September 21, 2023

@AlexEatsTooMuch on Instagram

alexeatstoomuch

I went to @scratchco_pgh the other day for lunch s

I went to @scratchco_pgh the other day for lunch so I could help rebuild their Salt and Pepper Shaker collection. I happened to be there on #nationalcheeseburgerday so I knew I had to get their smash burger. This thing was massive and delicious and I would highly recommend it. Scratch & Co used to have a big salt and pepper shaker collection which was mostly lost in a basement flood. For a limited time, they are offering you a free Millie’s Soft Serve Ice Cream treat at Scratch & Co when you bring in a fun shaker set. You can even be entered to win 52 servings of ice cream over a year when bringing in a set. Keep reading for details on how to win and when the promotion ends.

As I have just started to visit more regularly, I just learned this cool thing about Scratch & Co. They used to have this epic salt and pepper exchange. When guests brought in a cool salt and pepper shaker, they’d be so excited and reward the customer with free bites and preferred seating and such. It was a cool little way they built a community at their Troy Hill restaurant.

Unfortunately, they lost a bunch of salt and pepper shakers in the last couple of years. Now, they're reviving the idea of a salt and pepper exchange. If you can find a salt and pepper shaker that you think would be a good addition to their collection they'll reward you with one of their Millie's soft serve desserts (in one of our old fashioned donuts).

But that’s not all, snap a pic, film a little Insta story, post it, and tag @scratchco_pgh with #scratchsaltandpepper and #millies. It helps spread the word and you'll be part of their cozy community, making memories and bringing character to their space.

When you do that, they will enter you in a drawing for a chance to win 52 servings of Millie's soft serve from our cafe (that's like a year's worth)! Hurry because the drawing will be on 10/1/2023!

I just spent 36 hours in @downtownbellefonte in Pe

I just spent 36 hours in @downtownbellefonte in Pennsylvania’s @happyvalleypa for the @hellosocialco Creator Meetup. Hello Social Co. is a firm focusing on destination marketing and social media. I got to participate on a panel with @brittaroundtown & @hemlockstohellbenders about at this fantastic event for internet creators to network with each other, learn about social media trends and engage with Destination Marketing brands. I stayed at the @thegamblemill Restaurant, Bar and Inn while I was in Bellefonte. This former mill was recently renovated to include a Bed & Breakfast along with the restaurant. I stayed in a small and very nice room with a very comfortable bed. I got in late the first night so I grabbed dinner down in the @creekside_gamblemill restaurant. I got a tasty burger with prosciutto, brie cheese and caramelized onion jam. After dinner, I headed downstairs to @therepublicgamblemill Bar, which has a nice speakeasy vibe. They served me one of the best cocktails I had recently. For breakfast the next morning, I walked down the block to @bonfattos, the small café and Italian Grocery in town. I got a latte and a great croissant breakfast sandwich. My last food stop of the trip was at @axemannbrewery just outside downtown Bellefonte and one of many breweries now in Happy Valley. I got the Hazy Dazy IPA and a Meatball Parm Pizza.

Last night I saw one of my favorite bands @dfa1979

Last night I saw one of my favorite bands @dfa1979 at @mrsmallstheatre. They are a Canadian punk rock/hard rock duo who I've been a fan of for almost 20 years. Their first album 'You're a Woman, I'm a Machine' is one of my favorites and regularly on repeat for me. Last night's show was fantastic. It was their first Pittsburgh performance in 8 years. They powered through 20+ songs with a lot of selections from that first album, a mix of stuff from their latest album 'Is 4 Lovers', and many other songs and crowd interaction. I've seen them now three times and this was by far my favorite time seeing them. Even with earplugs my ears are still ringing a bit. The bass was so heavy you can see the shakiness in my videos. I hope they don't wait another 8 years before returning to Pittsburgh. They brought with them @hxltmusic, a punk band out of Chicago who were long time fans of Death From Above 1979 and excited to be on tour with them and watch them nightly. They were also a lot of fun and gained a new fan.
As for Mr Smalls, this was my first time getting a balcony upgrade. I'm too tired to stand for hours anymore. The balcony upgrade can be purchased after buying regular tickets. The fee for the upgrade gets returned to you as food and drinks credit. I got a burger and fries and a few beers. My balcony seat was basically right above the stage. I had a great view for the show, a railing to lean against and a stool to sit on. I'm definitely getting the upgrade anytime I go to a show there going forward.

I got a chance to try the @paneepronto sourdough o

I got a chance to try the @paneepronto sourdough of the month, Caraway Everything Seasoning Sourdough. This was a pleasant change from that typical rye bread and delicious. It's a really great combination of that sour and slightly sweet of a sourdough with the seasoning of a rye. I've been using it for different meals this week like a pastrami sandwich and with cream cheese & lox. Every month, @paneepronto is going to have a different specialty loaf available. This one is available until the end of September. Thanks to @katysconstantlycooking for getting me to try this one and giving me an excuse to actually post something I made at home.

Trying something different again. In a rare moment

Trying something different again. In a rare moment of boredom recently I started collecting photos and videos of me stuffing my face with food into a folder. Most of my videos are from after Instagram was like post more videos or you'll be ignored on this app. Organizing these clips evolved into like a 3 minute supercut of me taking ridiculous large bites of sandwiches and pizza or trying to be funny while eating. I then edited down to 30 seconds of bites. Pizza is definitely the food I take the most photos or videos of myself while eating. This clearly is something silly to post. Ask in the comments of you're curious where a bite is from. Tell me in the comments if I should keep making stupid things like this.

I just attended this year’s One Bite One Day, a

I just attended this year’s One Bite One Day, a best bites of Pittsburgh event benefiting @oneday_toremember. This is one of my favorite events every year. I get to try so many amazing bites and try great cocktails all for a good cause. This year my favorite bites were from @fatbutchershop and @driftwoodoven, but every restaurant brings tastes of their best dishes or creates something cool for everyone to try. My favorite cocktails were an incredible Blackberry Raspberry Vodka Shrub and a traditional paper plane among so many other great drinks. One Day to Remember is a non-profit organization whose goal is to give families with a parent dealing with advanced-stage cancer the opportunity to make lasting, positive memories. One Day to Remember strives to provide a curated experience that is individualized for each family at no cost to them. Included in the special day, they send a professional photographer to capture the family activity and provide every family with a commemorative photobook. The One Bite One Day event is usually in early September and is one of the premier food tasting events in Pittsburgh. I’m proud to attend this event every year and support One Day to Remember.

I went to @fatcatpgh last weekend with a group of

I went to @fatcatpgh last weekend with a group of people to check out this new restaurant people keep telling me about. It lived up to the hype. We ordered most of the menu and ate family style. This was a good choice because I got to try so much. My favorites were the My Fried Bologna sandwich, Loaded Waffle Fries shareable, and Elvis Split dessert. The dessert might be one of the best desserts I've had in the city. I'll definitely be back for another sandwich and that dessert.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! I went to @citykitchenpgh in @bak

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! I went to @citykitchenpgh in @bakerysquarepgh to try out some of the great dishes they are serving at their restaurant concept kitchens. They opened recently with some of the restaurants we know and love from Pittsburgh like @somipgh and Banhmilicious, newcomers @elevatespgh and will soon add @shakapgh all under one roof. The spicy ramen with pork belly was so good and my shirt loved it too as I slurped noodles with excitement and dripped broth all over myself. The Sweet & Spicy Blue Burger was so original and delicious with a half pound burger, deep fried sweet peppers, pickled beets and blue cheese. Then I tried Grandpa’s Pierogi which are made in house and pierogi lovers of Pittsburgh will love these too. The last thing I tried was the Poke Trio with three types of fish which will be one of the many great fresh fish options featured at Shaka. This turned out to be one of the more fun and delicious photo shoots I’ve done. Everything I ate was incredible and I got to try some different filming techniques don’t typically do. City Kitchen also has a great happy hour and student discounts. I’m really excited about everything coming to City Kitchen. They are bringing elevated dishes to a dining hall experience and also training aspiring chefs and restauranteurs to open their own restaurants. I’ll be eating here a lot as the food is just so good.

I have $40 in City Kitchen credit to give away. I'll be picking a winner on the evening of Sunday
September 10 so don't wait to enter! I will tag the winner in my stories. I will not create a new account to announce the winner. I will not DM the winner. These are paper vouchers so I will need to mail them to you.

To enter the giveaway you need to do the following:
1) Follow @alexeatstoomuch & @citykitchenpgh
2) Like this post
3) Tag a friend. Multiple comments are multiple entries.

I was invited to join the @sultryfandb Sunday Supp

I was invited to join the @sultryfandb Sunday Supper dinner. I’ve known the team at Sultry since their days in the Galleys. Now in their own restaurant, they hold a special family style dinner on the last Sunday of the month. The dinner is an opportunity to eat great food with great people. They develop a unique menu each month and serve each dish family style at the table. It’s an opportunity for Sultry F&B to try out great dishes using in season ingredients. This time, there were six courses. The first was scallops with bacon jam. The second was lamb with lentils and cheese. The third was a crab boil chowder with andouille sausage. The fourth course was a twist on the BLT as a BLT Panzanella salad with pancetta and heirloom tomatoes. The fifth course was duck two ways with duck enchiladas and seared duck with peach. The dessert was a mega macaron. All these courses were fantastic. I sat with a bunch of great residents of Southside who made me like their family for the evening. I’d love to attend this dinner again for a great meal and conversation.

I went to an amazing seven course dinner at @gi_ji

I went to an amazing seven course dinner at @gi_jinpgh for the @rd_restaurants group dinner series. This incredible evening featured special dishes not typically available. Each course was paired with a cocktail or sake. The first course was an Amaebi prawn toast paired with a heirloom tomato martini. The second course was a maguro tuna watermelon gazpacho paired with sake. This was one of my favorites since it was so refreshing with the tuna mixed into the gazpacho. The third course was a tamago Japanese omelet served with scallops, corn custard and tomato paired with sake. Course four was shima aji striped jack sushi with more sake. Course five was another one of my favorites, pork char sui with smoked peach. It was paired with a shiso juice mocktail to refresh the palette. A highlight of the dinner was course six, a trio of nigiri sushi. The first was otoro fatty tuna with uni and caviar. The second was A5 Wagyu with gold leaf. The third was the ikura roe caviar. Last course was a take on halo halo, a dessert from the Philippines with rice pudding, mango and ube ice cream paired with a gin milk punch. The team at Gi-Jin created a menu that was all so good and it really shows why Gi-Jin is one of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh.

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