Lamb Fest 2022

Every year Lamb Fest just seems to get better! This year the lineup and variety of dishes were absolutely incredible. In fact, many of the dishes are so sophisticated that the average consumer of lamb could find themselves overwhelmed by the dearth of offerings. Because of the general format of the event you ought not to expect pedestrian lamb chops or lamb on a stick.

Team 1 - Made you Choose

Sometimes choice can be an amazing thing. After all, variety is the spice of life. However, when you are waiting in line trying to slam as much lamb as possible, choice can be an awful endeavor!! Team 1 made you decide which lamb dish you were going to try, you were not permitted to select both. I assume one could probably get back in line and try the other dish, but when there is so much lamb to sample, it can be difficult to find the time.

Team 2 - Lamb Pizza

Team 2 made a lamb pizza that made me want to die. I thought they did a fantastic job of making a dish that was both delicious and freshly prepared. (Many of the teams are able to do a significant amount of their work ahead of the festival in prepartion.) These folks were busting their butts slaving over a hot pizza oven for the duration of the event.

Team 3 - Lamb Offal

This was probably one of the most underrated dishes of the entire event. They killed it while using everyone's least favorite part of the lamb. For more on my love of offal check this piece out about the organ dinner hosted by Fet Fisk at Dish. https://www.pittsburghhappyhour.com/2020/01/dish-organs.html

Team 5 - Lamb Pierogi, Cookie

While some iteration of this team has made the cookie at almost every Lamb Fest I can remember, this years cookie was better than ever. The lamb pierogi was the perfect vehicle for a nice lamb punch to the face.

Team 6 - Lamb Curry

Not all of the dishes we tried really seemed to feature lamb. While the curry offered by Team 6 had a wonderful spice balance, and was buttery and rich in flavor, the pieces of lamb were quite small and the lamb itself almost felt like an afterthought.

Team 8 - Vegetarian Lentil Seitan

While this dish was flavorful, it was entirely lacking in lamb.  Do better.

Team 9 - Bahn Mi - Previous winners

These folks were the previous winners of last years lamb festival. Their Bahn Mi was absolutely beautiful with perfect texture and balance of flavors. The sandwich was very bright and the pate was absolutely amazing. This may have been the best dish of 2022. 

Team 10 - Lamb Noodles 

I'm sure you've noticed by now that I tend to complain when one of the dishes does not have enough lamb. This dish featured a decent amount of lamb and a very deep lamb bone flavor. However, the noodles themselves lacked texture and mouthfeel. While this was a solid attempt it ended up being underwhelming in terms of the execution of the overall dish.

Team 11 - Lamb Corndog

I would actually put the corn dog prepared by Team 11 in last place, even behind the vegetarian dish that did not contain lamb. The corn dog itself was a soggy disappointment. One of those rare instances where you wish you had saved stomach capacity.

Unfortunately there are a number of teams I was not even able to comment on at this years festival, by 2:20 some vendors had run out, by 3 many were out. However, it was a spectacular event and we all left feeling quite full and lamb drunk.

Lamb Fest 2021 - South Side Works

 

Some of the Lamb

Lamb Fest is easily one of the top food events in Pittsburgh. This year the event was better than ever. The South Side works turned out to be a perfect venue as it allowed for a very generous lamb flow. In previous years some of the other venues were a little tight and lines seemed to overflow into the thoroughfares surrounding the event. Due to covid concerns it was wonderful to have some additional space at this years event. Our group never had a difficult time finding a nice quiet table to enjoy our lamb and honestly we barely even had to wait in line to try the majority of the dishes.

In particular the VIP lounge was an awesome touch this year. The VIP tickets provided unlimited drinks, a private indoor dining area, a number of awesome sweets and even a very generous Larimer's gift card.

Pictured above is some bozo we saw eating lamb soup cooked by Team 5: The Northwest Shredders. Also pictured are the lamb fat donuts and lamb sausage cooked by Team2: Sheared Excellence and finally one of my favorites, the lamb sloppy jo cooked by Team 9: Average Jo's.

 

MORE LAMB

 

Now let's get down to the brass tax. Ranking this years contestants.  There were so many awesome dishes that it was nearly impossible to rank them. However, I managed to do it anyhow. The teams that placed towards the end of my list shouldn't be disappointed in the results. Their dishes were truly fantastic, much of my rankings were based on personal preferences. Everything I tried at the event was absolutely delicious. The exception is Team 6 who ran out of lamb an hour into the event. I didn't get to try their dish; you really need to learn to pace yourselves boys.

Lamb Rankings 2021

1st Place	Team 7 - Lamb Lettuce Wrap
2nd Place	Team 5 - Shredded Pancake Lamb Stew
3rd Place	Team 4 Lamb Croquette
4th Place	Team 9 - Lamb Sloppy Jo's
5th Place	Team 3 - Lamb Quesabirra
6th Place	Team 1 - Lamb Neua Gae
7th Place	Team 2 - Lamb Dog and Donut
8th Place	Team 8 - Terrine
9th Place	Team 6 - DNF

 Below I've described each dish for your pleasure.

Team 1 - f-f-f-f and a nice chianti - Lamb Neua Gae

This was similar to the lamb lettuce wrap but served in Belgian endive which tends to be somewhat bitter. I heard many of the guests at the event describe the dish itself as bitter, but I would imagine they just aren't accustomed to eating Belgian endive. The dish had a varied texture which added depth. The flavor in general seemed unbalanced and was lacking but it had an awesome spice level. It had one of the best spice levels of any dish at the contest and the team used the entire animal in preparing their dish which is something I appreciate. Word up to my main man Don.

 

Lamb Dog

Team 2 - Sheared Excellence - Lamb Dog and Donut

I have to give Team 2 bonus points for having so many wonderful dishes when all the other contestants only offered one dish. They had a delicious jerky that was loaded with flavor, a lamb donut and also a lamb sausage which was delicious and paired extremely well with feta, onions and cucumber. I felt the sausage was a bit too bread heavy. The donut made a nice presentation but overall was a bit underwhelming.

Team 3 - Slamb Let the Boys be Boys - Lamb Quesabirra

 I absolutely love quesabirra. While I've generally only had the dish prepared with beef, lamb is perfect as well due to the high fat content. Also, the house made tortilla was fantastic. The dish had a great texture and plenty of meat, but it felt like it lacked salt and it was also a bit difficult to eat as the tortilla was lacking in integrity. 

Soju was a member of Team 3 - in case you missed it the owner of Soju had an amazing rant on social media earlier this year explaining his food prices and touching on the topic of what it means to offer authentic food. While the tortilla may have been lacking in integrity no one can say the same about Soju or the other members of Team 3.

Lamb Croquette

     

Team 4: Casa Vandal - Lamb Croquette

Someone get these guys a bigger deep fryer! Team 4 was the only team that continuously had a line throughout the event. This was because they were individually deep frying croquettes in a deep fryer designed for home use. Due to the process involved each croquette came out piping hot and delicious. I also loved the tangy dipping sauce accompanying the dish. I thought this dish was beautiful but I also felt it could have done a better job featuring the lamb. Shout out to my man Joey.

Team 5 - Northwest Shredders - Shredded Pancake Lamb Stew

Honestly this was probably my favorite dish of the day, but I ranked it second because I almost felt like they were cheating. This stew was absolutely remarkable. Just loaded with flavor and amazing ingredients. The stew featured a ton of tofu, an amazing broth and tender delicious lamb. Again, the lamb almost seemed like an afterthought which is why I ranked them second. Each bowl of stew was customizable and included red pepper, cilantro and pickled garlic as possible options. The day of the event was a bit cold and dreary and this was the perfect dish for such a day. A+++ work. 

Team 6 - The Under dogz - Pure Lamb

The Under dogz were definitely under dogs as they totally blew it. I made the mistake of waiting to try their dish last. Just one hour into the competition they had run out of lamb and closed shop. I told chef Roger Li that I expected more. I'm sad to rank them last, but I didn't even get to try their dish. Lamb is just like sex or a buffet, you need to pace yourself. If you haven't  checked out Parlor Dim Sum by Chef Li I highly recommend that you do. His dim sum boxes are fantastic.

Lamb Lettuce Wrap

Team7 - Wood Fire - Lamb Lettuce Wrap

This was what I considered the best dish of the competition. It was perfectly seasoned and balanced and they did a remarkable job of featuring lamb as the main ingredient. The pomegranate added a magnificent crunch and wonderful texture. I could eat this everyday.

Team 8 - Lambaholics - Terrine with Condiments

Honestly, if it had been a hot day I think this might have been my favorite dish. The terrine itself was absolutely fantastic and loaded with flavor. However, the presentation left a lot to be desired and it just wasn't an ideal dish for a cold rainy day.

Lamb Sloppy Jo

Team 9 0 Average Jo's - Lamb Sloppy Jo's

The lamb sloppy jo was also one of my favorite dishes of the day. The brioche bun was very good and the creme fraiche added a nice balance to the lamb mixture. My only complaint is that the lamb to bread ratio was a bit skewed and I could have used a little more lamb or a little less bread.

If you like lamb you had better get a ticket to next years event. The Western PA Lamb Festival does an amazing job of showcasing not only the versatility of lamb but also the talents of some of the best chefs in the city. It's lamb heaven. 

SPICE IT UP

 

 

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Jean Louis - Dormont

Jean Louis - Pork Bread Mushrooms Sweets

Jean Louis was one of the best culinary treats that I had the pleasure of experiencing this year. I know what you might be thinking: why would you expect exquisite French cuisine in Dormont?

But you should! Chef Vincent Capuano trained extensively in France but he has all the sensibilities and quirky qualities you could expect from any chef raised in McKees Rocks.  His approach to French dining is totally lacking in pretension. He came across as warm, honest and humble. But his food was remarkable and displayed the qualities that you might expect from a much more unyielding chef.

Octopus

Our first course was octopus which was extremely fitting as it was the very first dish that Chef Vincent learned to cook. I love octopus and this was some of the best octopus that I have ever tried. It was remarkably tender, well seasoned and served with gorgeous accoutrements. If you could only try one dish at Jean Louis, I would say try the octopus. Based on the article that the City Paper ran it would seem that everyone agrees with me. 

Crab Cake

 

Our next dish was this spectacular crab cake. It was entirely unique from any crab cake I've tried as it was not breaded or heavily fried and the dish itself really featured the richness and quality of the crab.  It was almost like a delightful warm crab salad. They used jumbo lump crap from Ecuador. It is worth noting that jumbo lump crab meat is not usually used in crab cakes because it is the more expensive part of the crab. Thanks Jean Louis! 

Pasta With Musrooms

Our next course was the burrata pappardelle with these remarkable mushrooms. When I expressed interest in the mushrooms Chef Vincent actually sent out his sous chef with this absolutely gorgeous box of assorted fresh mushrooms. I'm a huge mycology guy, that's to say - I get really excited about fungus.

Did you know that Kennett Square in Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of the world? Those lunatics produce over 500 million pounds of mushrooms a year, nearly half the US crop.  With recent changes in legislation in Oregon and other parts of the country I would say that Pennsylvania has a great opportunity to cultivate all sorts of mushrooms.

Foie Gras

Throughout the evening we really found the presentation of each dish to be spectacular. This foie gras is the perfect example. I personally adore foie gras. The rich texture lends itself to so many delightful applications.

I find it outrageously silly that there is a move to ban foie gras in some parts of the world such as New York. Despite what the psychos at PETA might think, not all production of foie gras is unethical. In fact many farms are quite transparent about how they treat the geese that are used in the production of foie gras and I would venture to say that if you have a problem eating foie gras you probably shouldn't be eating meat at all. (Disclaimer, I have no disrespect whatsoever for vegetarians. Personally I subscribe to Kantian ethics when it comes to the treatment of animals. The only thing that I find infuriating is when people decide that it is more ethical to eat some animals or some parts of animals than other animals. What a bunch of fucking hypocrites.)

Some of the other dishes we really enjoyed included the scallops and the desert pastries. Personally I would say you can skip the pork belly. It's quite obvious that the staff here takes great care in selecting quality ingredients. Overall this is a remarkable restaurant. I would highly recommend stopping by to pay Chef Vincent a visit.

 

Fet Fesk - Round Two

The Precious

Fet Fisk has previously been a traveling act, but for a while earlier this year they found a temporary home at Pear and Pickle in Troy Hill. Back in October I had the opportunity to check out Fet Fisk at Dish Osteria for a spooky meal comprised of various offal. It was just fantastic.

I had the pleasure of visiting Fet Fisk again at Pear and Pickle in early 2020. I was scheduled to dine with them again in March, but unfortunately their regular dinners been on hiatus due to COVID. I've been telling anyone who will listen that I believe Fet Fisk is one of the most unique culinary experiences that Pittsburgh has to offer.

Some of my favorite dishes from the evening included the soft omelet with gravlax, the fish head soup, the fishmongers lunch with smoked mussels, scallop, octopus and salt cod. It was just a wonderful array of perfectly prepared seafood. We honestly tried everything on the menu.

As our oysters arrived I asked if it was possible to have some mignonette or cocktail sauce. The waiter came back and told me that the chef said that any additional sauce was forbidden! I know that a lot of people might be offended, but I personally think it is great when the chef tells you how to enjoy something exactly as it is intended.

Within the last few weeks Fet Fisk has opened their Royal Market featuring some really amazing looking smogasboards.  They should also have some additional offerings as they get acclimated to their new space, how exciting.

Sheetz Unviels New Hop Dog Beer with Neshaminy Creek Brewing

HOT DOG

This post was brought to you by Sheetz in collaboration with Pittsburgh Happy Hour.

Just last week Sheetz unveiled their brand new beer, "project hop dog." This was the second time I had the opportunity to attend the unveiling of a Sheetz collaboration, and they really are a ton of fun.

Sheetz worked with Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company to produce this remarkable hot dog inspired beer. I would describe the hop dog as being salty and subtly hoppy with a great finish that really does remind you of a hot dog. While they claim it doesn't actually taste like hot dogs, I swear that it does!

My favorite part of the launch event was when one of the members of the Sheetz family referred to Sheetz hot dogs as "death dogs." Ha! 

I love Sheetz food, but instead of their hot dogs I usually go with an MTO chicken sandwich with about 14 different toppings. My go to toppings are pickles, banana peppers, jalepenos, sauteed onions, raw onions, lettuce, tomato, boom boom sauce, habenero sauce and extra cheese. It's a real mess but totally worth it.

For the next few weeks you will be able to get a hop dog at most Sheetz locations throughout the state while supplies last. For a full list of participating locations, visit www.Sheetz.com/beerproject. I highly recommend grabbing a sixer if you like IPAs as this unique beer will not be around long.

Launch Event

Thank you to Sheetz and Neshaminy for putting together an amazing event! They've provided some additional information below.

About Sheetz, Inc.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America's fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains with more than 20,000 employees. The company operates 600 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of M•T•O® sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Sheetz is committed to offering employees sustainable careers built on an inspiring culture and community engagement. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on Twitter (@sheetz), Facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/sheetz).

About Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company is an award-winning craft brewery and taproom located just north of Philadelphia in Croydon, PA where they use their DIY ethic to make great tasting beer that challenges both their drinkers and brewers. Founded in 2010 by Jeremy Myers, Rob Jahn, and Steve Capelli, Neshaminy Creek has grown exponentially over the years and expanded distribution across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and New York. In 2017, Neshaminy Creek opened their brewpub, The Borough Brewhouse, in Jenkintown, PA which features a full bar, kitchen, and exclusive beers from Head Brewer, Jason Ranck. For more information, visit www.neshaminycreekbrewing.com, like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/neshaminycreekbrewing), follow us on Twitter (@ncbcbeer) and Instagram (@neshaminycreekbrewingco).

Restaurant Week 2020 - How I Roll

Some of my treasures.

Restaurant week is amazing. For years Brian has been putting together a heck of an event and this year he brought back the special food blogger dinner. Three courses at Bonfire in the Southside prior to the start of restaurant week: the raw deal (tuna tartare with pureed black beans) wagyu meatloaf and a fancy hazelnut chocolate crunch dessert.

Overall it was an absolutely fantastic meal, but I do not understand why you would use wagyu beef to make meatloaf. C'est la vie.

We also stopped by Or the Whale. Their prices have become more reasonable since they opened and they served up some fantastic seafood chowder along with fire roasted chicken with broccoli and potatoes.

Also pictured is Piper's Pub Sunday Supper. A generous serving of roast beef with mashed potatoes, yorkshire pudding and roasted brussels. (They actually serve this meal every Sunday and it was not part of Restaurant week.)

Finally, the Carlton has become my absolute favorite option for restaurant week. I visited for both lunch and dinner as unlike many other participating establishments they serve a different lunch and dinner menu for restaurant week. I'm talking shrimp, I'm talking short ribs, I'm talking kung pao  chicken. Pure bliss.

I also dropped by the Capital Grill, but their salmon was just OK. I simply adore those fancy uniforms the waiters wear though.

SYN Bar & Bistro

Taco Pizza and Pizza Taco

Pappa always told me, son, "You gotta chase that unicorn." Syn is a unicorn, a beautiful creature simply not destined for this world. Until I visited Syn I had absolutely no idea that Mexican-Italian fusion was a thing. According to Allrecipes there are actually a ton of Mexican-Italian fusion dishes I had never even considered such as spaghetti tacos and Italian nachos, barf.

When I walked into Syn it was nearly empty and I asked the bartender if he would prefer an hola or a buon giorno. He stated that a simple hello would suffice. I was underwhelmed by his lack of enthusiasm. The space is enormous. It used to house the old Sharp Edge Bistro. I have to say, I'm glad that the various Sharp Edge locations throughout the city are closing. They are dated and the food is gross.

I walked into Syn expecting an opportunity to write a terrible review. After all, it is difficult to master one variety of cuisine, let alone Mexican-Italian fusion. I spent about an hour trying to figure out what to order that would really fuck them up. I went with the Mexican Pizza and the Pizza Taco.

I was shocked. The pizza was fantastic. Great crust, lovely Mexican toppings. Second only to the Italian taco, just a wonderful treat filled with meat, cheese and that Sunday gravy.  They really blew me away, I was astounded by how good the food was. It is worth mentioning that their happy hour is also pretty decent:

Monday - Friday
4:30-6:30

$4 Margaritas
50% OFF ALL Craft Drafts
$5 Glasses of Wine
$5 Chips & Queso

Ghosts

This is where they hide the ghosts.

This is where they keep the donuts.

Sly Fox

Don't get the chips.

Sly Fox is a dump. Their beer is just awful, their food is gross and you need a door code in order to use the restroom. If I wanted to use a door code to access the restroom I would hang out in a public park in Europe. Shame on you Sly Fox.

Pictured above are the world famous Sly Fox "chips and salsa." For only $5 (or $2.50 during happy hour) these delicious chips could be all yours. We are talking about some Costco bargain chips served with roughly 2oz of flavorless salsa and way too much sour cream. I cannot earnestly recommend these chips and salsa, even at the happy hour price point. 

Happy hour at Sly Fox really isn't a bad deal as all of the appetizers and beer are discounted. However, everything kind of sucks so it isn't really a good deal either. Rashan had this sausage for $9. He said it wasn't awful, but I thought it was odd that they couldn't be bothered to bring him silverware or napkins with his meal.

The hefeweizen I tried tasted like bubblegum and the stout I tried was similarly lackluster. I think they should just stop making beer and sell Miller Lite.

The saddest thing about this whole ordeal is that Sly Fox is apparently opening a second Pittsburgh location right by my house. I hope that they learn how to make beer before they open the doors.

I usually agree with City Paper. Their review of Sly Fox says, "Go to the Sly Fox at the Point for the craft beer that’s been around since 1995. Don't expect much from the food." I would politely add that you should also not expect very much from their craft beer.

Mad Mex - Shadyside

Three sizes of inconsistent margarita specials.

When your grade school teacher told you that math would be important throughout your life, she was not a liar. Mad Mex in Shadyside runs a daily happy hour from 4:30 until 6:30 that features margaritas and discounted drafts. I immediately noticed that the margarita pricing was wildly inconsistent.

I've done the math for you below so that you won't have to bother, but it makes the most sense to order the smallest size margarita. The special has diminishing returns as you order the larger sized margs. The three different sizes of glasses and the advertisement for the special are pictured above. It's worth noting that they don't even tell you the size of the "Big Azz Margarita" - but I'm pretty certain that is a 22 oz glass. What a fucking scam.

$3 12 oz   - 25 cents per ounce
$5 16 oz - 31 cents per ounce
$7 Big Azz margarita - 22 oz - 32 cents per ounce

My friend Paul provided the plausible explanation that even with this knowledge some folks might still be inclined to order the larger size so as to be considerate of the staff. I personally recommend that you just order two 12 oz margaritas at a time so that you are getting the best rate.

A few notes about Mad Mex, they offer half off all drafts during happy hour. Unlike several clown bars around town whose beer selection consists of 42 different IPAs, Mad Mex usually has at least a few different styles of beer to choose from. 

I highly recommend the boneless chicken wings. Mad Mex is one of the few places in town that has a bonafide de-boned chicken wing as opposed to a sauced up chicken tender.

Fet-Fisk - Organi Osteria - Dish

Organi Osteria

I'm starting to think that I've lost relevance as a food blogger. After all, food blogs haven't been popular since 2010. It would seem that podcasts and vlogging are the wave of the future. (I'm not even sure the kids call it vlogging anymore.)

The perfect proof of my insignificance is that I've somehow never heard of Fet-Fisk.  Fet-Fisk is a testament of the Pittsburgh restaurant scene transformation. They are a pop up dinner collaborative that takes place at an undisclosed location semi-regularly.  I also do not believe that they disclose the menu prior to their events.


From their site:

"we are not a restaurant. we are a group of friends who currently work in or have worked in restaurants, and we are kind of bummed on restaurants.

we are a group of friends who want to bring other groups of friends together over delicious food, so we throw pop-up dinner parties.

our dinner parties are recurring, and one-of-a-kind. our location changes. unique to each event, our menus highlight fresh seafood and regional produce.

it is important to us for our food to be valued accessibly, and to include satisfying options for diets and restrictions. delicious food is important at FET-FISK.

FET-FISK means ‘greasy-fish’ in swedish"

I'm shocked that these guys could slip under my radar for so long. I really mean it when I say that I must not be cool anymore. Special thanks to my friend Katie for making me cooler. After taking a peek at their Instagram, it appears that Fet-Fesk has been around for about one year.

The Fet-Fisk I had the pleasure of attending was at Dish Osteria and was an all organ/offal dinner titled, Organi Osteria.  Although they have been closed the last couple of years, Dish recently reopened their doors in the historic South Side of Pittsburgh. I highly recommend checking them out, their food is fantastic.

In total we were served nine highly unique courses for $85. Honestly it was not a bad deal but it got expensive quickly as the drinks at Dish were about $10 a pop. Also, we ended up having quite a few drinks as the dinner was slow! The dinner was supposed to run from 7-10 pm but it ran past 11 pm. I'm not a European, I don't like 4 hour dinners.

Some of the amazing dishes we got to try incorporated  head cheese, eyeballs, gonads, tendon, heart, blood and liver. This was not a dinner for the faint of heart and both the menu and the location were not disclosed ahead of time. I've posted the full menu below for your viewing pleasure.

My favorite courses were numbers 8, 4 and 6. Respectively, veal brains with tagliatelle, brown butter and iberian pepper - beef heart with foccacia and bitter greens and calf liver with guanciale and potato.   I can't wait to go party with these folks again.

Full Menu

Western PA Lamb Cook-Off 2019

ALL OF THE LAMB

Lamb Fest has grown massive within such a short span of time! From humble beginnings the Western PA Lamb Cook-Off is now an all out lamb extravaganza. By my count there were over 20 different lamb dishes you could sample. Unlike in previous years, vendors were extremely well stocked and there was no rush to try and get to all 10 stations. Guest chefs included:

Jennifer Girasole (Girasole), Jessica Lewis (Spirits & Tales), Kristin Butterworth (Lautrec), Julio Peraza (Floor 2 at Fairmont Pittsburgh), Will Randall (Meat & Potatoes), Justin Steel (Bar Marco), Chris O'Brien (Scratch Food & Beverage), Brian Hammond (Siempre Algo), Curtis Gamble (Station), Jon Sterrett (Senti), Derek Burnell (Round Corner Cantina and Umami Pgh), Roger Li (Umami Pghand Ki Ramen Pgh), Dan Kern (1201 Kitchen, Bird and Noosa in Erie), Lily Tran (Soba), Sam DiBattista (Vivo Restaurant). Dom Branduzzi (Piccolo Forno and Grapperia), Justin Severino (Morcilla), Michele Savoia (Dish Osteria and Bar), Anthony Falcon (Gaucho Parrilla Argentina) and Nate Hobart (Morcilla). For more on the participants see PRNewswire.


I have to say that I was slightly disappointed by the judges. Usually I think the professionals get it right, but based on my tastes I just have to disagree. I've posted the top three winners below. By and large the judges tended to favor the chefs who made tacos.

In particular I thought that Team 7 was overrated this year and I'm saddened that they are now the three time champions. I just could not get on board with their Lamb Robtaaki (lamb kebabs with various offal.) However, their taco was one of the better ones presented at the event.

Personally, I thought the best dish of the day was the delicate lamb dumpling presented by Team 1. It was perfectly seasoned and just did such a nice job of showcasing the delicious lamb.

This is a top notch Pittsburgh culinary event. I would highly recommend it to anyone! This years winners are posted below.



Team 7:
Roger Li Umami Pgh & Ki Ramen Pgh
Dan Kern of 1201 Kitchen Noosa North East & Bird
Derek Burnell of Round Corner Cantina & Umami Pgh
AKA The Most Hated Players took home the 1st place title for their third year in a row. This undefeated team served three different lamb dishes including
- Lamb Robatayaki
- Lamb Tacos
- Crispy Lamb

Team 5:
Chris O’Brien of Scratch Food & Beverage
Josh Ross of Con Alma
Julio Peraza of Floor 2
David Devoss of Sewickley Tavern
Took second place with Barbacoa Lamb Tacos

Team 8:
Kristen Butterworth
Patrick Duffy
Kareen Brown
Kylie Zaccagni
Team Nemacolin Woodlands Resort come in 3rd with their
Braised Lamb Leg Tacos and their adorable Lamb Fat, Sugar Cookies

Penn Brewery First Ave Taproom and Kitchen

Want to talk about an unmitigated disaster?! Let's talk about Penn Brewery's new Taproom downtown. So I spent several weeks talking with one of their employees in order to setup an extended happy hour. He said it would be no problem to extend their specials until 7pm. On the day of the event he was a no show and the manager said the offer to extend could not be honored. The manager said that his computer system would not allow him to extend the special. (We've actually heard this a variety of times from other establishments.) What a disappointment.

If you manage to make happy hour the special includes $2 off all drafts and $6 wings and pretzels. The meat plate, pictured above, wasn't half bad.  The Taproom only serves Penn Brewery products, they also had an Arsenal Cider on tap.

The manager was very nice and the staff was very helpful as well.  However, I never got the chicken wings that I ordered. I tried one of my friend's wing and it wasn't particularly good, so I decided to just let it go. At least they didn't try to charge me for the wings that I never received.

Overall, it is a very nice bar even though it is small and located in an odd space. I'd recommend waiting to visit until they get a bit more settled. It took them too long figure out our tabs at the end of the evening, I think they just aren't well situated for larger groups at the moment.

These were the bad wings.

Sheetz #projectcoffeehopz

We were fortunate enough to be invited to the unavailing of a new Sheetz product! #projectcoffeehopz is a special product release by Sheetz and Rusty Rail Brewing - they've unleashed an IPA flavored with coffee. You can now get the product at select Sheetz, more information is available here.

It was very smooth and pretty tasty! They were also kind enough to provide us with some wonderful treats. Some of our favorite dishes throughout the night were the pierogi pot stickers, the warm doughnut bites, and the crispy bacon pops. Overall it was a great event and we were very fortunate to be included! The event was hosted by J Verno Studios, check out a great video of us scaring our friend below.

Great job Sheetz and Rusty Rail! I can't wait to see what you guys think up next.

Chili Cook Off

Since I know you ingrates are only here to read the rankings and then disagree with me even though you didn't try any of the chili, I've placed the rankings at the top of this post. Please continue below to read my notes on each chili and my thoughts on the first annual South Side Chili Cook-Off. Overall, it was a great time!

Here are the rankings you ungrateful cretins. 

1. White Eagle (Chef Steven Michalak)
2. Smiling Moose
3. Rugger's Pub
4. Tiki Lounge (Community Kitchen Pgh)
5. 12 Whiskey BBQ
6. 1311
7. South Side BBQ
8. Mario's
9. The Flats
10. Casey's
11. Cupka's 2
12. Primanti's
13. Double Wide
14. Archie's
15. Steel Cactus
16. Local



1. White Eagle (Chef Steven Michalak)

So chef Steven was described to me as a traveling chef. He explained that in the past he had worked as an executive chef for Garth Brooks, among a number of other different celebs.

His chili was phenomenal. Top finest, best in show. For my money, it could have had less beans. However, he still managed to best every goon in the South Side in terms of chili quality. It is not good for our neighborhood that an outsider won the competition, but such is life.

Chef used hot sausage, ground beef and pineapple to make a remarkable chili that really stood apart from the rest. Apparently Gina, the owner of the White Eagle, is a second mother to him. What a beautiful world. 


2. Smiling Moose

Smiling Moose consistently puts out some of the best food in the South Side.  I'm always impressed that a bar that has so much going on in terms of live entertainment finds the time to put together such good food. The chef called their chili WOW chili because it makes you say WOW. It was a mixture of beef and pork with a tequila lime sour cream and a very sweet and tangy flavor profile. It had a really fantastic flavor profile, but I could not rank it number one as it was too sweet for my liking. (I understand though chef, you have to cook for the public!)






3. Rugger's Pub

The people that hang out at Ruggers and the people that work at Ruggers are my people. If I could change one thing about the South Side, I would move Ruggers closer to my home. I love them and their food is so good. They had a smoky beef chili with fire roasted tomatoes. It needed more heat, but it was great. Better than the chili you make at home, you slob.





4. Tiki Lounge (Community Kitchen Pgh)

Tiki Lounge. What a place. One time some girl tried to fuck me in the closet on the landing in between the first and second floor. I didn't put out. The same night she left me and found her current spouse. Isn't life a trip?

I wanted to rank this chili higher, it was remarkable. Top round with a mole sauce, great sized chunks of meat. The best meat in the entire competition. They made their chili with no beans, it was awesome. This was one of the finest chilis of the day. Also, they are supporting a great cause. Community Kitchen helps people transition into the workforce after incarceration. If you desire a better world, you should support them.  (Community Kitchen Pgh)



5. 12 Whiskey BBQ

Twelve Whiskey BBQ was my first stop of the tour. Their chili was wonderful, it was made with a blend of brisket and pork and it had a heavy tomato base and light beans. The server told me that it was made by his father, the proprietor of the establishment. This chili was so good it could have easily been in the top three.





6. 1311

1311 is an establishment that I've been frequenting for many years. It is one of the most fun bars in the South Side and the bartenders are great. Their chili had my favorite spice profile of the day, it was nice and hot and it left my lips tingly and warm. It was a bit heavy on the beans for my tastes which is the only reason I did not rank it higher. The types of meat used to make the chili were unknown to the bartenders.

Apparently the owner of 1311 made the chili and is a well trained cook. Kristi told me that he used to work at a restaurant called Pasta Too in Bethel Park and it is one of the best restaurants in town. Watch out ladies on dating apps, swipe right on me and you might be going to Pasta Too in the near future.




7. South Side BBQ

South Side BBQ is a real staple of the neighborhood, we've visited for happy hour in the past. They had one of the more unique dishes of the day as they were serving their smoked brisket chili with a sprinkle of optional ghost pepper dust.  The smoke flavor really came through and the ghost pepper dust added a delightful bite - it really kicked me in the nasal passage. My only complaint is that the chili was too bean heavy and my sampling cup didn't have enough meat! Bonus points for allowing guests to ring the bell if they tried the ghost pepper dust.








8. Mario's

Mario's is always a solid spot. We've been visiting them for happy hour for many years. In case you are wondering, Mario's South Side is better than Mario's East Side and we ran the math to prove it. The type of meat used in the Mario's chili was unknown to our server as the chef had left for the day. I tasted cumin and possibly hot sausage. My chili sidekick Mark described the chili as, "very conventional." He was correct.




9. The Flats

The chili at the flats was made by a bartender named Phil. When I asked Phil what type of meat he used to make the chili he simply remarked, "hamburger." It was nice and tangy, less thick and had a heavy onion base. It wasn't spicy enough and was not bad, but it wasn't great either. Pretty much the standard chili you'd expect if someone invited you over for chili.

10. Casey's

Mike made this chili, he is the owner of Casey's. It tasted heavily of BBQ sauce and more spice was needed. The types of meat used were unknown. Casey's is only ranked at number ten due to having the most handsome bartender. The chili was not good.

11. Cupka's 2

Richie, I love you dawg, but you have to work on that chili recipe. Here are some quotes I solicited from friends. "It tastes like sand." - MB "It tastes like Skyline chili, it would be better on spaghet." - KB

The chili had no bite, no flavor, no rai·son d'ê·tre. One time I left my briefcase at Cupkas I. I called the bar to let them know. I went back to pick it up, explained that I had called in and I had left my bag there. The bartender looked at a note on my briefcase and said, "story checks out." I saw the note, it said, "a guy left this here."




12. Primanti's

Primanti's served their standard chili. I'll preface by saying that I generally like their chili, but it was lukewarm when we arrived. It wasn't great, I didn't finish it. Also, too heavy on the kidney beans for my tastes. You have to show up for competition day Primanti's!!! The whole city is behind you.






13. Double Wide

Double Wide used to have great food. Once upon a time I recommended that people go there.  Oh, how giants fall. Terrible chili. The women seemed to like it though. Do you really think you can win a chili competition with vegetarian chili? I would venture to say it is possible, but not with this slop.




14. Archie's

First of all, Archie is the man. I love his chicken wings and everything I've ever been served at Archie's is awesome. However, the chili is not good.

Arch, I think your batch towards the end of the competition might have been burnt. Something was certainly off. We didn't finish our chili and we snuck out the door like shy children. Afraid to tell pap pap that the chili was bad. 





15. Steel Cactus

The only reason that Steel Cactus didn't finish dead last is that somehow their sister restaurant just barely managed to make a worse showing. This chili was both burnt and ice cold. A true disappointment. I told the hostesses that if this was how they were going to compete they might as well not compete at all as they were just making themselves look bad.

We've been to Steel Cactus before, I don't recommend it highly, but the specials are pretty good. #sadmex





16. Local

This was absolutely the worst chili of the day. It was served ice cold and was completely lacking in flavor. I could not taste any seasoning. I would compare this chili to unseasoned Italian red sauce with beans. The only reason I'm ranking this chili lower than Steel Cactus is that it was served next to a dripping ceiling and there was no indication that a chili competition was even occurring as there was not a crock-pot on site nor a dedicated server. Just 5 cups of ice cold chili sitting out under a dripping ceiling. Quite frankly, it might have been the same chili that was served by Steel Cactus as the restaurants are owned by the same folks.

I do not mind going to brunch at Local as I love their upstairs patio. However, if you've been following my posts you would know that they served me raw chicken wings several years ago. This chili gets a 0/10,

I met a couple when I started the chili competition at my second stop. They told me that they had made almost every stop but they avoided Local because they thought it would be a waste of time. They sure were right.

Overall, it was not a bad run for a first attempt by the show-runners. I have a litany of complaints I won't bore you with, but the main two are that they should have provided guests with printed hand outs of the locations and they should have ensured that participating bars weren't fucking around. Totally worth the ticket price though, great job!