My monthly roundups have been getting shorter lately. I have been spending a lot of time at home the last few months, except for a big travel event each month and a few other events. Hopefully, that changes in June. For now, May started with a trip to Greenville, SC hosted by Visit Greenville SC. After that, I attended several really cool events, but didn’t go to many restaurants.
Restaurants
I ate at Meat & Potatoes downtown for the first time in a long time. I ordered one of my favorite things on their menu, the Double Cut Pork Chop. It’s one big meal.
I went to Dough Daddy Brewing in Gibsonia with a group of other local content creators. We were there for the preview of the Good Taste Pittsburgh Pizza Fest. This was my first time to Dough Daddy since it’s quite a drive from my house. We enjoyed a sampling of their pizzas, beers and appetizers. We also did a short tour of the brewery and participated in some pizza games.
I had dinner again at Teppanyaki Kyoto in Highland Park. This was my second time to this Japanese izakaya and I tried a few new things. However, I think I still liked the pork katsu and bacon mochi.
I went to Burgatory with my dad. It had been a long time since I last ate there. I’m still a fan. I got the Piggy Butter and Jelly burger and an Oreo Peanut Butter Pie Milkshake.
I went to Hitchhiker Brewing in Sharpsburg for their AnticIPAte evening celebrating IPAs from breweries around Pittsburgh. Afterwards, I went over to Blue Sparrow to pick up a pizza to take home.
I went to Soba again for happy hour. Only available at the bar, but a great deal to try delicious cocktails and bites.
I made a stop at 1930 at Atria’s for a few late night cocktails. They have a great new cocktail program and an updated menu. I still need to go back for dinner.
Takeout
I got Big Shot Bob’s again, like every month. They are pricey, but tasty.
I ordered way too much from Wing Stop because there was an awesome deal on one of the delivery apps.
Events
I attended the Malandain Ballet Biarritz at the Bynam Theater as a plus one. It was an interesting performance of the Four Seasons.
I went to see AC/DC at Acrisure Stadium. Back in Black is one of my favorite albums, but I’ve never seen them live. I would say it was a great show, but it was definitely plagued with audio issues on Brian Johnson’s vocals. Angus Young was still amazing on guitar.
At the last minute, I was invited to the TRAC Services for Families, The Power of Hope Gala. TRAC is a full service agency that serves as the central resources for permanency information, adoption and foster family recruitment, placement of special needs children, post-permanency support, education, and referral services throughout Allegheny and its contiguous counties. They had a fantastic meal from Bistro to Go. The evening also had raffles and a moment to honor KDKA’s Mikey Hood.
This year marked the return of the Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival after a 2 year hiatus. Back in the Southside Works, it was an afternoon of everything pierogi. The good to the festival was I ate some great food, like the Slice on Broadway pierogi pizza and Rouges Over the Top Pierogi from Austin, Texas. The bad to the festival was that it was incredibly overcrowded. Lines for food were a half hour long. There wasn’t enough entertainment to go along with the food. I hope they work out some of those things for next year.
I attended the Pittsburgh Opera Scarlet Soiree. It’s their yearly fundraising gala afterparty. It was at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto. The evening included heavy hors d’oeuvres and open bar. There was also a DJ and dance floor. I enjoyed myself hanging out at a table, eating and drinking cocktails all evening.
I was invited to the Gilfillan Farm Barnyard Beer Benefit. The Gilfillan Farm in Upper St Clair is a historic site and an operational farm. This is their annual fundraiser to help preserve the farm. They had restaurants and breweries from around the South Hills and Pittsburgh, as well as a DJ, raffles, and axe throwing.
I went to Community Kitchen for another monthly guest chef dinner. Chef Simon from Soju designed a Korean BBQ family style dinner. I was a plus one this time, but I always love doing things at Community Kitchen. They are a great non-profit that provides culinary classes to those in need.
I ended the month at Kennywood Park for their Bite and Pints Food and Drink Festival. They invited me to check it out again and I haven’t been in years. I’m glad I went again. The food was really good. My favorite was the Ropa Vieja from the new Cuba booth. It was also chilly out, so we got on the rides pretty fast. I wrote about attending the festival previously here. I plan to update this blog post soon.
Travels
I started May in Greenville, SC. I was invited and hosted by Visit Greenville SC. Breeze Airways just added a direct flight from Pittsburgh to Greenville and I was on the inaugural flight. I had an amazing weekend in Greenville, especially excited by all the great food I ate while I was there. The YouTube video recap of my trip is available now, with a blog post coming soon.
I drove out to Cleveland for a night to go to a concert at the Agora Theater. We went to see the punk band Amyl and the Sniffers. They put on an amazing and loud show. I’m glad I had earplugs for my old ears. On this trip, we stopped at Slyman’s Corned Beef for breakfast. I ordered a corned beef cheese omelet and it was amazing. I would eat there all the time if I could.
