August has been insanely busy. I celebrated 8 years of Alex Eats Too Much. I ate a lot of great meals this month. I attended two beer festivals. I went out of town three times. I checked off a bucket list concert. I’ve been setting up a lot of great plans for things coming up the rest of the year. I’ve been busy with BaconBurgh, and can’t wait for that on Sept. 27. I also agreed to do a Hot Ones style hot sauce tasting at Pittsburgh Rivers of Fire Hot Sauce Festival on Oct 4.
Pittsburgh Restaurants
I went back to Wild Rosemary Bistro in the South Hills. I brought my parents there because they are always asking to go to these cool restaurants I go to. Wild Rosemary normally does a prix fixe menu, but for the summer they have been doing an ala carte menu instead.
I tried out Little Corner Grill House and Hot Pot in Oakland on the Pitt campus. We started with a few skewers as a savory appetizer. We added on sauteed green beans and one of my favorites, Chongqing spicy fried chicken. We got Hot Pot Combo 2 which comes with 5 meats, 5 vegetables, a noodle and 2 broths. In the end this was more than enough food for all of us. Little Corner Grill House was pretty good and I’d definitely go back, especially since they are open late.
I was at Cinderlands Warehouse for a meeting. They now have pub pizzas on the menu. I got a very good Brisket Burnt Ends pizza. I would definitely see these as an option when eating there going forward.
I stopped by Emporio: A Meatball Joint to try some items because their Emporio Meatball Truck will be at Bacon Burgh. I had their Loaded Fries, a meatball covered in bacon and house made government cheese. I got it with the beef meatball and it was a great savory combo. I also got the Howdy’s Classic with 2 Italian meatballs, linguine, and marinara. I enjoyed Howdy’s Classic the most, especially the flavor of the meatballs. I also tried the Mac Attack which is buffalo fried chicken meatballs with mac and cheese.
I had a fantastic meal at Sushi Too in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside, trying out their sushi, yakitori and ramen. My favorites were the pork belly yakitori, bluefin nigiri and lobster ramen. Usually, I would just get a bunch of sushi at Sushi Too, but now I know I shouldn’t skip out on everything else.
I had an impromptu dinner with my parents at DeBlasio’s in the South Hills. It’s an old school Italian spot. I typically get the veal parmesan and wedding soup.
Pittsburgh Food Trucks and Takeout
I got some Chicken Shishito dumplings from PGH Dumplingz at Barrel and Flow. These dumplings are always great and they usually have some great flavors.
I got food from Sooo Delicious Chicken & Waffles and Waffle Burger at Barrel & Flow. These are a pair of food trucks featuring soul food and comfort food. The waffles were tasty and the burger was waffled by smashing it in a waffle iron.
Pittsburgh Events
I attended North Country Brew Fest in Slippery Rock. I know that’s not exactly Pittsburgh. This was my first time at this festival. They featured breweries from Western PA, live music, games and food from The Harmony Inn. I had a great time at this not too crowded festival where everyone is just drinking beer and having a good time. The food from The Harmony Inn was cheeseburger sliders, ribs and mac and cheese.
I spent the day in the sun at Barrel & Flow celebrating Black brewers and Black arts. This has become my favorite beer festival. There are so many great beers, whether they are by visiting Black owned breweries or from local breweries partnering with members of the Pittsburgh Black community. They also always have amazing food and live music throughout the afternoon. I look forward to this one every year and it should not be missed.
I spent an evening Romanticizing Pittsburgh on the Gateway Clipper. The event was hosted by Arjun, the Gateway Clipper and Red Bull as an opportunity to experience new things in Pittsburgh and meet new people. I’ve grown to really like these events as they are a welcoming opportunity to see Pittsburgh. This was my first time on the Gateway Clipper in 20 years and I don’t know why I haven’t gone on again sooner. You get to see the bridges, buildings and landmarks of Pittsburgh from the Three Rivers. Follow Arjun to see when more Romanticize Pittsburgh events will be announced.
I attended Riverlife Party at the Pier at the David L Lawrence Convention Center. This event is the primary fundraiser for Riverlife, which work to improve the riverfronts in Pittsburgh.
Beers of the Burgh Tacomania Super Fest returned to Southside Works. I got tacos from Taqueria El Pastorcito and Blue Sparrow. There was wrestling all afternoon by Enjoy Wrestling.
Reading, Berks County and a Quick Lancaster County Stop
I was in Reading for the Mid Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Association (MATPRA) Media Marketplace. This was a 3 day event where journalists and content creators get the opportunity to connect with Destination Marketing Offices (DMOs). Visit Pennsylvania Americana Region hosted this year, providing the chance for me to see an area of Pennsylvania I have not spent much time. I’ll have a blog post eventually with more details on this trip but here are some highlights.
- I had dinner at Himalayan Bistro, Indian and Nepali Cuisine in Reading. This was a few blocks from my hotel. It was a fantastic meal. I ordered the Chicken Korma and Chicken Jhol Momo.
- I took a detour into Lancaster Co. to eat at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. This is one of the largest buffets in the world. I have been wanting to eat here for ages. I will say it’s an experience.
- I had dinner at Comālli Taqueria in West Reading. I ordered a massive Señor Thicc’ums burrito filled with Chorizo, eggs and waffle fries.
- I spent an afternoon in Boyertown visiting the museums and getting ice cream at the Peppermint Stick.
- I attended a Reading Fightin Phils game. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Phillies. It was a lot fun seeing another minor league team and ballpark.
- I spent an afternoon in Kutztown seeing the German Heritage Center at Kutztown University and visiting Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store.
- We had dinner at Rodale Institute. They are an organic regenerative farm and research facility.
- Even though I grew up not too far from it, I finally went to Hawk Mountain Hawk Sanctuary.
Gettysburg
I spent a quick 24 hours in Gettysburg thanks to Destination Gettysburg. There will be another blog post about this eventually. Here are the highlights.
- A beautiful stay at Battlefield Bed and Breakfast.
- Downtown walking tour learning about the events of the Gettysburg Address.
- Dinner at the Dobbin House & Tavern, a historic house built in 1776 and since restored as a restaurant and bed and breakfast.
- A horse drawn carriage tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield.
- Lunch at Farnsworth House in their Sweney’s Tavern. This is a building with battle scars from the Civil War. The Tavern now has a large collection of memorabilia from the movie Gettysburg.
- Dessert at Mr. G’s Ice Cream
- An afternoon at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center learning about the whole Civil War, the battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address.
Chicago
I was in Chicago to check off a bucket list concert experience. I have been a big Oasis fan since I was a child. When they broke up 16 years ago, I assumed I would never get a chance to see them. Fast forward to the end of 2024, and they announce a massive reunion tour with only 8 shows in North America. Obviously, I was going. 9 months later, I finally went to Chicago to see Oasis. It was an amazing experience. They sounded great. It was like 50,000+ people in soldier Field, all just as excited to see a band that was once a cultural phenomenon, singing along to every song.
Other Chicago Activities
- I walked over to Navy Pier for the first time. It’s kinda stupid. It’s just a bunch of attractions.
- I took myself out to a steak dinner at Steak 48. My ribeye was pretty good. They broil them and serve them on a scalding hot plate. However, my dessert was probably the most exciting, a s’mores in a jar.
- I went to the Oasis merch popup and overspent on merch. I regret not buying the Oasis x Adidas track jacket just a little bit.
- I finally tried Pequod’s Pizza. Multiple people have told me this is their favorite deep dish pizza. I learned I am definitely not a deep dish pizza person.
- I got a drink at J. Parker rooftop bar at Hotel Lincoln in Lincoln Park. Great views of the lake from there. I walked along the beach for a bit before catching a bus back downtown.
- I got dinner at Gus’ Sip and Dip. This was a random choice because they were listed as one of the best cocktail bars and each cocktail is $12. What surprised me was the Beef Dip Sandwich. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.
- I got an Italian beef sandwich at Mr. Beef, the restaurant that the show The Bear is loosely based on. It was good. Not sure if it was any better than any other Italian beef sandwich.
- I took myself on a donut crawl. I tried three Chicago donut places: Doughnut Vault, Stan’s Donuts and Do-Rite Donuts.
- I went to Rate Field for a Yankees vs White Sox game. I grew up a Yankees fan so it was cool they were in Chicago while I was there. I got a foot long Comiskey Dog to eat.
- I tried out Egg Tuck for breakfast. They do fancy egg sandwiches.
- I got tacos at Taqueria Chingon. This was another random pick, but great tacos.
- I did the brewery tour at Goose Island Beer Co. This was one of the better brewery tours I have done. Our tour guide Chris was fantastic.
Cleveland
I rushed back from Chicago so I could go see Nine Inch Nails at Rocket Arena. Trent and Nine Inch Nails have gotten better and better. I went to dinner at Agave and Rye. It was a taco fusion-style place. It was good, but not amazing.
