Cultural Trust: Arts & Drafts

Guest Post by: Melinda Urick -http://www.30somethingtherapy.com/

Special thanks to Melinda and Alex.

I’m a sucker for a weekday happy hour, especially when it takes place near my office downtown and I can still walk home during the last moments of daylight (thanks, Daylight Savings Time). This Monday, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust hosted the first happy hour of a new series called “Arts & Drafts.” These happy hour events are meant to connect people with up and coming artists, with proceeds benefiting the organization. The purpose of the event is to help people realize downtown Pittsburgh as a vibrant work-play destination. 

Arts & Drafts admission cost $25 per person, and I purchased tickets in advance online anticipating a sell-out (for this night, there were some tickets still available at the door; I don’t anticipate that happening again). Held at The Cabaret at Theater Square, the ticket price included light bites and two free drafts (or cocktails, for those of us non-beer drinkers) AND a one-year Partners membership to the Cultural Trust (which can get you discounts at future shows and other member benefits and invites to other cool parties (and I’m pretty sure I received some other “freebies” coupons in my membership packet).

The space was immediately energized from the lively electronic-meets-jazzy local group Beauty Slap – a trombone and trumpet quartet complemented by a lead guitarist and DJ-like production and mixing. Even more awesome: while the band played, live art was created on-stage in the background courtesy of Baron Batch – an impressive and colorful piece was later raffled off to a patron. 

Batch also spontaneously painted one of the musician’s jackets. These two elements together (and you know, the “drafts” part of the theme) made for a seriously fun happy hour. The Cabaret space is great for this type of event too, aside from having to get my drinks at the bar. Tables were set up around the perimeter of the space with a substantial place for dancing in the center – too bad the crowd didn’t use it much until the encore. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely thinking about dancing. But you know, Mondays.

Appetizers were provided by Mad Mex and looked to be heavy on the salsas but there were a few other chafing dishes of food available; unfortunately, I was preoccupied with redeeming my drink tickets among the crowds gathering at the Backstage Bar and pretended not to see the growing buffet line behind me. Maybe a better placement for the food next time?

I look forward to checking out upcoming A&D events to see how well the Trust combines art and music (and, naturally, the drinking) for growing its membership base. 

Links to other #pghGBE posts below!

The AP Collection // Lucy Quin  // Beezus Kiddo // Pittsburgh Happy Hour // Orange Chair Blog // In Pursuit of Simple // The Wheezy Runner // Pittsburgh is Beautiful // Last Minute Panic // The Almond Eater // A Body of One's Own // Lunges, Long Runs and Lattes // Downtown Living // Emily LevensonParmesan Princess // Oh Honestly, Erin // Sole for the Soul // Crank Crank Revolution // The Pittsburgh Mommy Blog // Yum Yum PGH // Ya Jagoff // Gardening in High Heels // Sean’s Ramblings // Pittsburgh Taste Buds // The Foodtasters // My Blog n'at // The Fashionable Eye // jelly jars // Don’t Forget to Eat // Small Town Dad // Josh’s World // The Steel Trap // In Pursuit of Happiness // 101 Achievements // A Librarian’s Lists and Letters // Pennies, Pints, Pittsburgh // 30-Something therapy // Red Pen Mama // Nicky D. Cooks // everybody loves you…

Cappy's Cafe

Chicken Cheese-steak

Cappy's Cafe is a charming little bar right in the heart of Shadyside. The locals swear by the place due to the no-frills atmosphere and the extremely well priced drinks. For example, on Thursday you can enjoy a limited wine bottle selection for only $15. Seating is limited though so arrive early.

I'm not entirely shocked to be the first blogger on Urbanspoon to post a review of Cappy's. It is not exactly a destination eatery. If you have an indecisive friend who makes stupid statements such as, "I don't care, I will eat anywhere." Take them to Cappy's. The "anywhere" of basic bar food.

The menu consists of wraps, hoagies, pizza, wings, sandwiches and some modest appetizers. The french fries are not fried, but baked. Cappy's does not have a deep fryer. Nothing is particularly bad nor is anything particularly good. The purgatory of bar food.

I had a chicken cheese-steak that was outrageously unremarkable. It was under-seasoned but otherwise well prepared and arranged. I have no complaints and I have no words of praise regarding my sandwich. I guess it was like kissing my sister.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm regarding the food, I must praise the staff at Cappy's. The bartenders were extremely friendly and accommodating and the waitress even discounted my sandwich after spilling a glass of wine on me.

PS:  happy hour patrons said they really enjoyed the chili.

Eddie Merlot's

Carpaccio

Eddie Merlot's has been open at the site of the old Palomino restaurant for the last year or so.  They did a wonderful job on the renovations. The space is very bright and roomy with a sprawling bar and a welcoming interior.You are practically obligated to dress up in order to sit at the bar.

Although the online menu advertises that the Pittsburgh location runs happy hour from 4 PM to 7 PM, the menu lies like a small time crook. The bartender informed me that happy hour ended at 6 PM and this is how things had been since the dawn of time.

If you are headed to Eddie's outside of the allotted time for happy hour, bring your checkbook. A domestic beer will run you upwards of $6. This means that if you work at a McDonald's in the greater Pittsburgh area an entire days pay will only get you slightly buzzed at Eddie Merlot's - which, of course, will be essential because you likely hate your job at McDonald's.

We tried a few appetizers to help us savor our expensive domestic beers. The smoked bacon and brussels sprout flat bread was a huge disappointment. The base was more of a fancy cracker than a traditional doughy crust. The toppings were also a let down. The flavors of the brussels sprouts and the manchego cheese were entirely overpowered by the salty sweet combination of the bacon and tomato jam.

The carpaccio was quite tasty but the dish was just trying too hard, like a beautiful woman covered in whore's makeup. Thinly sliced raw filet mingnon needs few accompaniments. For my money I like carpaccio prepared simply with some oil, arugula and parmesan cheese. The Eddie Merlot's version came with some wonderful potato chips, water cress, capers, truffle aioli and a thick balsamic glaze - all swimming in  a pool of oil. Although it was delicious, I'm once again very concerned about the status of my gout.

I should say that overall I recommend Eddie Merlot's as the service was fantastic and the interior was extremely lavish. However, try to make it during their incorrectly advertised happy hour so you can take home a portion of your hard earned salary.


 

Fat Tommy's Pizzeria

X-Large Fat Louie

Fat Tommy's is certainly one of the stranger restaurants in Market Square. Their hours are seemingly by appointment or chance and most of the customers appear to be very well acquainted with the bar staff. By 7 pm they were basically chasing us out the door.

The offerings were standard for any pizza restaurant: pizza, calzones, subs and salads. If you want to order the sicilian style pizza, be sure to call ahead of time. They were unwilling to prepare one at 6 pm.

I thought the pizza was pretty good, but many of the other happy hour patrons mentioned that they did not find it remarkable. It had a thicker bread-like crust and was light on cheese and sauce. I ordered my pie with bacon and banana peppers. (This has become my go-to order for new pizza restaurants.)

Whenever I order bacon on a pizza I'm accustomed to receiving some thin burnt up garbage generally lacking in flavor. Much to my liking, Fat Tommy's used a nice thick cut bacon with a rich smokey flavor. It really added a lot to the quality and overall appeal of the pizza - causing me to consume roughly six slices.

Much like Fat Tommy's website, which does not have a menu or any pertinent information, the restaurant itself is lacking a general je ne sais quoi. Overall the pizza is passable and the employees were very friendly. I would certainly recommend stopping in for a quick bite.  Bonus points if you dare to explore the hidden bathroom or the perplexing art work.

 

Hough's - Greenfield

Wingz

People are constantly talking about Hough's. For the last several years every beer snob in town has raised their nose at my ignorance as to Hough's and the Copper kettle. (If you are unfamiliar with the Copper Kettle they are located in the same building as Hough's and they make a variety of craft beer. They'll even let you make your own.)

The bar at Hough's is somewhat intimidating, very well lit and very clean. Entirely too sterile for my taste. I like my drinking holes to be warm, with low lighting and well worn furniture. Nothing is more inviting than a dark hidey-hole with  leather sofas.  Hough's has none of these qualities. It is a sort of super bright beer emporium with an outrageously large beer menu. (Comparable to the Sharp Edge but with some local flare and better price points.)

I inquired about the Hough's Hops chicken wings and the bartender suggested I order the hot wings with the hop wing sauce on the side.  He said that the hop sauce wasn't always a crowd pleaser.

The hop sauce was very bitter with floral aromas and a unique savory quality I'd typically associate with French herbs. The chef would not tell me what was in the sauce, but it seemed like a simple mixture of butter, oil and hops. The wings were excellent, they could have been crispier, but they had a nice smoke flavor and the hop sauce complimented the hot sauce quite well.

Hough's wasn't exactly my speed, but I'd certainly recommend it to any beer aficionado. Personally, I was a bigger fan of the Wingreen right down the street. You can't beat a smoking bar with $2 domestic drafts and an interior that looks like grandpa has been single since the late 70s. 

 

Reyna's - Casa Reyna - Strip District

Tostada

Casa Reyna is located below Reyna's Foods in the heart of the Strip district. It is a nice little wood paneled restaurant with lots of fun junk on the walls and a tiny bar where it looks like you could meet a recent divorcee interested in re-bound sex.

Pictured above is the tinga tostada. Shredded chicken and sauteed onions with lettuce, avocado, queso fresco and sour cream. It was a fantastic dish with a fine array of flavors. The chicken was well seasoned, perfectly cooked and fresh. Although fresh well seasoned chicken may sound like something all restaurants would strive to provide, this is not always the case. For example, I recently had some tacos from a different restaurant in the Southside that tasted like cardboard garbage. #sadmex

We liked every dish we tried at Reyna's. Everything was authentic, reasonably priced and delicious. PS: I hate calling things authentic. It feels disingenuous.

TACO TIME

What the heck is a tostada you ask?  The word tostada is Spanish for, "toasted." Basically it is just a giant nacho. I guess it is probably a good way to use up the old tortillas that are starting to turn.

Although we loved the food, we had some trouble with the space worth mentioning. It was very hot. Like hotter than the devil's dick. Additionally, they started cleaning the grill with some type of caustic chemical as we were leaving. This made all of us cough and it was very unpleasant.  Somehow, I still feel that breathing toxic gas was probably less detrimental to my health than eating at Taco Bell. So all around, A-.


 

Dive - Lawrenceville

Sliders and Pork Pancakes

I don't follow the concept of creating a bar called Dive Bar that is not a dive bar. Here are some of the reasons Dive Bar & Grille in Lawrenceville is not a dive bar: their happy hour special features wine, you can't smoke inside, there are no pool tables, they have many fancy light fixtures on the walls, the bathroom was clean, nothing was broken, the bartenders were actually helpful and you can't spit on the floor. Like I said, not a dive bar.

There is a silent dignity to hanging out in a real dive bar. At a real dive bar no one will talk to you and everyone just enjoys their cheap drink in isolation. Co-mingling is not encouraged. Dive in Lawrenceville had a much more convivial atmosphere. People were telling jokes, taking selfies, enjoying Tinder dates and talking about their families. It was enough to make a real dive bar patron vomit. Again, vomiting is a behavior typically encouraged by real dive bars but not by Dive Bar and Grille of Lawrenceville.

Interestingly, Dive had a large number of appetizers that were discounted for happy hour. However, the discounted appetizers were not isolated from the non-discounted appetizers on the menu. I wonder if bars consider what a huge waste of time this is and how frustrating it can be to patrons. I watched the bartender explain the specials at least five times throughout the evening. Watching his finger bounce around the menu while explaining the specials was like watching someone explain potential nautical routes in the 16th century.

Pictured above are the cheesesteak sliders and the loaded croquettes. Priced for happy hour at $4.50 and $5 respectively. (Not bad price points!) The sliders could have benefited from the use of a more interesting and less stale bread option, and were otherwise bland but passable.

The croquettes could have been a knock-out, but the potato pancake was more like a hush puppy than a standard potato pancake. This greatly detracted from the dish as there was a certain mushy quality to the potatoes resulting in many plates of unfinished potatoes throughout the bar. The pulled pork on top of the mush was fresh, well seasoned and delicious. 

I have to say that I found my experience at Dive bar enjoyable and I'd recommend stopping by.  I'm still struggling with the concept though. Would it make sense if I opened a three star hotel and called it Rat Nest Motor Inn? Perhaps in the age of hipsterdom it is just cool to be considered a dive bar even if you have an extensive wine list and an attractive and helpful waitstaff.