gus and Yiayia's.

Gus and Yiayia's is a Pittsburgh institution, and I'm ashamed that I have never enjoyed an iceball from these fine folks before. Considering my first job was the Sno-Kone girl at Mineral Beach in Finleyville (yeah, I know.), I felt a certain kinship with Gus, who prepared my cherry-lemon iceball (the perfect combination, after several summers schlepping these I have learned).

With summer officially behind us (yay, fall, yay!), I never thought I'd be crossing the iceball off the 30 Before 30 list this soon. I figured it would be a "down to the wire" item (which, I'm positive will be happening plenty come May 2013), but it's said and done - and it was delightful.

Keeping it Local in Lawrenceville on a Saturday Night

I've been in self-imposed isolation for the past week and a half due to my lovely poison ivy legs. But, with the weather being fortunately cooler, I dragged myself out to get some grub at the first Pittsburgh Food Truck Roundup on Saturday night. We walked down toward the empty lot where the trucks were set up, and walked right to the back of a line. We weren't sure what line we were in. I don't think anyone knew what line anyone was in. It was very British of us all to be standing there in a queue, not really sure of what might be at the end of it. Eventually, I ended up with cheddar potato pierogies from the Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck and some honey lavender ice cream from the Dozen dessert truck. 

We hurried down Butler toward 39th just in time for my first visit to the Arsenal Cider House. This has been on my Pittsburgh to-do list for a while now, and I went with some seasoned veterans (Steph and her boyfriend Derek) who already had empty growlers ready to be filled. We sampled four different ciders (and here I thought they only had one cider at a time!) and picked two (one that was peach-like and one that was sour cherry) to take back to their house.

Steph and I sat in her backyard in Lawrenceville listening to LCD Soundsystem and drinking some pretty great cider until my legs started itch and I needed to make my way back to the comfort of the couch where calamine lotion and bags of ice were easily accessible.

I'm nearly out of the woods with this whole poison ivy nightmare. I've been able to bike more the past few days and spend more time outside without feeling like I need to scratch off the top layer of my skin. There's so much good stuff coming up with PedalPGH and Bikefest in the next two weeks that I would hate to miss.