I got back from my June trip to Virginia in the early morning hours on July 1. Since then, July has been just as busy. I was in State College and Seven Springs in July. I didn’t go out to eat much or attend many events in July while I was in Pittsburgh, but I did have a few really exciting meals. I spent a lot of my time in Pittsburgh this month working on some self-improvement and brand improvement. I think some of it is pretty noticeable in my recent videos.
Highlights:
My family went out to dinner at Arlecchino Ristorante in McMurray for my dad’s birthday. We went here a couple of years ago for his birthday and tried to other birthday dinners since. I think he has picked this as his go-to birthday restaurant. This restaurant has a large menu and larger portions of great Italian food. It’s the sister restaurant of Alla Famiglia, offering many of the same menu items. We like it a little more because the restaurant is a little more open and brighter. They also have a couple of touches Alla Famiglia does not, like acknowledgement on their daily specials board and a personalized menu for your birthday. My veal chop was amazing as always and I think everyone was happy with their meals.
I spent five days in State College for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. I collaborated with them on content for the festival. This was my first time attending the festival in over 15 years. Last time I was there, I was only out of college about a year and I was still there to party all weekend. I felt the quality of the art vendors was better than at the Three Rivers Arts Festival this year. However, the music was a lot more local and cover bands. I did buy a really nice set of flowers made out of polymer clay, and a Pittsburgh musical trio, McConnell Vitullo & Choe closed out the first night of the festival on one of the stages. I also took some time to stop in and say hi at Schlow Centre Region Library, where I worked when I was a student at Penn State.
I made sure to eat at one of my favorite State College Restaurants, The Tavern, while I was in town. I was really craving a big, juicy burger, and their Tavern Burger really hit the spot. I also loved sitting at the upstairs bar and talking with everyone there. The staff seemed to really enjoy talking to someone who loved food and experienced State College differently than before.
I had another dinner in State College at The Corner Room. It was much better than I remembered. I got the Southwest Fried Chicken sandwich, which, although the chicken was a little thin, was a delicious sandwich.
I made sure to get one of my favorite breakfasts ever, the sausage and cheese omelet at The Original Waffle Shop on West College Ave, the best of the locations. I will go here every time I’m in town. My order comes with pancakes and home fries, so I receive two full plates of food. I actually love eating here solo too because I can just sit at the counter, get served immediately, and get going.
I had to get some Penn State Creamery Ice Cream. They had a booth in the arts fest. I got Mint Nittany, which is mint ice cream with cookie pieces.
I had dinner at Tadashi, the Japanese restaurant downtown. I ordered the Spicy Salmon Don bowl, which was a lot of food. However, the one bite I got to have of the Seared Salmon Roll was probably the best tasting thing we ate.
Before leaving State College, I stopped at Antifragile Brewing to get a beer and a cheesesteak from Uncle John’s Jawns. These cheesesteaks are one of the best things to eat in State College. It was so much food. I got the breakfast version with eggs and bacon. This will definitely be a place I eat in town any time I visit going forward.
I went over to Dancing Gnome in Sharpsburg to visit my friends at Blue Sparrow. They are celebrating 10 years this year and every month they are bringing back a different menu item. July was my favorite item: the Ramen Burger. In the early days of Alex Eats Too Much and Blue Sparrow, I used to follow them around so I could get a ramen burger. This special version of it is their best. It’s an all beef burger made with bacon jam, pickled hibiscus onions, crispy cheddar, and a ramen bun. It’ll be off the menu again in August, but I hear it’ll be available at BaconBurgh on August 30 at Southside Works.
I went down to the first day of Picklesburgh. So much good food there this year. I picked up Pickled Meatballs from Dianoia’s Eatery, a Bacon Grilled Cheese from The Pickled Chef, Pickle-back Old Fashioned from Tako, a Pickle on a Stick from Two Acre Farms, and a Pickled Watermelon Margarita from The Warren. I like how spread out the festival is now that it goes over multiple bridges and city blocks.
I spent the weekend at Seven Springs for a few different events. I was hosted for the weekend by Go Laurel Highlands and Seven Springs. I was there for the Party at the Lake: The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail 50th Birthday. During this time, I ate at the Bavarian Lounge and Slopeside Restaurant. I spent an evening at the Foggy Goggle. I hiked a small section of the trail. I stayed in one of the chalets. I was given an All -Day Adventure Pass so I could do Seven Springs Activities. I got to play mini-golf and go down the Alpine Slide.
I had dinner again at Amazing Dumplings in Squirrel Hill. This is becoming a favorite place for me to get handmade dumplings and noodles in the city. We did a spread of all kinds of dumplings and two different types of noodles. This place is so special because the dumplings come in amazing flavors, the spice level is high but tasty, and the people who own and run it are some of the nicest people I have met in this industry.
I finally went to try Penn Ave Pizza and Steaks on the Bloomfield-Lawrenceville border. I went there with my friends from A Slice of New York. We wanted to see if what we were hearing about this place was as good, and support good pizza. This easily goes near the top of my list for NY Style Pizza in Pittsburgh and possibly the best cheesesteak in Pittsburgh. PAPS makes their 18-inch NY Style pizza with 48-hour fermented dough and a robust tomato sauce with lots of oregano. The cheesesteak was amazing with 100% ribeye and Cooper Sharp cheese. We also tried out their meatballs and they remind me a lot of ones I make at home. I know I’ll be eating at PAPS again.
I was invited to brunch at Ritual House downtown by the campaign team for Pennsylvania Lt Gov Austin Davis. He was in town to kick off a Weekend of Action since it was going to be 100 days until the November election. It is no secret that I am a Democrat and supporting the reelection of Gov Shapiro and Lt Gov Davis, as well as all other Democrats running for office right now. The brunch included other local content creators, where we got to ask Lt Gov Davis questions concerning us and Western PA. For my meal, I got the Blueberry Lemon Pancakes and they were so good.
I went to my first Riverhounds SC game of the season at F.N.B. stadium. These games are a lot of fun. It’s a smaller but energetic crowd. Games are less than 2 hrs. There’s usually a lot of action the whole time. Unfortunately, this game didn’t go our way. I drank beer out of a boot souvenir glass. I got a burger that was a fine example of food.
I went out to celebrate a birthday at Round Corner Cantina and then Trace for Disco Sunday Disco. I got the Pork Belly Tacos at Round Corner, which were really good. I loved the large, crispy piece of pork belly and the hot sauce on it. Disco Sunday Disco isn’t exactly my scene, since I don’t like dance parties, but I made my best effort to enjoy it.
I went to Palm Palm in East Liberty for a birthday celebration. We sat in their private dining room that overlooks the kitchen. It was fun seeing them fire up the dishes and prepare desserts. I ordered their Korean Fried Chicken, which had a nice crunch and a sweet chili sauce.
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