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Thursday, December 26, 2013

ASKA - NYC

This is not enough beef to satisfy anyone.
Our dearest friends Lou and Lewis from Tendo Review hosted our review of ASKA in fabulous Brooklyn, NY. Although I'm no expert on foraging or Scandinavia, I really enjoyed my meal. In particular I liked the 1023029 different drinks that were served with each baby course. You can read the full review below at the Tendo Review website.

PGHHH ASKA Review on Tendo Review

Aska on Urbanspoon

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Pleasure Bar




Greens keep me regular.

My anglo grandmother always used to pronounce the word Italian "I-talian." She'd say things like, "a real I-talian lady made this pasta sauce, so you know it is going to be good." I don't know if that is a Pittsburgh thing or just something old-timers do.

Pleasure Bar is one of those old school I-talian institutions keenly ingrained in the psyche of Pittsburgh residents. It is kind of an odd spot for happy hour. The bar is well lit, clean and well staffed - there was no music playing in the background. The patrons consisted of old men reading newspapers, goombas in track suits eating various lasagnas and squirrelly looking women that probably used to do your cousin Vinny in the back seat of his Camero.

The happy hour isn't a great deal - fifty cents off every drink. However, the place was crowded so I guess they don't need to give large discounts. I always forget that some people like to go to nice places that don't smell like Satan's ashtray dumped in a urinal. 

I thought the food was slightly above average. I really enjoyed the fried Italian greens pictured above! It was a much larger dish than I was expecting for six dollars. Delicious greens sauteed in olive oil sprinkled with bits of prosciutto - I added hot sausage but you also have the choice of adding sweet sausage or beans.

These block me up.

These hand breaded provolone sticks weren't bad either. Provolone sticks are where it's at - mozzarella sticks are for paupers. The amount of sauce they gave me was kind of absurd. I hate wasting all of that sauce.  Everything else I tried was rather disappointing. The chicken parm just didn't pop. And the one item I was really excited for, the Italian eggroll, just didn't do it for me either. It was entirely lacking in texture and flavor. If I want I-talian in the dirty-burgh, I'm going to Stagioni or Storms. I'd like to add Alla Famiglia to that list, but no one will take me. (This is a Christmas hint to my girlfriend who doesn't read my blog.)

Pleasure Bar on Urbanspoon

Monday, November 25, 2013

Mad Mex - the History and Allure of the Gobblerito

THE BEAST
Somehow, I've never had a Gobblerito. Sticking an entire Thanksgiving dinner in a burrito seems counter-intuitive, but I have to admit it was delicious. As you can see from the picture, this thing is a real beast. My dining companion did not finish her Gobblerito.

The Mad Mex Gobblerito consists of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing and a fine slathering of gravy. They also serve some mediocre cranberry sauce on the side! I enjoyed the presentation and I felt that the ingredients were well proportioned. Personally, I would have enjoyed less potatoes, but I also seem to be the guy who has the least potatoes on his Thanksgiving plate. I'm sure others would find the proportions appropriate.

 Based on some very brief internet research, it appears that these things are only available in Pittsburgh. This does not shock me as we are a very fat city obsessed with portion size. Urbandictionary.com credits Mad Mex with the creation of the Gobblerito and also offers this secondary definition for the term.  "Gobblerito" The action of jizzing into a borritto before tricking your friend into eating it. Example: Mr. Feeny pissed me off so I gave him a Gobblerito. Well, that sounds neat. Thanks Urbandictionary.

Never surrender.
This is how much of the Gobblerito I was able to consume before I was full. However, I went on to house the entire thing. Two hours later, it would be an understatement to say that I had buyer's remorse. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this concoction was invented by Mad Mex's Kitchen Manager, Matt Glick. Here's to you Mr. Glick, thanks for the diabetes!


Mad Mex on Urbanspoon

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Buckhead's Saloon

POTACHOS
For quite sometime I went to Buckhead's every Tuesday night. They used to have this remarkable special where you could order twelve-ounce draft beers for twenty-five cents. They would only let you order three at a time, so we devised a scheme. Five of us would rotate ordering drafts and rotate bartenders. We'd hide our beers out of sight in the back of the bar until we amassed roughly 80-100 beers. Needless to say, they eventually caught on and ended the special. It was the first time I played a part in ruining a bar special. The dream is now dead. I'm relegated to spending a dollar-fifty on Blue Moons at 1311 on Tuesdays.

In all my days drinking at Buckhead's, I never tried the food. I think I may have had some cold chicken wings out of a chaffing dish once, but I'm pretty sure I never ordered anything. I genuinely expected to have to write a terrible review of a menu item that was simply listed as, "potachos." Imagine how shocked I was when they actually turned out to be a rather delicious snack.

Fresh cut potato chips slathered in bbq sauce and nacho cheese with a fine dusting of bacon. While I'm not exactly proud to admit that I consumed this dish, it was pretty damned good.  The textures and flavors worked together harmoniously. Exactly the type of snack you would want if you were attempting to consume 80-100 twelve-ounce draft beers or if you love NASCAR or hunting. My main complaint is that the kitchen fan must not have been working because my jacket smelled like potacho grease and hot trash for at least five days following my visit to Buckhead's.

Buckhead's can be a fun Pittsburgh bar to visit. They host all sorts of events, there's tons of space, they have all sorts of dead animals on the walls and the bartenders are cute. But there's something about the vibe of Station Square that makes you feel like you're trapped somewhere between the 1990's and 2004.

Buckhead Saloon on Urbanspoon

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Fanattics - Squirrel Hill

TACO PIZZA

The crazy lady bartender at Fanattics told me that they want to close Fanattics and turn it into a fancy craft beer bar. (I'd like to note that they chose to spell the word fanatic as fanattic and I am a learned man.) I used to like craft beer bars. Now I realize that there are just too many of them popping up and I really don't like many of the beers they offer anyhow. When did dive bars and juke joints go out of style? Why do I need fancy beer when I can get Yuenglings for $1.50 each at Fanattics? That's roughly four to six Yuenglings for the price of one cheap craft beer.

At a craft beer bar I typically expect a bunch of dumb shit on an illegible menu written on a chalkboard like wraps, some dish containing the words "thai" and "salad," and $26 hot dogs. You know what I don't expect to see at a craft beer bar? Motherfucking taco pizza. This grilled taco pizza was exquisite. A great cheese blend, plenty of meat and a nice grilled crispy crust.  Taco pizza is in fact so good that it has an entire Facebook page dedicated to its resurrection. Hey Pizza Hut, Bring Back Taco Pizza

Find me one Facebook page dedicated to bringing back craft beer bars. I dare you. 


These are arguably the finest chicken wings in Squirrel Hill. Additionally, they are some of the only chicken wings I've had in Squirrel Hill. I thought the wings were obviously better than Silky's or the Squirrel Hill Cafe. Very crispy with some interesting sauce choices. I went with the spicy triple cheese and I adored them.

I don't want to go overboard with my disdain for craft beer bars. I'm just saying that if they continue to reproduce at this alarming rate there will be nowhere left for me to smoke a ton of indoor cigarettes and drink $1.50 Yuenglings.

EDITORS NOTE: Fanattics no longer exists. It is now a beer bar called the Independent. 

Fanattics on Urbanspoon

Friday, October 25, 2013

Le Mardi Gras


It is god damn Mardi Gras all year long.

If someone has not heard of Le Mardi Gras, I just assume they aren't well versed in Pittsburgh drinking culture. This is one of the best bars in the city. Their drinks are remarkably strong, easily on par with Lefty's in the Strip. As a matter of fact, I really don't recommend having more than four or five Mardi Gras cocktails. They will kick your ass.

This is one of the only bars in the city where I will walk in and just tell the bartender to make whatever whiskey drink he feels like making. I realize this might not sound like a big deal, but I have serious trust issues when it comes to bars. There are only about twenty six bars worldwide where I will even consider ordering  a Manhattan or a Martini.



SECRET SAMMIES

One of the best kept Le Mardi Gras secrets is that on Sunday they offer free food to their patrons. Even though we visited on a Thursday, the owner, Rich, was kind enough to put some food out for us. These little touches are what make Mardi Gras more than just a bar. Honestly, if it wasn't for Mardi Gras I'd petition the city to burn down Shadyside. All those nice looking couples and fancy retail stores remind of a life I will never have as a lowly Southside dumpster rat.


Here are some of my favorite Le Mardi Gras features: smoking, table top pacman, excellent juke box, fantastic bartenders, intimate seating, dark ominous ambiance and lively patrons. According to Le Mardi Gras' website they've also hosted a variety of celebrities including Rocky Marciano, Harvey Kietel, Sammy Koufax, Sam McDowell, Billy Conn, Alice Cooper, George Clooney, Russell Crowe and Ted Danson. One day I hope that I'm important enough to be added to that list right between Clooney and Cooper. One day........

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Chicken Latino


Quarter Chicken, Beans and Slaw

 

These Peruvians know their meat. The food at Chicken Latino doesn't look fancy, but it is delicious. The prices are insanely reasonable and the rotisserie chicken is very well seasoned. A quarter bird will only set you back $3.99. Throw in some yucca fries, some watery beans and some very mediocre cole-slaw and you've got a whole meal for less than ten bucks!

One of the best restaurant features is that they encourage BYOB. Nobody even batted an eyelash as we unleashed roughly four bottles of wine, two bottles of whiskey, about twenty beers and what was left of Rashan's bar. (Triple sec and bunch of crap, that's what.) However, they do close shop rather early. Get there by six or you might not even be guaranteed any delicious chicken let alone the opportunity to consume 35 drinks on premise.

There's a lot happening on the table.




The chicken itself is succulent and flavorful. A poor man's paradise. I've never ordered off of the American portion of the menu, but I can vouch for the quesadilla and the slow cooked pork. (Only available on weekends.) In general, I'd avoid the sides, the nachos and salsa and the desserts. All are reasonably priced, but entirely forgettable.

Here's a picture of some cake I wouldn't order again.


I want to add that the staff is very friendly and welcoming and the business seems to be sustained by repeat customers who pick-up chicken to take home. You won't have trouble finding a seat at the restaurant any day of the week.

Chicken Latino on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Pusadee's Garden




Street Chicken


BYOB restaurants are the best. Particularly when they serve Thai food in a scenic urban garden. I've been coming to Pusadee's Garden for many years on the recommendation of my cheap-skate little brother who loves BYOB restaurants. While I don't think the food really outshines any other particular Thai eatery in Pittsburgh, the garden setting is truly iconic and the prices are acceptable. In terms of ranking Pittsburgh Thai restaurants, I'd put Pusadee's above Niky's Thai Kitchen and slightly below Spice Island Tea House and Thai Gourmet.

Most of the dishes are entirely delicious, including the Thai street chicken pictured above. If you love lightly fried chicken accompanied by sriracha, this will be your jam. Out of the spring rolls, pork meatballs and fried tofu, this fried chicken was the star of the show. (I'd actually avoid the pork meatballs, I thought they were gross.)

In addition to the chicken, the beer provided by the Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Home-brewers (TRASH) was fantastic. For more information visit http://trashhomebrewers.org/. Chris from TRASH was kind enough to offer us a keg of Oktoberfest and a keg of his own home-brewed IPA. We were thrilled to say the least, but I think the staff of Pusadee's was a little more than surprised when we rolled in with kegs. 

Frolicking in the garden.

I highly recommend Pusadee's for a casual garden dinner or as a lovely date spot. Be sure to bring your own keg and make some time for a garden frolic.

Pusadee's Garden on Urbanspoon

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Cambod-Ican Kitchen

"There's vodka and then there's Platinum 7X" - Mark Bucklaw
Special thanks to our first host of Pittsburgh Happy Hour BYOB Month, Platinum 7X. Platinum 7X graciously donated these mini bottles of vodka for our consumption. I'm no vodka connoisseur, but I feel like clear spirits pair well with just about anything. Especially when you want to get drunk. Our goal was to do a blind taste test of Platinum 7X and the local Boyd and Blair potato vodka, but we had to settle for just the Platinum 7X. Again, I know nothing about vodka, but Platinum 7X was entirely smooth and palatable with a reasonable price tag. Thanks for sponsoring our event!


Cambod-Ican Kitchen is one of the few places in Pittsburgh where I knew that showing up with a sack of mini vodka bottles would not present an issue. I was first introduced to the restaurant eons ago as a young man drinking his way to certain stardom. Although they are open for dinner, Cambod-Ican really shines between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. when they are the only non-pizza late night food option in town.


Fried tofu and mixed veggies with crispy noodles.

Most late night dinner guests partake in dishes such as "cat on a stick", egg rolls or the famous seafood wantons with moon sauce. But for the eight dollars left in my pocket after a night of heavy drinking I prefer the fried tofu with crispy noodles. The tofu is done perfectly and the crispy noodles are the height of perfection. Dark and crispy, but not overly chewy with a nice sweet finishing sauce. Kind of like how the crispy noodles used to be at Lu Lu's Noodle House in Oakland before that restaurant went terribly downhill and made me want to end my life. Something dark and unspeakable happened to the quality of the food at Lu Lu's and now I'd rather eat at Panda Express. 

Kielbasa


There's a certain pleasure to dining at Cambod-Ican specifically because it is not a fine dining establishment. Rather, this is a restaurant with locks on the bathroom doors, surly drunk customers, an extremely colorful owner and a non-traditional menu. Take for example the kielbasa kabob pictured above. What could possibly be more yinzer-oriented? Where do you go for non-pizza late night food options Pittsburgh?


Lulu's Noodles on Urbanspoon Cambod-Ican Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Houlihan's - Station Square

"How's that hummus Riesa?" -L "It tastes like hummus." - Riesa
I used to eat at Houlihan's with my grandmother. I didn't have strong feelings about Houlihan's when I was five years old and today I still lack feelings towards Houlihan's. Our relationship is like that of two strangers on a dirty street car exchanging brief words over some shitty chicken strips. Corporate food has no soul.

The cuisine at Houlihan's is entirely unremarkable, but they have some good specials. Half priced drinks and discounted appetizers from 5-7.




One of my spicy happy hour models sports some spicy chicken avocado egg rolls.


I've always had issues with restaurants that offer foods inspired by every geographic area of culinary importance including Mexico, Italy, China, Japan, and Buffalo, New York. Just pick a theme and run with it. When you offer everything I automatically assume that nothing is fresh and everything is bad.

You've probably already been to Houlihan's and I'm sure you've made up your mind about the food. I won't bore you with my thoughts, so here are some of my favorite verbatum quotes from Urbanspoon regarding the Houlihan's at Station Square:

"The area around us was dusty. The shelf could have used a good cleaning. "
-Lindsey

"I enjoyed the city view as a backdrop."
-Erica

"My father got the fajitas which were flavored with teriyaki. Again, weirdly Asian."
-Nikki

"They were quick with the drinks, everyone's checks were correct, and they didn't mind us getting rather rowdy/drunk."
-Alex

"It's old, tired, and quite literally smelly."
-Patti

As you can tell from these quotes, and the issues that are important to the average Houlihan's diner, this might not be the best place to take your fancy Manhattan foodie friends. However, if you are looking to get white-girl-wasted with your brother's cousin Darryl, and gnash on some serious organic steamed pot-stickers, please indulge.

Houlihan's on Urbanspoon

Friday, August 16, 2013

Games N' At





You know when you are there.
Games N' At is one of the strangest places I've been in a long while. For example, the large sign above the entryway advertises a website that does not work. Also, the establishment is filled with hidden Easter eggs like the weird happy birthday room with a very peculiar phone booth closet with covered windows. (This is where the birthday clown takes you for your special birthday surprise.)

FOOSBALL!
I've noticed many complaints that people aren't sure what they are paying for when they come to Games N' At as some of the games cost extra money. This complaint is ridiculous. For eight dollars you get two hours worth of access to classic arcade games, pinball machines, basketball machines, foosball, air hockey, pool and console video game systems. They require you to pay extra for duck-pin bowling ($2), skee-ball, whack-a-mole and other games where you win tickets for crappy prizes that you don't want. The real deal is that Games N' At is BYOB. They charge a small amount per six pack, but they did not charge us either time for large bottles of wine and whiskey. They provide refrigerator space and a back room to drink in as well. (This way you don't feel guilty slamming wine coolers in front of young children.)

NOBODY MOVE
Most of the arcade games are the ones you might remember from your childhood if you were born in the early 1980's. Many of them have mechanical problems. We had issues with most of the shooting games, Capcom versus Marvel, the Alpine Racer game and one of the duck-pin bowling lanes.

Drinking out of the bottle at the bowling alley is great.

Because of my affection for bowling, I forget that most people don't know what duck-pin bowling is.  The games is played and scored in the same manner as normal bowling, but everything is smaller and the balls don't have finger holes. A product of the early 1900's, duck-pin bowling barely exists in real life. The few remaining duck-pin bowling alleys are mainly in the Northeast United States. There are claims that the game originated in Baltimore, but I doubt it. The only thing good to come out of Baltimore was the premise for the HBO television series, "The Wire."

This actually wasn't terrible.

The most amazing thing about the food at Games N' At was how not terrible it was. It was either because it wasn't terrible, or because I drank most of that large bottle of wine, but the food wasn't terrible. The chicken nuggets were just like the kind you were served as a child and the pizza actually wasn't bad at all. It was easily as good as Digornio or little league baseball pizza.

Here's a picture of a bunch of crappy prizes that seemed like pure gold from ages 4-12.


Games N' At on Urbanspoon

Friday, August 9, 2013

Braddock's American Brasserie

BUCKLES LOVES WINGOS

I'm not used to receiving rock star treatment when I visit Pittsburgh restaurants. Unlike the folks at Tendo Review I do not wear food blogger shirts and I try not to alert the staff to the fact that I'm silently judging their every move. This week was an exception.

Braddock's put out an incredible spread to welcome the Pittsburgh Restaurant Week food bloggers. They really went all out to impress us - and it worked. I spent a large portion of the evening discussing the direction the restaurant is headed with their new chef, Jason Shaffer. Jason is passionate about food. It is rare that I meet someone who can give me excellent suggestions as to what I need to read about the American culinary scene.
  
Sometimes I just look at skinny people and wonder if they know what they are missing.
Some of the many dishes I tried included crab cakes, mixed charcuterie and some delicious kielbasa.  Although they were all amazing, the chicken drumsticks cooked in duck fat and the lobster seafood pierogies were my absolute favorite. I'm really not a pierogie guy, but these things were so fantastic that the staff was basically forced to constantly replenish them while we stuffed our faces. Additionally, the buffalo chicken drums were a real knockout. They had been slow cooking for so long that they actually appeared to be chicken wings, but the amount of meat on the bone proved otherwise. Currently Braddock's is offering the seafood pierogies, but they won't be offering the chicken drums cooked in duck fat for another few weeks. I honestly can't wait to see what chef Jason has in store for us - I know I'll be checking in regularly.



Braddock's American Brasserie on Urbanspoon

Friday, August 2, 2013

Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille


SHRIMP
Ever since I was a young child, too young to attend happy hour, my father has been taking me to Wholey's. I can remember being barely old enough to maintain my composure in public when papa told me to wait in line for the fish sandwiches while he went grocery shopping.

 The nice Wholey's employees would always serve me these incredible over-sized piles of fish dripping in hot grease. I believe this is where I first learned that anything deep fried is delicious when covered in malt vinegar.

Later, as I grew into a shitty adult, my father would take me to Wholey's for sushi. Andy, the Wholey's sushi chef, has an immaculate sense of humor and does an amazing job slinging the sush'. At some point Mr. Wholey must have had a son named Luke. This is Luke's story.

Luke Wholey Recently opened his Wild Alaskan Grille in the Strip District. The food is god-damn-delicious. Luke graciously extended the happy hour menu for our group. Half off appetizers and discounted beers. The service was less than spectacular as they really weren't suited to accommodate our large group. But like I said, damn good food. Since we were celebrating our second anniversary as a drinking society, I decided to try mostly everything. (I'm not super proud of myself) Here's a list of what I had with my respective feelings:

Oysters and Shrimp Platter (Good)
Hand Breaded Shrimp Poppers (Meh)
½ Lb. Peel & Eat Old Bay
Jumbo Gulf Shrimp (Really good)
Smoked Whitefish Salad (Decent)
Lobster Bisque Fries (THE BEST DAMN THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD)
Mozzarella Sticks (Good)

So, if you weren't sure from the capslock, I loved the lobster bisque french fries. I had never even heard of such a thing. It seems like a basic idea. Like chili fries, but with bisque. For some reason I pictured runny bisque ruining perfectly delicious french fries. However, the fries were nice and crisp and just covered in delicious lobster claw meat. I've never understood the hype about lobster tail. The claw is where it's at.

Here's to you Pittsburgh Fine Drinking Society!







Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille on Urbanspoon

Meet The Champ


Richard E. is the Pittsburgh Happy Hour entrant for this years Liberty Mile Race. The Liberty Mile will be held on August 9 at 7:00 p.m. in downtown Pittsburgh. Although many will compete, only one racer will truly captivate the hearts of the entire city of Pittsburgh. Richard Ernsberger. For more information about the race please visit http://libertymile.org/. (They even have race day drink specials listed!)

If you want to hangout with me next Friday while Richard wins the race, I'll be at some local sud shop live tweeting the entire race with the folks from Unlock Pittsburgh. Speaking of Unlock Pittsburgh, I can't even imagine what sad hippopotamus they will be sponsoring for the Liberty Mile.



Why did you start running?
Something to do outside.
How fast can you run?
8 minute mile comfortably.
What inspires you to run?
A nice day outside.
What is your favorite place to run?
Schenley Park
What is your favorite beer?
New Castle 
What is your favorite animal?
Polar Bear
How confident are you on a scale of 1-10 that you can beat the runner sponsored by Unlock Pittsburgh? 
10 Running to beat another person’s time seems to be counter to the purpose of the fastest mile competition. It should be about making new friends and take a quick jog in nice weather down Liberty Avenue. But then again, Pittsburgh Happy Hour is a better blog than Unlock Pittsburgh, so I need to step it up to keep up appearances.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Readbeard's Downtown

DON'T LOOK AT ME WHEN I EAT CHICKEN WINGS
I think one of my favorite aspects of happy hour is that I get to try everyone's food under the pretense that it is necessary because I am one of the most important happy hour food bloggers in Pittsburgh. Throughout the course of the evening I tried Krista's pizza, Christina's sandwich, New York's pasta, Jeff's pickles and a bunch of random french fries that I stole. I can't really say that anything was particularly bad or good.

Redbeard's has a very diverse menu, but honestly, I wouldn't order anything but the chicken wings. I have to give Redbeard's credit as the chicken wings at their downtown location were identical to the wings at their Mt. Washington location - that is to say they are fantastic. I really wouldn't recommend messing around with anything else, but these dummies ordered a bunch of pasta.

Pasta is murder.

All you can eat pasta is a scam. No one can eat enough pasta to make it worth their time. Additionally, who wants to eat a bunch of dumb pasta? After one serving I basically hate the stuff. Most of these people ordered the all you can eat pasta and had one bowl of pasta. For $13.95 I estimate that you can make roughly eight pounds of pasta. So basically, you need to eat about thirty servings of pasta in order to pull one over on the restaurant. I guess $13.95 really isn't that much to spend, I just have a hard time with the concept of  "all you can eat." I don't want to find out how much I can eat. I'm a disgusting monster. To quote Louis C.K., "I don't stop eating when I'm full. The meal is not over when I'm full. It's over when I hate myself."

 Redbeard's Bar and Grill on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week PRO TIPS



Normally I limit my professional advice to fine bourbons, discounted cocktails and what style of beer to pair with chicken wings. However, the fantastic folks at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week have solicited advice regarding regarding how to approach fine dining during the week of August 12.

1) Check http://pittsburghrestaurantweek.com to make sure that your selected restaurant is actually participating this year!

2) Check your restaurant's Facebook page or Twitter to determine what special they will be offering. (If social media fails you may just have to pick up a phone, jerk.)

3) Use your basic math skills to determine if your restaurant is offering a bona fide special or just a re-purposed common menu offering.

4) Make a reservation! And fast, tables fill up quickly during Pittsburgh Restaurant Week.

5) Determine if your restaurant is BYOB and determine the applicable corkage fee. Depending on the structure of the corkage fee you may wish to bring one fancy bottle of wine or an entire thirty rack of natural light. Some restaurants just charge one blanket fee while others charge per bottle or per glass. Plan accordingly.

Natty Light = Office Romance


6) Call that girl/guy from the office, class, coffee shop or wherever. Woo her/him with your in-depth sensuous knowledge of the menu offerings of your chosen restaurant. Even if you don't get laid, the food should be pretty good.
  

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Silky's - Squirrel Hill

WINGOS
What do you call a restaurant with terrible service, great food and a decent atmosphere? Silky's! Don't get me wrong, I like Silky's. I really enjoyed myself. But here are some of the fun things we endured. The bartender asked for my name no less than seven times while charging for drinks. Each drink took roughly ten minutes to order. When my friend Ralph Larson tried to close his tab he said, "Larson." The bartender came back and said, "Carson?" he said, "no, Larson." She then walked back and said, "Jarson?" At which point he asked if that was even a real name.

 Also, I learned a new waitress trick. I saw the waitress grab beers that had been sitting around for several minutes and then stir them up with a straw so that it looked like they were freshly poured. REALLY? I'd rather have a headless beer than have my beer adulterated by some young strumpet. What Silky's lacked in service, they provided in the way of food.

Buckles enjoys some wingos.

These were not my chicken wings, but I ate some of them secret style while Buckles was out slapping the bag of meat. (This is not a euphemism, a local Redditor brought a 9lb bag of meat to happy hour and we took turns slapping it. There is a movie on Vine.) The wings were immaculate. An interesting crisp and a great flavor. They could have used more sauce, but the ranch and blue cheese provided with the wings were also very good. I'd compare the style of the wings to Gooski's in Polish Hill, but with a little less crunch.

BURGERTIME for NES.

When expatriates living in Europe bitch about not being able to get a good hamburger, this is the kind of hamburger they are talking about. This burger was succulent and delicious. Covered in blue cheese, mushrooms and bacon. I told myself I wasn't going to eat the whole thing, but then I did because of my low self esteem. Here's a picture of the bag of meat!

The heart wants what the heart wants.




Silky's on Urbanspoon