I made more of an effort to stay home for much of September. I still got to do a lot of fun stuff. I ate a few nice meals. I went to concerts. I went to some big events. I also felt very burnt out and overwhelmed. I struggled to want to go to events or even hang out with friends. The good news is that I finally feel like I’m starting to work out of that funk and October will have lots of fun stuff happening.
Restaurants
I spent an evening at Five Iron Golf in Market Square. Honestly, I completely forgot I was supposed to go and I showed up very unprepared for golf. Their golf simulator setup is impressive though. They have several simulator bays. At each bay, you can practice, play target games or play on recreations of real courses. We also ate quite the sampling of food items like boneless wings, flatbreads, sliders, a salad and some of their desserts. Five Iron Golf was a lot of fun. I’m even considering going back for a lesson since my golf game was terrible.
I got dinner with friends at Lawrence Hall. I ordered wings, greens, and sweet potatoes from Cuddy’s Soul Food. I got a couple of classic cocktails from Dear James.
I finally went Reva Modern Indian Cuisine, a new restaurant I have heard a lot of great reviews. The reviews are all accurate. This was an amazing meal. We ordered Salmon Tikka, Sweet Potato Chaat, Tikka Chicken Wings (these were so good I got a second order), and Chicken Vindaloo. The spice level was on point. I really want to try much more here.
I had a late dinner at The Commoner. Everyone I was with got their amazing burger, but I opted for the Cavatelli with sweet corn sauce and goat cheese. It was delicious and a nice change from what I would normally get, the burger.
I made it to Spork before they closed for their reimagining. This was an incredible meal. I’m now regretting not eating here more often. We family styled a bunch of appetizers and main courses. My favorites were the Crispy Octopus and Dream Mountain Ranch Elk Tagliatelle Bolognese. I look forward to trying to eat there more often under their new concept.
I spent the afternoon at Liberty Pole Spirits in Washington, PA. I thought I was just going for a couple of drinks and lunch. Instead, it turned into a full tour and tasting. Read more about the afternoon here.
I went to Umi for the first time in probably a decade. We decided to go before Mr. Shu went on his month long vacation. We got the seven-course omakase. There were some amazing cuts of sashimi, tasty sushi and some delicious prepared items.
Food Trucks and Takeout
I started the month with tacos from Taqueria el Pastorcito at Beers of the Burgh Tacomania. I will still say these are the best tasting tacos in the area.
I got Blue Sparrow while I was at Grist House for a Penn State Game. I ordered the Bibimbap but with cheesy fried rice. Always delicious.
I got pizza from La Pizzetta in Mt. Lebanon. This was my first time trying this one. It was pretty good. Very close to a New York style pizza.
Events and Concerts
I went to see Green Day at PNC Park. This was an incredible concert. They played Dookie and American Idiot in full. They sounded amazing. The energy was wild. A concert like this proves rock music isn’t dead. The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas all opened and put on great performances.
Two nights later, I went to The Pavilion at Star Lake to see Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper with openers Ministry and Filter. I went because I really wanted to see Alice Cooper again. He puts on one of the best stage shows of a musician. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Rob Zombie’s performance. They were really good. I would never have thought I would have seen hardcore industrial metal band Ministry twice in my life, and yet I have. They had one of the most interesting songs of the evening as they played a song making fun of many people in the crowd. Most of those people appeared to have thought it was a song to relate with them instead.
I attended a hands off cooking class hosted by the East Liberty Chamber of Commerce and Don’s Appliances. This was quite a surprise. The dinner prepared by Don’s Appliances Chef Anthony was incredible. This menu was extra special as it was a fundraiser. We ate pan seared ahi tuna, roasted beef tenderloin, and roasted peaches and cherries. These cooking classes are held once a month and byob. They are a great deal even if the menu isn’t as fancy as it was for this one.
One of my favorite events, One Bite One Day was back bigger than ever this year. This is the biggest fundraiser for the organization One Day to Remember and it is the premier food tasting event of the year. This year it was held at the Pittsburgh Opera. There are so many local restaurants providing delicious bites of their food. I was involved a little more this year as a member of the host committee. I hope to be more involved next year. I wrote about the event a few years ago. The blog post could probably use an update.
I got to be a judge at the Braddock Carnegie Library Chili Cookoff. I was honored to be asked to judge. I tried 8 different chilis. This was a great opportunity to support an organization. I’m considering entering my own chili next year.
I was excited to be at the Cystic Fibrosis 50 Finest Gala as they honored my friend Karen for being one of the top fundraisers as part of this year’s honoree group. I’m very proud of all the effort she put in this year to raise so much money to help find a cure.
I attempted to go to the Kamala Harris Speech and did not get in. I then went to a Move On Scoop the Vote event to help raise awareness to get to people to vote for Kamala.
Cleveland
I drove to Cleveland for the afternoon to see one of my favorite bands again, The Hives. I wasn’t going to be in town when they were playing here so instead I spent 3 times as much to drive 2 hours to see them. I started the afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame again. This is my favorite museum. I got dinner at Mabel’s BBQ. The fatty brisket was fantastic. The Hives put on an absolutely amazing show. I would see them again in a heartbeat. So much enthusiasm. Part of their gimmick is making the crowd earn their performance.
Juniata River Valley and Goose Day
I was hosted in the Juniata River Valley to attend their Goose Day Festivities. I plan to write more about this very soon. Goose Day has been celebrated in Lewistown, PA and the surrounding towns for more than two centuries. To quote their website, “Legend has it that if you eat goose on Sept. 29, you will never want for money all the year round. Believers of this tradition adhere to it faithfully and eat goose every Sept. 29, thus ensuring wealth and prosperity for the coming year.” During my two days in the area, I ate goose tacos and goose flatbread. There were so many other dishes I missed out on like goose poutine, goose pizza and a traditional goose dinner. The weekend had several events like the Lucky Friday street festival in Lewistown and a Goose Day themed drone show. I also ate meals at fantastic restaurants like The Nook, Revival Kitchen and Shy Bear Brewing. I stayed at Coffee Run Cottage out by the farms.
