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Friday, March 29, 2013

Mahoney's

This is what I had for dinner on St. Patrick's day.

This St. Patrick's day marks the second St. Patrick's day in a row where I drank too much and didn't ensure that I was able to procure food before happy hour ended. Last year Harp and Fiddle simply forgot to bring me my food. This year, after many car bombs, unsolicited hugs and odd conversations with some broad who said she used to work at the bar, Mahoney's informed me that their kitchen had closed for the evening. In true Michael Scott fashion I ordered a cup of bar olives. Although the bartender found this amusing, he did not provide me with the cup of bar olives I requested.

One week prior to St. Patrick's day, I visited Mahoney's on a scouting mission. I had the smoke-house chicken sandwich with bacon, ham and bbq sauce. I was not disappointed. The chicken was well prepared (IE not tough and gross like the chicken I had for lunch), the bun was fresh and the abundance of pig made me smile. The food at Mahoney's is standard bar fare, burgers, sandwiches and the like. I don't think I'd go out of my way to eat at Mahoney's, but if I was already there I would probably order something.

Now,  on to my real rant.  Pittsburgh is an Irish city. As a matter of fact we have one of the longest running St. Patrick's day parades in the country (Starting in1869.)  Where are all the Irish bars?!?! I'm not counting Claddagh or Mullen's as they are chains and I hate them. Montery Pub is too small and Harp and Fiddle is overdone. So what does that leave? Where are young quarrelsome Irish lads to spend their days? Drop me a line if you know of some secret Irish bars.

Punch me I'm Irish!

  Mahoney's on Urbanspoon

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Osteria 100

Deja Vu.
So, I was all but certain that the charcuterie plate at Osteria 100 was the exact same as the charcuterie plate at Cioppino. And a trip down memory lane to check my blog post for Cioppino from December of 2011 confirms this suspicion. Cioppino Review - 2011 It was the same charcuterie plate! To quote a younger and more handsome version of myself (no, not my little brother), "this anti-pasta plate..... pictured above, was really fantastic. The meats were fresh, recently sliced and flavorful. I was very appreciative that the plate came with a variety of vegetables and two different types of cheese."

Over a year later my feelings remain unchanged. Cioppino and Osteria 100 are sister restaurants and they serve a damn good charcuterie plate. (Arguably one of the best in the city.) The variety of ingredients keeps everything interesting and balanced.

While Cioppino was extremely happening when we visited in 2011, Osteria 100 downtown seems to be lacking in patrons. I think the restaurant is just situated in an odd location that fails to make it abundantly clear that it is not connected with the Point Park campus. I hope that people catch on. The food, service and drinks were all incredible. The happy hour menu offers half priced sandwiches, discounted sliders, four dollar glasses of wine and a variety of reasonably priced cocktails.

The fatso strikes back.
Here's a picture of a meatball sub I ate after everyone left! It was very good and consumption of the sandwich required the ceremonial loosening of my pants. The hardest part about meatball subs is trying to consume them without having a meatball or sauce disaster. The proportionality of the sub made this possible - I'd like to thank the academy. I also want to thank the staff of Osteria 100 for providing us with free mushroom bruscetta. It was delicious and spicy and the cattle loved it!

Zoooeeeee!

Osteria 100 on Urbanspoon

Friday, March 15, 2013

Blind Pig Tavern

Little slices of heaven.
For some reason the Blind Pig has the United States constitution written on the wall behind the bar (specifically the 18th amendment). Every time you do a jagerbomb or a grape ape it is basically like Thomas Jefferson is judging you. There are two things you need to know about the Blind Pig. First of all, their specials are incredible. I mean top notch. There is a beer discount everyday and on Wednesdays they even run an all day happy hour. The all day happy hour includes half off  ALL appetizers. Take that Thomas Jefferson and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board! 

The second thing that you need to know is that the little doughy calzone things they call rolls are just wonderful. My favorite is the one stuffed with rib-eye and cheese. I'd say they are pretty similar to D.P Dough, but much better. The dough itself has a better texture and the ingredients and cheese are also far more delicious. (Sorry D.P Dough, don't worry, it is still your fault that I am overweight because I ate you everyday in college.) I pretty much order the steak roll every single time I visit the Blind Pig as it is ridiculous-delicious. Also, I tend to enjoy cramming the pulled nachos in my face. They are fantastically non-mexican, as in, covered in barbeque sauce, pulled pork and cheese.

While I'm giving you tips, here are two more. Don't get the grilled chicken wings, they are a disappointment. Also, they call their sandwiches sammies and I think that is just great.

I DRINK WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT. THOMAS JEFFERSON IS NOT THE BOSS OF ME.



The Blind Pig on Urbanspoon D P Dough on Urbanspoon

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Melange Bistro Bar

Hot Honey Cajun

I've been in Melange Bistro a handful of times during my tenure as a professional drinker in downtown Pittsburgh. It has a different vibe than the rest of the bars located in the golden triangle. As a matter of fact, many of the happy hour guests were perplexed by the scene as there was a birthday party for "Philly Phil" and the beats were going full blast at 7 p.m. Melange Bistro has more of a full-on party vibe as opposed to the sex-in-the-city-old-lady-cocktail-bar image that most downtown bars rock.

Melange offers several specials throughout the week, but the wings are the selling point. I generally don't like breaded wings. Melange wings have a light breading that actually works out very well -  I'd say they are comparable to the wings at Senor Frogs in Dormont. The hot honey cajun wings were wonderfully seasoned and perfectly prepared. (I ordered them extra crispy in true Mark Turic fashion.) Nice and sticky with just the right amount of bite. This is not one of my usual complaints, but I really didn't like the ranch served with the wings. It seemed especially heavy on the mayo.

Melange is a refreshing change of pace for the downtown bar scene, but come prepared to dance and be sure to go on one of the many nights when they have awesome specials.

Here's to you Philly Phil!

Melange Pittsburgh Lounge on Urbanspoon

Friday, March 1, 2013

Birmingham Bridge Tavern


The wonderful folks at Tendo Review did a write-up of our boneless wing eating competition with Unlock Pittsburgh on valentines day. I'd talk more about the competition, but I think they've already done a fantastic job.

http://www.tendoreview.com/2013/02/birmingham-bridge-tavern-southside.html

If you haven't been to the Birmingham Bridge Tavern (the real BBT), go try the golden boy wings. The sauce is a buffalo honey mustard hybrid and it really hits the spot. More importantly, the wings here are consistently great. They are always adequately prepared and perfectly crisp. Although I've had wings here at least twenty times, I've never once suffered severe butt trauma like I did at Local Bar and Kitchen. The boneless wings aren't really my style, but these fatties sure wolfed them down on valentines day. Here are photos of the respective winners for each competition.

Mike: Seven Minute Competition Champion
Tracey and Matt: Couples Competition Champions

Scott: Overall Champion and The People's Hero


Birmingham Bridge Tavern on Urbanspoon