All Clad Sale

For those of you that love All Clad cookware, the semi-annual sale will be held on June 3rd and 4th at the Washington County fair grounds. The fair grounds is south of the city, not too far from The Meadows. I've gone to this sale for years now, and have put together a nice collection of great quality cookware at a reasonable price. The items are seconds, but I've always been able to find products where the imperfections are so small that they can barely be seen, or not seen at all. I try to find pans with a scratch on the bottom, not the cooking surface. Heck, they get scratched on the bottom as soon as you slide them on the burners anyway.

The prices are 40% to 70% off which is a great deal, but even at that, keep in mind that these pans are still expensive! At least it's a good way to get the best for a reasonable price.

Pizza House

Police Station Pizza...That's what a lot of folks call it, because it's located next door to the former Ambridge police station. This pizza is one of the absolute best in the Pittsburgh area. It's kind of funny that my two favorite pizza places are both in Ambridge, the other being Franks. Franks has a thin, crispy crust with a bit of a sweet sauce while Pizza House is a bit thicker crust, but still airy and crispy. They bake it and add the toppings after it's baked like they do at DiCarlos. Pizza House is take out only and it's packed on a Friday or Saturday night, but the service is pretty fast. I know it's a bit of a drive from the city, but it's worth it!!!

Point Brugge Cafe

On a recent afternoon Stacy and I decided to visit the gardens of the The Frick. After a great afternoon touring the grounds, lunch was on my mind. I know the Cafe at the Frick is very good, but there appeared to be quite a wait for a table so we decided on the Point Brugge, which is only a couple of blocks away.

I've driven past here many times in the evening, and it's always been packed, so I thought that three in the afternoon would be a great time. Of course it was packed, so we sat at the bar.

The menu has a nice mix of lunch entrees, soups and salads, and sandwiches. The Point Brugge has always been known for the Moules Bowl, which is a pound of steamed P.E.I. mussels prepared with your choice of three different sauces. Wine and light cream, red curry with coconut milk, or a tomato sauce with saffron and fennel broth. The mussels are served with crusty bread.

Stacy decided on the Chicken Milanese which was a boneless breast with a light sage panko breading, served over arugula and topped with a sautéed mix of banana peppers,
new potatoes, asparagus and tomatoes. I went with the Mediterranean Tuna Melt which is marinated Italian tuna salad baked on a ciabatta with melted provolone, lettuce, tomato & spicy roasted tomato-pepper relish. Both dishes were spectacular.

They also have an impressive list of Belgium bottled beers, and also four on tap. Overall, I really give this place high praise...I'm sure we will return.

Olympos Gyros

Today I found myself searching for a quick dinner in the Robinson area. While I'm familiar with a number of restaurants in the area, all I really wanted was a fast meal that was not from a fast food place. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how impressed I was with "My Big Fat Greek Gyro" in Wexford. Heather Downey, one of the principles at Downey's House, left me a note recommending Olympos Gyro's on Stubenville Pike. Today was a good time to try it!

The place is in a small strip mall and not much to look at. The interior is diner style with a few tables and a small counter with about a half dozen stools. I just ordered the standard gyro and a drink. The gyro was huge, on a thick style pita, with lettuce, tomato slices that were flavored with oregano, and a great homemade tzatziki sauce. The tzatziki was made with sour cream, spices and olive oil instead of the usual yogurt/cucumber mixture. The meat was sliced thickly and very generous. I really liked this gyro, although I found it to be excessively salty.

The quality of Greek gyro places in Pittsburgh has really improved in the past couple of years, and Olympos is another good quality addition to this group. I'm sure that I'll be back and try one of the other sandwiches in the near future.