Rolands

I was surprisingly charmed by Roland's in the Strip District. The online reviews are very negative so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the sixty cent wing, clam, shrimp and oyster special was spectacular. The special runs every weekday from 3-6 and it is a really good deal. Additionally, just look at that pour on my whiskey on the rocks! I can only name a handful of bars in Pittsburgh that pour drinks like that: Lefty's, Marios and the Mardi Gras in Shadyside.

 I was late for the sixty cent happy hour special, but the manager had agreed to extend it for our group. I was very sad that they were out of oysters - as a result they gave me extra shrimp, at no charge, after some lighthearted pouting on my part.

The shrimp were fresh and delicious and the cocktail sauce had a nice kick to it. In addition to the shrimp I tried the pizza and thought it was quite good as well, especially for a seafood restaurant. The only item that disappointed me were the chicken wings. My most common complaint about wings is that they are not crispy enough or the sauce is lousy. These wings were perfectly crisp and the sauce was actually very good.They had a dry rub on them that was very salty. It was just too much flavor when coupled with the sauce. Despite the wings, I highly recommend Roland's happy hour - the snacks are cheap and the drinks flow like wine, quite literally.

They looked so good and then made me so sad.....

Do you know any other Pittsburgh bars that pour drinks like champions? Let me know.

Nakama - Pittsburgh

Nakama is a staple of the Pittsburgh sushi/fancy drink community. John K. Means, Jr. describes the bar as, "that place where really trashy Pittsburgh women wearing a ton of makeup attempt to meet sleazy fifty-something men." The food is generally good, the crowd is always jumping and the atmosphere is loud and boisterous. This was the second happy hour where we ran into mayor Luke Ravenstall. I think the mayor is secretly following our Facebook group and he is too embarrassed to join - we must be very sheik and intimidating.

Nakama has a fairly good happy hour special, all appetizers are half off. Pictured above is the Mongolian beef. This was the second time I've had the Mongolian beef in less than two weeks, it was very good. The beef was tender and flavorful and not overly salty.

These are the chicken lettuce wraps I sampled following my beef. They were just awful. I had someone next to me give them a taste to make sure I wasn't crazy. They confirmed my suspicions that the chicken tasted like kitty litter. By way of further reinforcement, another happy hour goer also ordered this dish and took one bite before declaring that she thought she was going to be sick. I've heard that this dish is generally pretty good, perhaps Nakama just dropped the ball due to the large Thursday crowd.

The food at Nakama is usually quite palatable. I've always enjoyed the sushi and every dish I've ever had other than the chicken lettuce wraps. It is easy to notice that most patrons aren't in attendance for the cuisine. Nakama is really a see-and-be-seen kind of place. The seating along the front window allows diners to show-off their elite status to other Pittsburghers.  Following my lackluster meal, Gary the dentist introduced me to a girl with the most electric fake tan I had ever seen. One of my friends had no means to describe her other than, "she looks like Simba from the Lion King."

Sushi Kim

Sushi Kim has been one of my family's favorite sushi restaurants in Pittsburgh for years. The establishment is an odd location for happy hour as there is no actual bar, only a sushi bar. I think the staff was a little confused when we gradually took over the entire sushi bar and kept demanding more sake and coors lights rather than ordering food.

Personally, if I'm going out for happy hour, I prefer to have a couple of drinks before I eat. I find the effect of  alcohol is much more pronounced before you pile on the raw fish and beef bulgogi. I started with the spider roll and I found it to be quite good. I love spider rolls because the tempura soft shell crab creates such a wonderful texture along with the rice and the seaweed. (Pro-tip, if you have friends who are afraid of sushi, start them with a spider roll as all of the ingredients are cooked.)

After everyone finished their food, I ordered my beef bulgogi, pictured above. Bulgogi is marinated Korean style barbeque. The Korean barbeque selections are what make Sushi Kim special, it is not particularly common to find a sushi restaurant carrying a large selection of authentic Korean dishes. The bulgogi was excellent, you can tell by how little was left by the time I took the picture. One thing I love about Korean barbeque is all of the side dishes. In addition to your main dish you can expect small bowls of broccoli, daikon radish, kim chi, black beans and other assorted goodies. Due to the atmosphere and limited drink selection I can't recommend Sushi Kim for happy hour, but I highly recommend stopping by for the eats.

Bites and Brews

After visiting 1947 Tavern I knew that I wanted to visit Bites and Brews. The two establishments are actually connected, but the atmosphere of Bites and Brews is much more casual.1947 Tavern is where I might take an elegant debutante out for a pimm's cup or a manhattan.  Bites and Brews is where I would take some girl I met at a video rental store while browsing through the romantic comedy section. (Please note that both of these scenarios are equally impossible as I do not know any debutantes in Pennsylvania nor do I watch romcoms.)

Bites and Brews has a rather limited menu. You can choose from a few modest appetizers, but the real attraction is the design your own pizza worksheet. I've seen these worksheet-style menus at sushi restaurants before, but I've never seen such a technique employed by a pizza shop. I really liked the approach and I think it encourages pizza creativity.

I started with the garlic knots. They weren't bad, but I do not think they were made with fresh garlic. I'm pretty sure they were just seasoned with garlic salt. The garlic knots were tasty, but fresh garlic can do wonders. (And it is good for you!)

For happy hour a small two topping pizza is only $5. This is a great deal and the pizza was pretty good. A nice crispy crust with acceptable sauce and topping proportions. If you've had a lot of pizza around Pittsburgh, I'd compare it to Montecello's or Pizza Roma's in Sewickley. I enjoyed my pizza, but the beer selection was the real crowd pleaser. I'd say that Bites and Brews had at least twenty different beers on tap, including local brews and specialty brews. If you meet that magical lady at the video rental store, make sure to show up before seven in the evening so that you can get a table and a half priced pizza.

Grant Street Tavern

The Gang at GST

You can't order food at the Grant Street Tavern. So if you intend to make dinner plans, prepare to be disappointed. However, if you are in the neighborhood, and you are in the mood for a stiff drink and some free snacks, this is your place. Wednesday through Friday the Grant Street Tavern puts out free food for patrons. I asked my friend Sara Heald (red candy-striper shirt) why and she explained that this is the food left over from lunch and the GST makes a habit of putting it out for everyone to enjoy. The few times I've been there the offerings have consisted of small finger sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, marinated cheese, meatloaf, Italian hoagies and other various bits.

The food isn't worth making a special trip for, but it is free and pretty tasty. The bar has a very strange atmosphere. It is located in the Grant building downtown, but you would think you were drinking at a desolate country bar in Venango county. The interior is dark with wood paneling, mis-matched furniture, cherry master machines and brown carpeting. The patrons are noisy and often quite excitable as the drinks at the GST are very strong. They heard our happy hour was coming and provided us with our very own chicken wings and relish plate! The wings were very good and I can't wait to go back for my next stiff drink and free snack-time.

Grille on Seventh

I really want to give Grille on Seventh a positive review. The staff was great, they even provided us with our own special happy hour deals and a number of free drinks. However, I just thought the menu was lackluster and devoid of any interesting options. It consisted of fairly standard bar food with extravagant price tags. I think this bar is able to capitalize on their prime location due to their proximity to the theater scene. In general, all of the bars in this part of town are somewhat expensive and mediocre. Apparently old people who go to the theater don't have good taste buds or financial constraints. (Who knew??)

Here are the chicken wings I ordered from Grille on Seventh. They weren't awful and the presentation in particular was quite nice, but I would have liked them to be a little crispier with some additional kick. One of the other happy hour guests thought they were plenty spicy, but they just tasted buttery to me. After Grille on Seventh we stopped by Meat and Potatoes for some dessert. I noticed they had a leg of prosciutto on the bar for serving, so I inquired. I was told, "that is an Iberian prosciutto which came from a pig that was fed nothing but truffles and chestnuts." I called bullshit and insisted the pig probably eats its own feces just like all other pigs. The server looked at me nervously and asked if I'd like to try some. I think it may have been the best prosciutto I've ever had, even if the pig did eat its own feces.

The Squirrel Hill Cafe (The Squirrel Cage)

 The Squirrel Hill Cafe, known by regulars as the Squirrel Cage, is astonishingly smokey with a dirty hipster charm. I was here on a weird date once - but I had never even thought to try the food. Everyone insisted that I just had to order the hamburger. Always the contrarian, naturally I refused.  Pictured to the right is one of the happy hour patrons enjoying a burger - it did look quite good and he woofed it down like a boss.  Also, it only costs $3.50!! You can't even get bread at some restaurants for that price.

If you've been following the happy hour the past few weeks you've noticed my obsession with cheese and charcuterie. They are the purest and most unabashed forms of flavor, just meat or cheese on a plate. Here is a picture of the Squirrel Cage cheese plate. It is not fancy, but it cost $4.75. This is less than half of what a typical cheese plate will cost you anywhere in the city. And although the ingredients weren't breath taking, I've been served dressed up cheese plates with similar ingredients for well over $10. What I can say about the food at the Cage is that you really get value for your dollar. (Notice they even gave me an entire basket of crackers, so I can't make my normal complaint that there was too much or too little bread. After finishing all the cheese we had a cracker fight.)                                                        

Cheese Plate

I've been having a difficult time deciding what to order lately. After many drinks and much comradorry I ordered the chicken wings. They were surprisingly good, crispy and very very spicy. By the fifth wing my mouth was burning like the devil and I was out of blue cheese. The wings were obviously fried on the spot, as opposed to the take out pizza restaurants and other joints that heat wings in the microwave or bake them in the oven. I have to say that I was impressed by the food for a smokey and crowded bar. You really can't beat the prices at the Squirrel Cage, probably not even by eating at home.