Sea Shell Bar and Grill

I spend quite a bit of time west of the city not only because my sister lives in Oakdale, but it's very easy to get out to Robinson Township from Mount Washington. Just go down the hill, get on the Parkway West and in about 10 minutes you're there...Unless there's traffic, of course! Anyway, I've passed the Sea Shell many times and it always looked appealing to me. As you pull into the parking lot you can see a nice outdoor patio with a few tables, but the day we were there it was about 90 degrees so we chose to head inside.

Stacy and I were able to sit at the last two seats at the bar which was pretty vibrant with the happy hour crowd. It was a wide age mix...we sat at the end of the bar with the older folks, where we belong! At the other end of the bar was a group of 20 something young ladies, including one that looked like she had some significant surgical enhancement. Within a few minutes my suspicion was confirmed. Not only did she like to show off her new figure, she also liked to talk about it! I'm OK with that, and Stacy got a kick out of eavesdropping.

Happy hour runs from 5 to 7, Monday to Friday and is limited of a large domestic draft for $2.50. Not a bad deal if you want a large draft, which I always do. The guy next to me ordered a hamburger ($5.99) which looked great! He must have noticed my glances, and confirmed that it was a fantastic burger.

We had a late lunch so Stacy and I chose take a look at the appetizer menu. This was my only disappointment. There were a dozen different choices, including the standard Chicken Tenders, Jalapeno Poppers, Fries and Onion Rings, but all of them were deep fried. I don't have anything against fried food, but it's nice to have another option. We decided to pass on the food, had another drink and left.

The Sea Shell is definitely a place that I will return to. The crowd was fun and the bartenders were attentive. The menu is typical bar fare with a selection of fried appetizers, salads and a nice sandwich selection. This is by no means fine dining, but a nice choice for an inexpensive sandwich and a beer.

Andora

One of my favorite restaurants in the North Hills is Andora. At one time, I lived in Franklin Park and this quickly became a frequent stop. The bar always has a nice crowd and the people are talkative and friendly. In addition they have a beautiful shaded patio if you prefer to dine outside.

We usually would sit at the bar and try a couple of starters. The ahi tuna is tremendous as are the stuffed banana peppers and the crab cakes might be the best I've ever had! The dinner menu includes horseradish crusted Alaskan cod, Slow roasted lamb shank, and veal scallopini sauteed with crabmeat. They also have a nice wine list that features a group of 20 wines for $20 a bottle. I really like that! It makes it possible to enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner at a very affordable price.

It's just about a 1/2 mile off the Mt. Nebo exit on 79, or you can get there by taking the Parkway North and get off at the Camp Horne Road exit, turn right at the bottom of the ramp and make a left at the first stop light.

BBQ Sauce!

It's that time of year when we clean off the grill and get ready for a summer of cooking out. One thing that I really love to is invite a couple of friends over and enjoy a relaxing afternoon with a smoky grill going and a few drinks on our outside deck. Of course to most men this means some type of red meat and beer. I'd have to include myself in that group!

Over the years I've made several trips to various regions of North and South Carolina, and one of the things that I've always enjoyed was the great BBQ. In most regions of the Carolina's the meat of preference is pork, and the BBQ sauce is very thin, clear and vinegar based. The flavor is tremendous, but I never really liked the water like consistency. Here is a great recipe for a Carolina sauce that has been "Yankeed up" with a bit of ketchup to give it a little color, a great consistency and a fabulous flavor! Use this on chicken, or pork including ribs. The great thing about this recipe is that you don't have to even cook it! Enjoy.

Ingredients
1/2 quart apple cider vinegar
10 oz. ketchup
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 pound dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
In a large container, mix together the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Pour into an empty vinegar bottle, ketchup bottle or other container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Wexford Ale House, The New Poor Richards

Poor Richards was always an intriguing spot. I passed it many times in the Wexford flats. I just looked like a small stone residential home. I was curious last week when Stacy and I happened to drive by and noticed that the name had changed to the Wexford Ale House. We pulled in, which is a bit confusing because you have to turn down a side street and then drive through a used car lot to get to their parking lot, which is behind the building. Inside is a small dining room and a nice old fashioned bar. The place was hospital clean and very comfortable.

They have over thirty beers on tap, and have a happy hour from 4 to 6 on week days. $2.00 Coors Light Draft, $2.50 Miller Lite, Yuengling & Labatt Blue Drafts in addition to food offerings that change depending on the day. In addition, the have 10 HD TV's so it looks like a nice place to watch a game. Although we didn't eat the menu seem to have a nice selection of appetizers and sandwiches that all looked great! We plan on getting back to try the food soon. An update will follow.

Grilled Salmon

Now that the weather is changing it's time to start outdoor grilling. Usually I grill straight through the winter, but the snow this year was so overwhelming that I just stayed inside! One of my favorite grill foods is salmon because it's very forgiving. Some more delicate fish is easy to over cook on a grill, but salmon seems to stand up to the high heat and always turns out great. Here is a really good marinade that I use:

1/2 cup peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wisk all of the ingredients together. Place salmon filet's in a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

To cook, place filets on a hot grill and cook for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. I usually cook it for about 7 minutes with the skin side down and turn it over and cook the other side for just a couple of minutes.

A great side to this is grilled asparagus. Just place the trimmed spears on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and put on the grill for about 5 minutes. When you take it off the grill, I like to sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top. Yum!

Harry's Pizza-One of the Best!

I've always loved pizza. I get it everywhere I go and always try to sample the local best whenever I'm out of town. Pizza is the kind of thing that is very personal...Ten different people will usually have ten different favorites. You always hear on TV that the two most popular styles of pizza are Chicago deep dish and New York style. In my opinion, those seem to be loved mostly by those that live or grew up in those city's, not so much by all of us in the rest of the country. Fat, chewy and stuffed like a calzone or thin, greasy, and limp just doesn't do it for me. The style that I prefer and I've discovered that many others do too is frequently referred to as Connecticut pizza...Usually referencing New Haven. This is where Harry's comes in.

Harry's is south of the city in a small shopping center near Donaldson's Crossroads in McMurry. The place is bright and clean. As you enter there is a bar to your left with tables and booths lining the wall to the right. While they have a bar, this is not really a drinking establishment. It's a nice bar if you are alone or just prefer to eat at a bar but I've never really seen more than one or two people sitting there.

The menu consists mainly of basic pizza's, speciality pizza's and salads. While the menu is somewhat limited, I like their approach. What they put on the menu they do very well. One of Stacy and my favorite meals there is to order and split a house salad, and a small pizza. The salad is only $5.50, but is plenty big as a side salad, and it is really good, not a bit of iceberg to be found! The pizza is really great. A thin crust, but crispy enough to pick up. While many people love the taste of brick oven pizza, this doesn't have the burnt bottom so common to that type of crust. The sauce and toppings are all very fresh and plentiful, and we have always been happy with the service.

While McMurry is a bit out of the way for most city dwellers, it's really worth an afternoon trip for something that's just not available here in town. Harry's is definitely one of my top three pizzas around Pittsburgh.

Gab 'n Eat, the best diner in Pittsburgh!

I love this place. Gab 'n Eat (yes, that's really the name) is on Washington Avenue (Route 50) in Carnegie, just a couple of minutes off the Parkway West. This place is a true greasy spoon. When you walk in there is a counter on the left with the grill behind it. Booths line the other side and fill the back. I usually sit at the counter because I love watching the cooks work their magic. The menu is typical diner fare but the food is exceptional and the portions are massive! They have a mixed grill that would feed a small army, and if you order "dippy" eggs they know what you mean. This is the kind of place where the coffee cups are all different, just like in my kitchen.

In addition to the breakfast menu, the hamburgers are one of the best anywhere in Pittsburgh, (and you know how I like Tessaro's!). They close in the mid afternoon on weekdays and around noon on the weekends and there is frequently a line, so be prepared to wait a few minutes. While the food is very good and plentiful the prices are low enough that I'd call this a bargain. As much as I love Pamela's, Deluca's and several other diners around town, Gab 'n Eat has always been my favorite.

One of my favorite party appetizers!

I love to cook and one of the most entertaining party ideas is to have an appetizer and wine tasting party. You just have everyone prepare some sort of unique appetizer and bring it along. If you have a small group, it's fun and educational to just prepare and cook each of them at the party. This way everyone that's interested can learn just how to make their favorite. It's a good idea to do this during a sporting event so that those that don't have the same passion for food (at least cooking it) can also enjoy themselves!

One of my favorites is a Broiled Salmon on an English Muffin. If you hate salmon, especially canned which this uses, DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY THIS! I've had several salmon haters that love the taste of this recipe.

First, take a small can of salmon, (the size of a tuna can, whatever that is) and drain it thoroughly. Put it in a small mixing bowl and add about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and about a tablespoon of mayo. I actually use just a little more than a tablespoon, but use whatever you prefer. You can also add just a little bit of lemon juice, and sometimes I add just a small amount of diced onion.
Take six English muffin halves and toast them until they are just crispy. Spread some of the salmon mixture on top of each, and top each with some shredded mozzarella cheese. Put the muffins on a cookie sheet and place under a broiler, just long enough for the cheese to melt. Make sure you watch this! They will burn quickly. Before I serve, I like to garnish the top with a couple of slices of scallions, using just the green part sliced into about 1 inch pieces.

This has been a hit every time I've made them, even for those of you that don't like salmon.

What a beautiful city...

I just love the skyline of Pittsburgh. This picture was taken from my bedroom during the Mt. Washington house tour a couple of years ago. I just came across this and started to long for a nice sunny day. It seems as though we haven't seen the sun for months. On a sunny day, our city is really beautiful!

Pipers Pub

In my quest to find the best fish sandwich around Pittsburgh, I've often heard mention of Pipers Pub. Now I've been there in the past but I don't recall ever trying anything off the menu. Frankly, I'm not a real big fan of British food in general but I couldn't resist when I read a review where the writer claimed that their fish sandwich should have it's own zip code and national anthem! Well, I knew just what to order. This fish is huge. It's a large fillet of Haddock, not Cod as is usually served in Pittsburgh pubs. They fry it with a beer batter that is light and very tasty. I don't like it when the batter is so heavy that it overpowers the fish, but this was very well done. It comes with an order of fries and some very good home made tarter sauce as well. If you try this you might want to bring a friend because it's plenty big enough to share. Of course I brought Stacy and still managed to just about finish the entire thing. In addition Stacy ordered some Paprika Chicken soup which she really liked. We also ordered some Scotch Eggs. For those that are not familiar with this health food, it is simply a hard boiled egg, covered with ground sausage, breaded and then deep fried. They were great!

In addition to the food, Pipers is well known for it's great beer selection with at least 20 or 25 quality drafts and a very impressive bottle selection. Another very unique offering is their Cask Ale which is a fresh draft offering. As explained on Pipers website: "Cask Ale or Real Ale is defined as:Beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of pressurized gas. When the beer arrives at the pub it needs to undergo its secondary fermentation before it can be served". This months selection is Arcadia Brewing Hop Mouth. While I don't have much knowledge of craft beers it was tempting to give this a try. Maybe next time.

Carson City Saloon

The Carson City Saloon is a place in the South Side that I go to occasionally for a beer and a sandwich. It's in an old bank building and a lot of the the interior has been saved. I really like it when people save or restore the old and still turn it into something new! The walls are covered with a beautiful green marble and the bank vault is still there although it's been converted into a rest room...With a real heavy door!

Anyway, this week was the huge snowstorm in Pittsburgh where we got about 22 inches of snow on Friday and Saturday and another 8 or so inches a couple of days later. A couple of friends of ours, Bonnie and Gary lost their power on Friday night. They stuck it out for the night but by Saturday they still didn't have any electricity or heat. Stacy and I told them to pack up and come on over! They showed up with lots of beer and food that they had planned to use for a Super Bowl party on Sunday. When we woke up on Sunday morning our street in Mount Washington hadn't even been touched. Luckily, Gary has a four wheel drive Jeep and we tried to venture out for breakfast. We soon found out that most of the roads from da Mount were closed so it took about an hour to get to the South Side, which usually takes about five minutes. By this time we gave up on breakfast and decided to find a place where we could have lunch and watch the Penguin game at noon. A lot of places were closed, but not Carson City!

The Carson City is usually pretty packed for Pens games, but not in the middle of a major snowstorm! We found seats at the bar, ordered Bloody Marys and settled in. The menu is big, full of a variety of sandwiches, appetizers, and salads. While the food is good, keep in mind that this is not a health food menu. Salads tend to be Pittsburgh style...A good healthy food that is then topped with french fries and cheese. I don't have a problem with that and neither does Gary so we both ordered fish, breaded and deep fried of course! Stacy ordered a blackened salmon sandwich. It came with smoked applewood bacon (it's Pittsburgh, remember?) and she said it was really good. Not over cooked, the way salmon tends to be in bars.

Gary and I both agreed that the fish sandwich was tremendous! It really is one of the best I've had in Pittsburgh. A large piece of cod that could have filled two buns easily, breaded nicely and fried to perfect golden brown. The breading wasn't overbearing and let the flavor of the fish stand out.

While I have been to Carson City several times before, the menu never really intrigued me. next time I won't hesitate to eat with my beer. It's probably better that way, anyway!

Rhythm House...R.I.P.

It's a sad time for all of you music lovers out there...The Rhythm House in
Bridgeville is closing at the end of this month. I've seen hundreds of bands there. Everything from current rock to country to being a regular on Sunday evenings for the Pittsburgh Jazz Society. For the past nine years this has been a great place to grab a meal (well, not always great) but it sure was a good bar! Daryl tells me that it will soon be a GetGo gas station ) :

It seems that he has no plans to reopen anywhere else at this time.

Here is Daryl's posting from their website:

Friends, All good things must end, and the end for a dream that started nine years ago will hold its last party on February 27, 2010. The Rhythm House will be torn down and a Get Go will stand in its place. Don't be sad; embrace this last month, spread the word, and celebrate an era with me as we close with the last big party on Saturday, February 27 with Donnie Iris, Joe Grushecky, B.E. Taylor, Scott Blasey, Bill Deasy, and Velveeta. The nightlife landscape will have a drastic void, leaving behind only the great memories. The first dates, the first kisses, the engagements, the bachelor parties, the weddings, a couple of Super Bowls and a Stanley Cup, great live music, and the friends we have met along the way. I am proud of what we have done here and we will be going out in style, things have been very busy here for the last few months and I expect it to be crazy busy as we come to silence the music. It has been an honor to be your host for the last nine years and proud to say we put on some of the greatest parties any where in the world. I have to thank the support of Froggy Radio, WDUQ, and WDVE for making us a landmark. I could never thank Frank Bell, Jimmy Krenn, Sean McDowell, and Tony Mowod enough. The great shows of Darius Rucker, Billy Currington, Josh Turner, Jason Michael Carroll, Blake Shelton, Quiet Riot, Warrant, Rod Piazza, the late night parties, the quiet nights with friends. The celebrity appearances: Lou Gossett Jr., Jason Gedrick, and Matthew McConaughey. The many sports legends to tip one back here. The Nashville Star Auditions, The DVE Morning show, and Jenna from Survivor hanging in the office because no one could know she won. Countless memories that we all will take with us. I hope you all agree that there is no other place in the world like The Rhythm House Cafe. I hope to see you here before we go. I will keep everyone posted of the special events we have planned for February. Let's get this party started until February 27, officially, "The Day the Music Died". Thanks for the Memories! Daryl Price The Rhythm House Cafe

Bob's Garage, The Spirit of Christmas!

Last Wednesday, right before Christmas, I decided it would be fun to take my daughter Kim up to Hartwood Acres to see the massive Christmas light display. Although she has seen it before, it's always a fun and festive way to get in the holiday spirit! The decision was made to hit the park, see the display and then find a place to eat afterward. We left (along with boyfriend Josh) around 7:00 and by the time we got there traffic seemed to be a bit of a problem. Go figure, I decided to go the night before Christmas eve. Anyway, after sitting and hardly moving for about fifteen minutes, with no park in sight, Kim suggested that we turn on the GPS to see how much farther we had to go. The subsequent determination was that it would take us three or four hours to get through the park. The kids weren't too thrilled about that....

We decided to bag it and go to eat. While they would have been happy with a drive thru for a rat burger, I decided to take them to see the "other" great light display in Pittsburgh, Bob's Garage.

We pulled up to park in the tiny lot and the lights caught their eyes immediately! When my daughter stopped to take a picture, I said "Wait till you see the inside". For those of you that have never been, Bob's is decorated year round with decorations for the next upcoming holiday. Christmas, Halloween, Easter, whatever. Decorations cover every inch, and I mean every inch of the entire walls and ceiling. You enter into a small but usually crowded bar and a glassed in dining area is off to the left. After taking it in for a few minutes (and a couple of more pictures) we all ordered...Burgers of course! The burgers were huge, at least a half pound and cooked as ordered. Everyone enjoyed their food. This is not a upscale restaurant (and doesn't try to be) but a local bar with a restaurant that server pretty good grub. The fun atmosphere is the main reason to go to Bob's.

Bob's is on Freeport road in the Fox Chapel area.

Hot Dogs!!!

I've never really been much of a hot dog fan. Yeah, I'll eat them at a ball game but that's about it. I don't even grill them in the summer unless someone else wants them...Until now!

One of my favorite websites is Chowhound, and I recently saw a posting concerning not just hot dogs, but hot dog shops from the New Castle area. I learned that there are a number of Coney Island style hot dog places that exist in that area that were started years ago by immigrants, mainly Greek it seems. People from all over the country remember the special hot dogs and sauce that they could only seem to get in New Castle, PA. Not long after reading and becoming fascinated with this, a hot dog shop opened in my neighborhood of Mount Washington called Packs 'n Dogs. This was a diner and still looks like it. It's not a bar atmosphere, but you can get a good brew with your dog if you like. They have over 200 varieties of beers on hand and the hot dogs are all named after dogs. The Chihuahua is a chili dog with cheddar cheese and onions. The Irish Setter has coleslaw and fries and there are several other good choices. Needless to say, I've eaten at Packs 'n Dogs several times and have started to get occasional cravings for hot dogs!

One of the things that intrigued me about the posts on Chowhound was that so many people just loved the type of hot dog sauce that they get in New Castle. I got several recipes from those folks and have tried them, but here is the one that I think is the best!

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

2-1/4 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. cumin

2 md. onions, finely diced

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 can water

1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

4 raw hot dogs, finely ground

The beef and hot dogs should be ground finely so you end up with a sauce consistency. You don't want it to turn out chunky like chili. One way is to run it through a food processor before you cook it.

Brown the ground beef, drain some of the grease (leave some) and add the onions. Cook until opaque. Combine all remaining ingredients and simmer at least 2 hours.

The great thing about this sauce is that it actually includes ground up hot dogs! I usually buy good quality dogs like Hebrew Nationals to eat, but I use the cheap, bargain dogs to make the sauce.

DiCarlo's Famous Pizza

I've heard about DeCarlo's Pizza for years and have driven past a shuttered up location on route 51 numerous times, but never had the chance to try it. I guess they started out in Wheeling and have a number of locations in that area of W.V. but they recently opened a store in Cranberry (next to Verizion).

The place is a typical pizza parlor, very clean, with 8 or 10 tables and a counter where you order and pick up your food. The menu includes pizza of course, but also salads, calzones, and hot baked sandwiches. The pizza is sold but the pie or you can by it by the individual cut. One unique thing is that they don't charge for pepperoni. A single cut is only $1.15, with or without pepperoni. That's a nice touch!

We only had pizza, so I can't comment on the other menu items, but the sandwiches that I saw sure did look appetizing! The pizza itself is cut into squares, with a semi thick crust that is crunchy not doughy. This is one of those places that puts the sauce and toppings on first, then bakes it and only adds the cheese after it comes out of the oven. The heat from the pizza starts to melt the cheese and you get that fresh cheese taste that I love.

DiCarlos isn't in my top two or three pizza's around the Burgh, (those honors are reserved for Frank's and Pizza House in Ambridge) but it's real close and good enough that I'll return again! Don't hesitate if you are in the Cranberry area and need a pizza fix!