Straub Beer Celebrates it’s 140^th Anniversary                                  By: Stephanie Doan

A strong red band binding around a wooden barrel – it’s the seal of generations full of good, clean tasting beer. It is a marker that has stood the test of 140 years now. Straub Brewery began as a small brewery well before Prohibition and is still the smallest that remains, unyielding ever since the first hop hit that fresh, spring-fed mountain water.

Now look five generations down the line and there’s CEO Bill Brock.

“We look at the brewery as a gift, and we’re very lucky to have it in the family,” Brock said.

His great-great-grandfather Peter Straub came from Germany where he trained as a cooper – working with wooden barrels and casks – which easily lent him to the trade of brewing. He worked in Germany, France and Switzerland until traveling to the United States at the age of 19. He began easing into Pennsylvania culture by working in Allegheny City. He found work at several local breweries before finally settling into St. Mary’s in 1872. This is the official founding date of Straub Brewery, although it took several years before Peter worked into owning his father-in-law’s brewery.

As this year marks the company’s 140th anniversary, Straub Brewery has much to celebrate. Bill said not only has the brewery stayed alive since a time before many states even existed, but they’ve produced a beer steeped in American history. Lagers came about from whatever brewers could afford to grow, which was mostly corn. A near “cousin” and close friend to the family is Yuengling Brewery, which also shares in Pennsylvanian heritage. Although a little bigger in production than Straub both, pull together beers that are truly all-American. While Yuengling may be the oldest brewery in the U.S., Straub is not far behind at third.

How to celebrate? Bill talks of the possibility of an all-malt beer. Made in honor of the 140th anniversary, the brew will be exactly what drinkers would expect out of Straub in terms of a craft beer: a drink that mimics the natures of common German and European crafts while still using American material.

That fits the ideal of Straub beer, said Bill. The taste refuses to fall between labels of blue collar or white collar. Instead, beers tag along with drinkers while fly-fishing, kayaking, small-game hunting, camping and many other adventures. Straub draws its roots in all things nature. Three years ago, Straub began filling cans as well as bottles; their amber bottles came out in August of 2007. This makes it even easier to go wherever people enjoy both the great outdoors and Straub responsibly, adhering to the motto of Straub being “fiercely independent.”

What else is to be expected for one of the smallest leading breweries in America? Expansion. Bill said that down the road, he hopes for more room. St. Mary’s is close to capacity already, with the can brewing operations moved to Rochester. Besides the physical growth, he also sees opportunity in crafting seasonal brews. Those turned off by lagers may sip one, leading them to become a Straub’s customer. The trick is to maintain customers with the same excellent taste while using fresh marketing to also attract new ones. A shock came a few years back when the company changed their packaging. But after close inspection, loyal Straub lovers knew it was the same great taste flowing from the newly designed labels.

He thanks his consistent customers, promising that no matter where Straub goes or grows, “We will continue to be the beer you’ve grown to love.”

PROCESS

             The flavor in Straub beer erupts from the beginning, with crunches of corn flakes and crushed malted barley thrown into the waters from the Laurel Run Reservoir. This turns the grain starches into fermentable sugar.  Next these grains take a two and a half hour bath in water warmed to the high temperatures of 104 to 107 degrees. This brings the potential brew into a golden syrup called wort.

There is strict inspection of the wort as it passes through a copper vessel referred to as the grant. Brewers check both the color and clarity of the wort. If this meets Straub’s high standard, then and only then can hops extract finally be added. Following the meeting of these standards is a two-hour boil.

Bill says, “If I wouldn’t drink the beer, I wouldn’t ask you to.”

After being cooled to approximately 58 degrees by flowing through a cooling system, the almost-beer is sifted at a speed of a barrel a minute into its fermenting locations. Liquid yeast is added, and the beers begin fermenting for seven days.

Finally, the beer is held in a cellar and chilled down to the bone at 38 degrees. This is when aging as well as double-filtration occurs – the first filtering is called roughing and the second is polishing. Just then, the carbon dioxide that escaped during production is pumped back into the brew. Upon completion the beer is hand racked, pumped into kegs or sent directly into the bottling room.

Of course, a generous portion ends up in the Eternal Tap, too. Bill said the Eternal Tap, though having no formal history, stems from decades of his Straub family inviting neighbors and friends alike to come taste their beer. There was always a keg stowed somewhere nearby for sharing.  Today, the brewery invites visitors everywhere to come taste all three beers flowing from their plentiful Eternal Tap. The tasting is free: just remember to clean your own glass on the way out!

BEERS

There are three well-rounded beers pouring from Straub’s Eternal Tap as well as being sold in bottles and cans throughout Pennsylvania and many other states. They include the Straub American Lager, Straub American Light and Straub American Amber Lager.

Straub American Lager

The grain and corn from which this brew originates sticks to your taste buds.  Bitterness hits the tongue and quickly unfolds, exposing itself to a yeasty flavor. Next the sweetness kicks in with a delicate light, fruity taste. It is almost as if the entire brew is made directly from sweet, fresh corn itself. The texture contains moderately low carbonation. If he had to pick one to show you, Bill says he’d hand you this, a cold American Lager. Our flagship brew is virtually unchanged since Peter Straub perfected it in 1872.

Straub American Light

Light on taste? No way. The light lager holds just 96 calories – which can be worked off with barely fifteen minutes of outdoor gardening – but packs on a lot of flavor. Bill says this is a beer that fits many occasions. He never takes one sip thinking that he’s missing out on the full body of the lager. And it’s true that the beer holds the same bitter yeast flavor as the lager as well as the sweet taste. It even avoids the stark yellow color of many light beers, totally artificial. But this beer flows clear with a touch of gold. Clean and complete, this beer does well against other lights. Straub American Light is perfect for a day of drinking that escapes the usual calories or alcohol.

Straub American Amber

The Amber offers a different taste aside from both lagers. Yes, it’s darker but not so much so as the original name led drinkers to believe. Beginning its life as “Peter Straub’s Special Dark Beer” it confused both dark drinkers and Amber addicts. Those who like dark beers thought it seemed like an Amber, but those who chose Amber beers steered clear because of its misnomer. So the company renamed it properly as the Straub American Amber. The Amber pours in bright forms of the color it’s named after. The taste of sliced breads holds hands with the slight tinge of nuts and caramel from the malt. This harmony exists thanks to its clean water base, making it a severely clean-tasting Amber. Bill chooses this beer to sip with friends alongside food. It’s a taste that shines bright alone.

Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski’s journey began in 1973, when they were just two fifth-graders boarding a school bus on their way to a new school. The two quickly became friends and remained so, even as they grew up and went to college on opposite coasts. And that’s how the story of Victory Brewing Company began.

After college Bill pursued a career as an art director, and Ron began his career as a financial analyst working on government defense contracts.  Just months out of college, Bill’s appreciation of good beer and access to his father’s home brewing equipment inspired him to explore the hobby. That same year, 1985, Bill gave Ron a home brewing kit as a Christmas gift. With that, both Bill and Ron developed their love of the craft, and a friendly rivalry grew between the two. The good-natured competition pushed Bill and Ron to become accomplished home brewers, and as they both grew disillusioned with their jobs in the corporate world, they suddenly realized their combined skill and love of brewing could pave the path to successful careers as brewers. They joined forces and became two good friends just brewing beer…you can feel the love!

Ron left his job as a financial analyst and started an apprenticeship at Baltimore Brewing Company (BBC), working under a Dutch-born and German-trained brewer named Theo DeGroen. After working there for nearly a year, Ron had the necessary prerequisites to move on to study at the Technical University of Munich at Weihenstephan.

Immediately upon Ron’s departure, Bill took over his emptied role at BBC. While Ron was enhancing his German brewing knowledge, Bill was expanding the line of beers produced at the BBC to include several German specialty beers, many of which went on to win multiple awards at the Great American Beer Festival. After his time at BBC, Bill completed his brewing studies by traveling to Munich, Germany to attend Doemens Institute.

After Ron’s year of education in Munich, he returned stateside and took a role at Old Dominion Brewing Company in Virginia. Over the course of four year as the brewmaster there, he helped to increase production from 1,500 barrels annually to nearly 15,000.

With knowledge, experience and a love of quality beer in place, Bill and Ron decided they were ready to pursue this crazy career, and they opened their own brewery near where they first met in Pennsylvania. It has become a right brain/left brain operation as they complement each other with their different skill sets.

Victory Brewing Company opened its doors to the public on Feb. 15, 1996. What was once a Pepperidge Farm factory became home to a 142-seat restaurant, 70-foot-long bar and a full-scale brewery. In its first year, Victory Brewing Company brewed 2500 barrels of beer. Since then, Victory has increased the size of the restaurant, adding 200 seats. The brewery has also expanded, producing 58,850 barrels of beer in 2010. As loyal craft beer drinkers continue to show their dedication to flavorful, quality beer, Victory plans to continue its own growth. Onward to Victory!

Victory Brewing’s current production is 82,000 barrels. They brew eleven beers year- round: HopDevil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey, Headwaters Pale Ale, Storm King Stout, Hop Wallop, Victory Lager, Donnybrook Stout, V-12, Helios Ale, Festbier, and nine seasonal and specialty beers: Moonglow Weizenbock, Sunrise Weissbier, Whirlwind Witbier, Old Horizontal, St. Boisterous, St. Victorious, Baltic Thunder, Yakima Glory, Summer Love Ale.

Victory is distributed in 29 states and in the United Kingdom and has successfully been on the market for 16 years.

In 2012, their current brewery in Downingtown, PA reached capacity. In order to keep up with consumer demand for full-flavored, high quality beer, they’re forging ahead with expansion plans. “Our thirsty fans have been asking us for more,” said Bill Covaleski, President and Co-Brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company. “In order to give them what they want, we need more space to make it happen.”

So in 2013, Victory will be opening a second brewery in Chester County, PA, which will allow them to continue to create new, innovative beers and add additional employment opportunities. The new brewery location was chosen because of its similarities to our home in Downingtown. Just as the Downingtown brewery recycled an old Pepperidge Farm factory, the expansion brewery is being built within an existing complex in Parkesburg, PA. Their home brewery is situated a mere 14 miles from the headwaters of the east branch of the Brandywine Creek, and the Parkesburg brewery will be just 17 miles from the headwaters of the west branch.

Environmental impact and water quality were major considerations for this expansion. Nearly eight months of water-quality research found that the mineral composition of the west branch water is nearly identical to the east branch.

Bill said “In keeping with our “locally brewed, locally loved” motto, the choice to expand was not made lightly. The Parkesburg location will allow us to produce even more locally brewed and locally loved beer.”

“Growing in to a new facility will have some growing pains,” said Ron Barchet, CEO and Co-Brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company. “But once we are up and running, it will allow us endless opportunities to experiment with new flavors and re-create old favorites.” What most people don’t realize is that brewing in America is much more liberating than Europe. Victory feels blessed that they have that creative freedom.

In our exclusive interview with Bill, he stated that women are the largest growing market for craft beer. Bill definitely has a passion and love for the craft; he loves the ability to be creative with flavors now instead of images.  He definitely loves the work and craft involved in brewing beer. It’s alchemy; you add ingredients and things magically appear! Bill definitely has passion and respect for the industry, and that shines through in the quality and success of the beer. Bill and Ron’s passion shows as they have definitely fallen in love with the people and the culture of craft brewing!   Nightwire wishes Ron and Bill, partners at Victory Brewing, continued success.

Some of their most popular beers available here locally are:

HopDevil – Menacingly delicious, with the powerful, aromatic punch of whole flower American hops backed up by rich, German malts. HopDevil Ale^® offers a roller coaster ride of flavor, coasting to a smooth finish that satisfies fully.

Golden Monkey – Strong and sensual, this golden, Belgian-style ale glows. The richness of German malts and Belgian yeast are tempered by a sparkling approach and overall light body. Abundant herbal, fruity notes make Golden Monkey^® one to savor.

Headwaters Pale Ale – Our brewery is blessed with exceptionally pure water that travels just over a dozen wooded miles to reach our brewery. With this pristine water we have transformed floral American hops and subtle, crisp German malts into a refreshing delight.

Prima Pilsner – Heaps of hops give this pale lager a bracing, herbal bite over layers of soft and smooth malt flavor. This refreshing combination of tastes makes Prima a classy quencher in the tradition of the great pilsners of Europe.

Summer Love Ale – With the sublime, earthy familiarity of noble, European hops backed up by fresh and clean German malts, Summer Love Ale^® ends with a surprising burst of lemony refreshment from fistfuls of American whole flower hops. Love Summer, now.

Be sure and stop by The Hop House to try one of the Victory beers (mention Nightwire and receive “free” merchandise (while supplies last) plus register to win a grand prize giveaways)

The Hop House – Greentree, 2749 Noblestown Road, Pittsburgh, 15205

North Hills, Ross Twp – 5510 Babcock Blvd, – Pittsburgh, 15237

Victory by Numbers

Current annual production: 82,000 barrels

Square footage of brewery: 100,000 square feet

Year-round beers: 11 – HopDevil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey, Headwaters Pale Ale, Storm King Stout, Hop Wallop, Victory Lager, Donnybrook Stout, V-12, Helios Ale, Festbier

Seasonal and specialty beers: 9 – Moonglow Weizenbock, Sunrise Weissbier, Whirlwind Witbier, Old Horizontal, St. Boisterous, St. Victorious, Baltic Thunder, Yakima Glory, Summer Love Ale.

Number of brewery and corporate employees: 48

Number of restaurant employees: 170

Restaurant: 300 seats, 60 foot-long-bar, 24 rotating taps

Victory Brewing Company is located at 420 Acorn Lane – Downingtown, PA 19335.

The Church Brew Works… Brewing Up Heavenly Craft Beer!

Owner Sean Casey opened the Church Brew Works for business on the 1st of
August in 1996 and has been operational for 16 years.  It is the oldest
continuous operating brewery in the City of Pittsburgh.  The Church Brew
Works is very successful, continually growing and producing more high
quality craft beer, thanks to dedication, commitment to quality and the love
of beer Sean has!

It was quite evident to Nightwire that Sean is an amazing businessman and
the driving force at the Church Brew Works.  Sean told us, “The palate of
the consumer has changed. They are moving away from corporate beers and
definitely moving more toward much more flavorful craft beers. Celestial
Gold used to be the Church Brew Works’ number one selling beer; now, it’s
Pius Mark Dunkel.”

Sean said that the largest growing consumers of craft beer are women. Women
traditionally did not enjoy drinking beer, but what they are finding now is
that the craft beers are appealing and pleasing to their palates. Women have
come to enjoy craft beers just as much as they have in the past enjoyed a
fine glass of wine or a cocktail! I found this to be so true, as I only
drank really cold light beer. Sean said, “Well then, you probably never
really liked beer because when you drink really cold light beer, you might
as well be drinking water.” Oh yes, I have tried other beers in the past,
only to find them too bitter, too sweet, too unappealing until I started
researching and really tasting craft beers. What I found, to my surprise,
was that Sean was absolutely right and nailed it…craft beers have flavor
that you can savor and they are surprisingly refreshing.

While at the Church Brew Works, I sampled some of their craft beers and,
guess what, my favorite beer was a stout.  I have up until now hated stout
beer.  But, their Coconut Stout beer was absolutely outstanding, not bitter
at all but rather extremely refreshing and pleasing to my palate. I
absolutely loved it!  My next favorite was the Millennium Trippel, a
carbonated beer that is corked and bottled like champagne, an absolute “must
try” beer! Their current summer beers are the German Wheat Beer, Saaz
Monster, a hoppy pilsner and Coconut Stout.

Pittsburghers have grown to love the Church Brew Works beers; they are one
of the top selling Craft beers at PNC Park!

Church Brew Works was built on the foundation of brewing quality and
maintaining the consistency of their beers, which has been the key to their
success.  Sean is constantly investing money in his equipment and lab
testing facility to ensure they maintain the quality and consistency of
their beer.  Quality Control is the number one priority with the Church Brew
Works, and it certainly shows. Sean just recently purchased the old Iron
City supply house to help expand his brewery.

The Church Brew Works is an amazing structure, with the most breathtaking
element the position of the brew house on the altar. Because the altar was
built as a centerpiece of the church, the steel and copper tanks gleaming in
the celestial blue backdrop is nothing less than captivating. This
extraordinary view is only paralleled by the quality and taste of their
beer.

The following are some of the current Church Brew Works Beers as described
by their Brewmasters: Celestial Gold: This pilsner style lager is golden in
color with a light, bubbly effervescence.  From the start, you will notice a
fine hop aroma and a light malt taste.  Celestial Gold has been known to
induce Celestial Bliss!!

Pipe Organ Pale Ale: Brewed with a hefty amount of pale malt and three kinds
of American hops, this beer is a medium-bodied, dry-hopped ale with a malt
sweetness from the use of caramel malts.  Balanced and sure to please, the
Pipe Organ pale Ale finishes crisp and citrusy.

Pious Monk Dunkel: This dark style lager was first brewed in Munich, Germany
over 150 years ago.  Our version is fairly dark in color, but don’t be
afraid: the Pious Monk Dunkel is the perfect example that not all darker
beers are strong!  The body is surprisingly mellow and the alcohol content
is low.  It has a wonderful clean and roasty aroma and finishes crisp and
clean as a lager should.  This beer is a multiple medal winning lager!

The above are available by the case at participating distributers around the
region.

Rotating Blast Furnace Stout: Today there are many different variations of
stouts all over the world.  To celebrate this diversity, we constantly
rotate our stout selections.  Our past rotations included stouts brewed with
untraditional ingredients such as espresso, vanilla, and coconut.  We might
be brewing an old favorite or experimenting with a new batch, so ask what’s
on tap.  Drink it slowly and savor the rich flavors – we know you won’t be
disappointed!

Millennium Trippel: Also available in bottles The Millennium Trippel is
light in color and highly carbonated.  It has a fruit – like aroma, and the
flavor is somewhat sweet and malty.  Some say it has the look and feel
similar to champagne, thus making this a great beer for celebration!

ThunderHop I.P.A.  The ThunderHop I.P.A.  has an intense hopiness, flavor
and aroma.  We chose to use two varieties of American hops in the brewing
process.  The color is copper to amber and the aroma is noticeably hoppy due
to the use of Glaciers in the dry hop process.  You will alsopick up a
complexity from fruit -like esters.  The body is big and malty with some
caramel sweetness.

Cherry Quadzilla: The Cherry Quadzilla is a full-bodied Belgian ale that is
amber in color with some red hues.  You will notice lots of fruit- like
esters and a bread – like maltiness with a lingering caramel sweetness.  As
the Cherry Quadzilla warms, the complexity increases and the flavor becomes
fuller.

Herbal American Wheat: The Herbal American Wheat an American – style wheat
ale with a twist.  We added a pound of secret herbs per barrel to make the
beer extra refreshing.  The base is roughly 50% wheat malt, very lightly
hopped and fermented with our house ale yeast.  After fermentation, we
infused the finished product with herbs and made sure it was carbonated
generously.

Mad Brewer Maibock: The Mad Brewer Maibock was the Silver Medal winner in
1999 and 2000, Bronze Medal winner in 2001, and the Gold Medal Winner in
2005 at the Great American Beer Festival in the German Bock category.  A
bock beer is required by German law to start at 17 Plato.  For those who are
interested, Plato is a measurement of the sugar content before fermentation.
It is a very malty lager beer with medium hop bitterness.  A maibock is a
light to amber colored bock beer and is very similar to a Helles/pale bock.
Maibocks were originally brewed for the coming of spring, hence the name Mai
(German for May).  The Mad Brewer Maibock is medium amber in color.  Though
similar in color to our Pipe Organ Pale Ale, it is very different in
character.  Don’t let it get you though; it’s a very strong beer at about 7%
alcohol.  It has a very clean and malty nose.  The hop bitterness is
evident, but not dominant.  The Mad Brewer Maibock will finish quite full
and have a delicate sweetness.

Unholy Matrimony: How about the unnatural union of rye and wheat?  The
Unholy Matrimony pours blonde and foamy.The extra carbonation is to aid the
aroma.  You should smell spicy citrus and fresh scents.  When you taste it,
you will first notice its dry rye spiciness which yields to its smooth,
peppery citrus finish.  The wheat and citrus get along pretty well together,
and some added spelt provides some extra mouthfeel to hold all the flavors
up.  Saaz Monster: This is a Lager beer packed full of Czech Saaz hops.  We
decided to not filter this beer so as to not jeopardize the wonderful hop
flavor and aroma.  If you carefully swirl the glass and take a big whiff,
you will get a full but delicate fresh hop aroma from only the best noble
hop – Czech Saaz.  We used nearly 2 lbs of hops per barrel of beer, which is
not far off from what we use in our IPA, though this beer has half the
bitterness.  The flavor profile is spicy hops up front with a clean malt
finish and pleasing bitterness.

Coconut Stout: Our next stout in our rotating Blast Furnace Stout series is
a Coconut Stout.  We noticed in the last our years that our stout sales
decline in the summer months.  Most people don’t want to struggle with a
nice thick stout in the summer months when they are looking to cool off.  I,
however, love a nice stout in the hot months, so I felt a compromise was in
order.  When I think of summer, three things pop into my mind: baseball, the
4th of July, and coconut.  All right, maybe coconut doesn’t make me think of
summer, but I like it and I’m in charge now so let’s see if we can shake
things up a bit.  This recipe is a twist on my Milk Stout that debuted back
in November.  It is the basic recipe for the Milk Stout except I added a
considerable amount more chocolate malt and scaled back the roast barley.
The coconut comes into play in the serving tank.  I added fifty pounds of
unsweetened coconut flakes into the conditioning tank and serving tank.
When the cooling jackets are turned on, the oils from the flakes will mix
with the brew, giving the beer a subtle hint of coconut.  When tasting this
beer you will notice the chocolate malt up front on your tongue.  This will
give way to a subtle taste of coconut in the finish and in the back of your
throat.  The hop bill was kept low so that it would not overpower the
sweetness and the coconut.  I hope through this beer that everyone will
think of coconut when they think of summer.

Steve Sloan, Head Brewer Hometown: Born in Waterford/Pontiac MI, just north
of Detroit.  Favorite CBW Brew: Big Belgian fan so I would have to say the
Trippel at the moment.  Enjoy lagers too so the Gold is a nice session beer.
Brew you’d love to see us brew: A series of Saisons, with seasonal spices
and wild yeasts.  And a Polish Pils for summer.  Education: Undergrad
Kalamazoo College (Chemistry), Masters from University of Florida
(Chemistry), Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling
out of London, Brewing Microbiology Course at Siebel Institute of
Technology.  Background as a brewer: First brewing job was with Kona Brewing
Company in Hawaii as a shift brewer in 1996.  Decision to become a brewer: I
was exposed to craft beer while going to undergrad in Kalamazoo and drinking
plenty of Bell’s and spending a few summers playing and coaching American
football in Germany where I really found a passion for better beer.  After
grad school, ended up in Hawaii where I was trying my hand at teaching and
coaching.  Ended up meeting the head brewer for Kona Brewing who was looking
for help.  From day one I knew that the craft brewing industry was the
perfect fit.  Good mix of using my science background for consistency and
quality while at the same time allowing a lot of creativity in problem
solving and recipe development.  Couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  I
feel fortunate that I stumbled upon this industry, which has had such huge
growth.  Ending up at the CBW: After John Harvard’s closed in 2008, I did
some part time work with Church Brew Works before heading out to California.
I was working for a great company in Firestone Walker in a beautiful area in
CA, but when I was contacted by Sean about the position, I was very excited
since my wife and I love Pittsburgh.  The Church is one of the coolest pubs
in world, and the brand has a great deal of potential.

Matt Moninger, Assistant Brewer

Hometown:  Greene County, PA Favorite CBW Brew: Zwarte Piet’s Xmas
Education: University of Pittsburgh-Bachelors in Religious Studies
Background as a brewer: Homebrewer since 1997, CBW Bottling line /
operations Decision to become a brewer: It is the only job I can think of in
which you get to make beer!  Ending up at the CBW: Friends in high places!

Justin Viale, Brewer Hometown: Knoxville, TN Favorite CBW Brew: I go in
phases; right now it’s the ThunderHop IPA.  Education: BA in Anthropology
from the University of Tennessee Background as a brewer: Homebrewer for
three years, then volunteer at Moccasin Bend Brewing Co.  Decision to become
a brewer: First, because beer is fantastic!  Second, I like the work; after
a day of brewing, something is made that other people get to enjoy.  Ending
up at the CBW: After interviewing at breweries from (literally) coast to
coast, I was offered a part-time position that grew into full time by the
end of the first week.  I feel very fortunate at the opportunity I was given
to learn all aspects of the Brewery very quickly, and Pittsburgh has been a
great new city for me and my wife.  Steven O`Neal Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Favorite CBW Brew: Hefe Weizen Education: Taylor Allderdice High School
Background as a brewer: Homebrewer Decision to become a brewer: Love of good
beer Ending up at the CBW: At first, it was my second job as a busboy, and I
was offered a job in the brewery and have been here ever since (eight
years).

3525 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-688-8200 |
www.churchbrew.com| cbw1996@comcast.net

According to Harpoon Founders Dan Kenary and Rich Doyle, they started the Harpoon Brewery in 1986 because—like today—they loved beer and wanted more good choices.  While traveling in Europe after college, they drank many wonderfully diverse, fresh, local beers.  They also saw firsthand how important local breweries were to their communities.  After their travels, they asked each other, “Why not bring great beer and that sense of community to New England?”  That was the genesis of the Harpoon Brewery.

Dan and Rich said, “Twenty years later we still revel in making great beer and sharing that joy with our friends and neighbors.  The success that we have had running Harpoon is due entirely to the wonderful employees who brew, package, warehouse, sell, deliver, and market our beer and you, the people who drink Harpoon.  We hope that our sense of gratitude is reflected in both the quality of the beer and the spirit of fun and enjoyment surrounding our beer and breweries.”

They continued, “At Harpoon, we have always worked hard at two things:  brewing great beer, and welcoming our customers to our breweries.  Our beer styles were created to provide you, our beer-drinking friends, with fresh, fun and interesting choices.  We draw on numerous brewing traditions to make our beers, but we always add our own “interpretation” of how the styles can be best matched to our – and your – tastes.”

Harpoon Beers each have their own individual characteristics in terms of taste, color and body. Their goal is to make beers that are distinctive and, most importantly, a pleasure to drink. While each is different, they are all made with the same joy and commitment.

The following beers are available from Harpoon Brewery year-round:

Harpoon IPA uses Harpoon’s proprietary yeast strain. Our yeast is cultivated here in the brewery and is unique to Harpoon. Yeast contributes to our beer’s slightly fruity aroma.

The high hopping of Harpoon IPA is not only noticeable in the nose but especially in the finish. The lingering bitter finish of this beer is not harsh or astringent, but crisp and pronounced. This is created, in part, by dry hopping – a technique that involves adding fresh hops to the conditioning beer to provide a fresh hop aroma. This beer is floral, medium body with an aggressive, clean hop finish.

Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA – In 2011 Harpoon co-founders brewed a Rye IPA as part of the brewery’s 100 Barrel Series. It quickly became a favorite at the brewery, so they decided to make it year-round. In April 2012, Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA will be available in six-packs at a package store near you! This beer is brewed with our proprietary yeast, the same yeast we’ve used since first brewing Harpoon Ale, and some interesting hop varieties. The combination of Pale, Rye, Caramel 60, Flaked Rye, and Vienna yield a complex malt body that stands up to the spiciness of the Rye and the pronounced hop flavor. The Rye also adds a reddish hue to the beer. The kettle additions of Centennial, Apollo, and Chinook, and the dry hop addition of Falconer’s Flight, create a multidimensional hop character.

the spiciness of the Rye and the pronounced hop flavor.  The Rye also adds a reddish hue to the beer.  The kettle additions of Centennial, Apollo, and Chinook, and the dry hop addition of Falconer’s Flight, create a multidimensional hop character.

Harpoon UFO White – An American White Ale – Light, crisp, refreshing UFO White follows in the tradition of s[iced wheat beers that have been brewed in Belgium for well over 300 years.  Brewed with orange peel and a unique blend of spices.  Served with a slice of orange and rejoice! Maxim Magazine named this beer on of the “54 Best Beers of 2010.”

Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen – An American Hefeweizen – Harpoon’s most award winning beer features a cloudy golden color, refreshing light body and a clean finish. Traditionally served with a wedge of lemon to complement the citrus taste provided by the yeast and complete the UFO Hefeweizen experience.  When UFO Hefeweizen was first introduced over a decade ago, people didn’t understand cloudy beer.  And add a lemon wedge? Crazy! Now UFO Hefeweizen is an “old” favorite.  Won a Silver Medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup and a Bronze Medal at the 2009 GABF.

Mix Pack Sampler – Summer Vacation – Four different beer styles – Three bottles of each includes – Harpoon IPA – Harpoon Summer Beer – UFO White and Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner.  Available now at your local distributor! The following Mix Pack Samplers rotate throughout the various seasons; Fall Tailgater, Wintry Mix and 5:30 Club Mix.

Harpoon also offers a variety of Seasonal Beers, Limited Edition Seasonal and Limited Edition Harpoon 100 Barrel Series as well as Leviathan on a rotating basis but the styles change every two months.

Dan and Rich invite all of you to visit their Boston brewery, where it all began, or their beautiful brewery in Windsor, Vermont.  Here you will see a commitment to brewing excellence and receive a warm greeting.  In addition, you are encouraged to visit during one of their seasonal brewing festivals, which have grown very popular since they held their first Octoberfest in 1990.  Directions to both breweries, schedules of tastings,  festival information and a complete listing of Harpoon Beers can be found on their website at www.harpoonbrewery.com  Cheers!!

Be sure and check out Harpoon specials at your favorite establishments.  Stop by the Hop House in Green Tree or the North Hills, order any Harpoon beer, tell them you saw this feature in Nightwire to receive “FREE” Harpoon merchandise and surprises, while supplies last!

Tröegs Brewing Company

Chris and John Trogner have been working hard to get Central Pennsylvania on the brewing map. Since 1997, these Mechanicsburg natives have been handcrafting world-class beers that combine traditional English brewing techniques with the eclecticism of new American brewing. But how they reached this point is as compelling as where they are headed.

Chris and John, 18 months apart in age, were simultaneously intrigued by the art of handcrafting beer while living some 1,750 miles apart—Chris in Boulder, Colorado and John in Philadelphia. John, the older brother, often found relief from his not-so-satisfying work in the Philadelphia real estate market at the nearby Dock Street Brewpub. At the same time, Philadelphia was proving to be a booming beer city with dozens of neighborhood bars that cared as much about beer as they did about food.

Chris was drawn to Colorado for the skiing opportunities, as well as educational ones. In between the two, he found himself in the midst of craft-brewing nirvana, as more than 100 breweries appeared throughout the state. As Chris and John would talk, a flicker of an idea gradually turned into a full-blown business plan. The brothers had always dreamed about starting a business together, and now they had brewed the perfect idea.

John moved to Boulder, and within days secured a job cleaning tanks at the Oasis Brewpub. Over the next three years he would learn the brewing business from the inside out. Along the way, he took brewing classes at the University of California at Davis and Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Technology.

With John knee-deep in yeast, hops and barley, Chris focused on marketing, sales and management classes. He also managed a restaurant to determine whether a brewpub or a brewery would be a better business model. The brothers decided to leave the food to someone else and focus on beer. After graduating, Chris went to England to take an intensive brewing class at the University of Sunderland.

The brothers needed to decide where to build the brewery; and while Colorado offered the right audience, it also meant a lot of competition. After a lot of thought, Chris and John decided to return to their roots and use their brewing skills in the Mid-Atlantic States.

Tröegs Brewing Company was established in 1997. Today, the brewery produces ten different beers including Hopback Amber Ale, Troegenator Doublebock, Java Head Stout, Tröegs Pale Ale, Nugget Nectar (seasonal) Dead Reckoning Porter (seasonal), Sunshine Pils (seasonal), The Mad Elf (seasonal), DreamWeaver Wheat and Perpetual IPA.  It distributes its product in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Massachusetts and Virginia.

Tröegs Beers – YEAR-ROUND BREWS

Tröegs HopBack Amber – lends its unique name and taste from the HopBack Vessel in our brewhouse. Packed full of whole flavor hops, each batch circulates through the vessel, creating a fresh hoppy aroma, spicy taste and rich caramel note that defines this signature amber ale.

Troegenator® Double Bock – For periods of fasting without solid foods, Monastic brewers relied on the double bock: a stronger, richer beer to fulfill their basic nutritional needs. Known to them as “liquid bread,” a double bock has a strong malt aroma and chewy rich body. In the spirited tradition of naming a double bock in the suffix “ator,” we give you Troegenator to provide warmth and richness through the early spring months.

Tröegs DreamWeaver® Wheat – Long toasty days, cool breezy nights and a splash of magic provide the inspiration for the Trogner brothers’ dreamiest wheat beer. Combining four wheat types with Munich and Pils malts, noble Saaz hops, and a yeast strain that imparts a spicy, peppery, clove taste with a slight hint of bananas, Dreamweaver Wheat is an unfiltered blast of spicy, mouthwatering joy.

Perpetual IPA – In our constant evolution as a brewery, we’ve developed an undying drive to meld the organic and the mechanical. Perpetual IPA utilizes our hopback and dry-hopping to engineer a bold Imperial Pale Ale. Perpetual IPA is 7.5% ABV and 85 IBUs. It features Bravo, Chinook and Mt. Hood hops in the boil, Mt. Hood and Nugget hops in the hopback and Citra, Cascade and Nugget hops in dry-hopping.

Tröegs Pale Ale – is an American-style Pale Ale that is aggressively hopped with Northwest Cascades and balanced with crystal malts to create a hoppy, copper-colored crisp ale. An excellent example of a classic, American Pale Ale.

Tröegs JavaHead Stout – is now a Year-Round Brew! JavaHead is based off of our original 2005 oatmeal stout. After the boil, the hot wort passes through our hopback vessel packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of coffee beans – akin to a French press – intensifying the coffee nose and releasing hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal mouth-feel balanced with cocoa, roast and subtle coffee flavors.

“We aren’t concerned with making beer to a particular style, as much as we want to create a quality beer that we like to drink—that’s what is really important.”

Stop by your local bar or restaurant and order yourself a Tröegs!!  You’ll be so glad you did!

This Wednesday, July 13, IDENTITY—the first-ever touring electronic ONLY music festival that will visit major outdoor amphitheatres throughout North America in August and September—is going “20 for 20.” Courtesy of Skullcandy, IDENTITY’s presenter, $20 general admission tickets will be made available for only 20 hours for any one of the IDENTITY Festival shows. Starting at 9:00 am local time until 5:00 am the next day, fans will have exactly 20 hours to grab a ticket through any Ticketmaster outlet at this exclusive price to any IDENTITY festival show to see the likes of KASKADE, PRETTY LIGHTS, STEVE AOKI, DJ SHADOW, AVICII, AFROJACK, RUSKO, THE CRYSTAL METHOD, THE DISCO BISCUITS, STEVE LAWLER and tons more.

These specially priced tickets will give fans across the continent a chance to experience club culture and music by their favorite DJs and electronic music performers in an outdoor setting, produced by the top names in dance music and festival production.

Here is what some of IDENTITY’s featured artists have to share about this summer:

“The reason I was so interested in the ID festival was because nobody’s ever done anything like this before…I’ve been working a lot on the visuals and the staging and how I’m gonna present it. In these amphitheaters, essentially the stages are all the same, which is a lot different from touring in a nightclub because it’s always changing and I’m on a bus, so it gives me an opportunity to take that same exact show and present it at these different locations.

It’s very rewarding to be a part of ID Fest because it’s kind of the manifestation of a lot of hard work that’s gone into everything up to this point.”

—Kaskade

*Check out a full interview with IDentity’s headliner at http://bit.ly/nUk3KK

“The summer is always one of the most exciting times for any artist; the festival season means that the crowd just gets bigger and bigger and of course it’s a hectic time with lots of gigs. It’s the best time to really get a feel for any new material you’ve made as you can test it regularly and at a much higher level. I’ve already experienced some pretty awesome reactions to some new material we’ve been working on!”

—Avicii

“I like the idea of different types of music occupying the same arenas that have traditionally held rock dinosaurs and pop catastrophes. I like to think that the fact I’m even involved signifies a small triumph, almost like ‘Uh-oh, who let him in here?’ No matter what happens, I’m appreciative of the platform and opportunity to share what I do, which is the only thing I know how to do–make and play music. I’ve been a DJ for 27 years, and I think I have something valid to contribute to the genre, even if most people there have no idea who I am. Hopefully they will when it’s over.”

—DJ Shadow (as told to SPINNER.COM, June 29, 2011)

“Well, it’s going to either be great and we’ll all have an amazing time, or we’re going to totally hate each other by the end of it and be sick of the sight of each other! We’ve got some buddies on the tour that it’s always good to watch, Steve Aoki, Doorly, Datsik, Skrillex etc. But we’re also looking forward to checking out the guys that we’ve never seen before.”

—Nero

“We have a lot of experience in this area. I love the community spirit and camaraderie of touring with festivals. I love meeting and hanging with the different artists…I’m going to make every effort to see all the acts and meet as many new friends as possible. Let it be known that TCM’s bus is always open for a cold beer or refreshing mixer ;-)”

—Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method

“I’m looking forward to watching the artists I have not seen perform, but heard their music and I’m excited to meet the artists I have seen play. Almost every artist on this tour has inspired me in one way or another so it will be fun hanging with them across the country.”

—Marshall Barnes

“I’m so excited to be a apart of the first-ever touring electronic music festival!! I have an amazing show planned for everyone and I’m personally thrilled about the lineup. Get ready!! IDentity is going to be the sickest show of the summer!”

—Jessie of Jessie and the Toy Boys

“We are looking forward to playing our music in so many new cites we have never played before.”

—Afrobeta

“I’m especially looking forward to the Identity Festival. I have done many gigs over in North America, but not a festival yet, and I’m a junkie for new experiences…I am looking forward to doing my first tour with fellow VIVa MUSiC artist Leon, who is from Italy. Although we are both on VIVa, we haven’t really gigged much together as we are normally touring around doing our own separate gigs, so doing this with Leon and of course Steve Lawler will be fantastic.”

—Darius Syrossian

“Looking forward to a cross-country bus tour and developing new friendships along the way. (Identity + UMF) x Line up = !”

—Riotgear

Catch IDENTITY FESTIVAL this summer at the following venues:

For all up-to-date information, please visit www.IDFestival.com

Or follow:

www.facebook.com/IDFestival

www.twitter.com/IDENTITYFest

Sizzle Reels:

**new w/ Kaskade

http://bit.ly/nUk3KK

http://www.youtube.com/idfestival
embed link:

http://youtu.be/6XaBpSGSfgo

www.skullcandy.com

About IDentity:

This summer will mark the debut of IDentity, presented by Skullcandy, a Road to Ultra Tour.  It is the first-ever touring electronic ONLY music festival that will visit major outdoor amphitheatres throughout North America in August and September and give fans the full electronic music experience. More than 20 shows are on tap for this exciting new traveling extravaganza with top-tier artists performing on multiple stages starting in the afternoon and into the night.  The line-up for IDentity—which is set to further galvanize the electronic music explosion—is highlighted by the hottest cutting-edge artists of the genre including KASKADE, PRETTY LIGHTS, RUSKO, AVICII, STEVE AOKI, DISCO BISCUITS, DJ SHADOW, SKRILLEX, PETE TONG, CHUCKIE, BOOKA SHADE, MODESELEKTOR, THE CRYSTAL METHOD, HOLY GHOST!, NERO, DATSIK, CHAD HUGO (N.E.R.D.), AEROPLANE, LA RIOTS, DOORLY, NERVO, WHITE SHADOW, JESSIE AND THE TOY BOYS and THE EYE with more to be announced.  For all up-to-date information about IDENTITY, please visit www.IDFestival.com or www.msopr.com/?q=node/6441

Dollywood!                                                                                                                         By:  Suz Pisano

The world’s reigning Applause Award winning theme park adds the Barnstormer, revives the popular Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival and debuts a Christmas ice skating show for guests visiting the Smoky Mountains in 2011.  Nightwire just returned from a road trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and we totally recommend that you plan a trip to Dollywood and visit the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee!

The Applause Award is the most prestigious award within the amusement and theme park industry, honors a park whose maagement, operations and creative accomplishments have inspired the industry with its foresight, originality and sound business development.  The award is presented every other year by Liseberg amusement park located in Gothenberg, Sweden.  Dollywood is like no where I’ve ever been- we absolutely loved it there, so much so we are already planning our return trip for next year and can’t wait to tell you why……..

Dollywood is Southern hospitality at its finest.  The Southern charm envelops you the moment you arrive.  The atmosphere is electric, the shows are dazzling, the rides are thrilling, the food is great, and the shopping is surprisingly affordable!  Dolly Parton purchased a small amusement park 25 years ago and literally turned the local economy around.  She’s a true champion for her people and everyone, absolutely everyone loves her!  Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is now a destination with over 250,000 Dollywood season pass holders and visitors of all ages coming from near and far.  Country charm is very attractive, even if you’re not a fan of country music.  We’re fans of success and Dollywood is a shining example.

The Barnstormer, Dollywood’s newest family thrill ride, takes flight for the 2011 season.  We were there for the kick-off and were excited to be some of the first to give it a try.  Passengers are seated back-to-back on two giant pendulum arms that reach over 80 feet in the air.  The journey to the treetops reaches a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour and 230 degrees of rotation.  We loved it but I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not for everyone!  Dolly herself told us that she’s scared of the new ride and would leave the riding up to us daredevils.  Barnstormer is definitely an exciting and thrilling ride! Barnstormer is located in the Owens Farm area, a heartfelt tribute to her roots.  To add to the authenticity of the farm area, Dolly partnered with the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative.

We really didn’t know what to expect visiting Tennessee for the first time, but we were so excited to be going to Dollywood.  Everyone we encountered was proud of their region and the surrounding Smoky Mountains.  The country charm is authentic and people are very friendly, warm and genuine.  The employees inside the park are helpful and really make you feel like you are their guest.  The park is immaculate and the décor is fantastic.  Dolly seemed to have spared no expense in getting these things right.  You’ll be amazed at the quality and talent of the craftspeople demonstrating their work throughout the park.  The glassblowing set-up rivals the Pittsburgh Glass Center!  I was totally fascinated by the train that travels through the park and the amount of theatres with so many choices and types of entertainment.  We saw Samaia: Legend of the Caucasus, performed by a cast of singers & dancers from the Caucasus region of the Georgian Republic.  Culture abounds throughout the Festival of Nations.

Dollywood is also home to the South’s largest festivals, Dollywood revives its popular Barbeque & Bluegrass festival August 19^th through September 5^th.  Free concerts by the biggest names in Bluegrass get under way with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder August 19^th & 20^th with 2 shows a day.  Kidsfest takes place June 17^th til August 7^th.  The Festival of Nations kicks off the opening season & runs now until May 2^nd featuring performers and craftspeople from all areas of the world.    Dolly explained that “When I think about all of the fascinating places my travels have taken me, my heart is always moved by the beautiful music and dance and what I’ve learned about other cultures.  My Festival of Nations celebrates the sights and sounds that unite us all, from the far corners of the world to right here in my Smoky Mountain home. “

Dollywood’s season runs from March 26^th through December 30^th.  Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel & mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region.  It’s a solid easy 8 hour drive from Pittsburgh, perfect for a road trip!  For more information call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com.  You can even find it on Facebook!

January 2011 Dining Review- Shiloh Grill

by: Suz Pisano

I was so excited to see the signs……I had heard the rumors…….a sister restaurant to the Harris Grill coming to this side of town- The Shiloh Grill on Mt. Washington. With the expectation of great food, great fun and great service, I was counting the days till I could dine there.  The restaurant opened in November and I just couldn’t wait to get there after returning from an extended stay in Europe.  Well, I’m thrilled to be back and I can’t wait to tell you all about this notorious East End neighborhood restaurant coming to a new West End neighborhood.  The drinks are great, they have outrageous desserts, vegetarian friendly selections, burgers, salads, wings & entrees plus all of your favorites and then BACON! The Shiloh Grill even makes a Bacon Martini!  Tuesday’s are “Bacon Night” but I’m getting ahead of myself.  Oh the joy of a restaurant I love even closer to my proximity!

On a referral from a Mt. Washington neighbor, we visited the Shiloh Grill to sample their food, throw back a few cocktails and see if we could get the goods on this kin to a Pittsburgh favorite.  When I go out, I love to try a new cocktail and I LOVE options……especially good ones- I recommend the Mommy’s Lemonade……..served in a martini glass if that’s any indication of how much you’ll like this libation.  We left our drink selections up to suggestions of the creative bartending in the house and we were definitely not disappointed. I wouldn’t have ordered the Thai Iced Tea- but I’m glad to have tried it for when I’m in the mood for a sultry cocktail, it was really good.  Now if you’re a true bacon lover- you simply have to try the Bacon Martini!  The instant I saw it- I took a picture & immediately posted it on my Facebook!  It’s ridiculously interesting and you can’t imagine anything like it until you try one.  Go on a Tuesday plus its incredible with a basket of bacon on your table.  I love bacon, I’m proud of it and I love this place already.

Menu selections at the Shiloh Grill are an entertaining and interesting mix- Calamari Mati Hari ($8.82) was our first peek at the cuisine and the quality of what they had in store for us.  I love Calamari especially when it is perfectly tossed with a sweet & spicy sauce.  I could eat this every day.  The Calamari is listed in the “Fun Things to put in your mouth” section of the menu and they are right on with the Calamari.  It was hard to share but plenty if you’re not dining with me!  A good Buffalo Chicken Dip ($9.45) is a sure favorite at Happy Hour, which happens daily from 5 – 7 where you will find half-off their extensive draft list.  This dip was the perfect temperature, creamy and with just enough spice.  It’s served with both pita and celery in case you were thinking it’s not a healthy choice.

As I said before THE most difficult part of the dining reviews are seeing the food being presented and then immediately being swept away for photographs…….When I saw the Fish Tacos ($10.99), my anticipation heightened.  I haven’t had a good fish taco since Maui & boy was I excited to try these- we sampled both the breaded & fried ones as well as the Grilled fish both are served  inside soft tortillas.  If you’re in the mood for something a bit different- this is the ticket.   The next visual intoxication that was served- Macaronis et Frommage de Langoustine ($17.13) it has freaking  lump backfin crabmeat and lobster knuckle meat on top of it!  I’m not saying anything else.  Well, maybe that 3 people could eat this portion.  That’s it, not even that I was so sad to have to share it- I imagine it’s still amazing leftover for lunch the next day.  It was soooooo good!  Okay I’m done.  I won’t say one more thing about it. Well maybe that I’m thinking about it right now on a snowy day, with maybe let’s say a glass of wine.  The Shiloh Grill has a great wine selection.  My take-home bonus was the Lasagne Aubergine ($14.92) aka Eggplant Lasagna.  I haven’t tasted a better one.  Maybe it’s the pesto in the sauce but it’s delicious and vegetarian.  Very easy to eat one less meat meal with this choice.  But then there was the “other white meat”……..Rita Hayworth and the Pork Shank Redemption ($18.71) and sooooo worth it.  If you’ve never ordered a pork shank in a restaurant- start here.  It’s fall off the bone with Bourbon Glaze- served atop horseradish mashed potatoes.  God it’s good……..and then I met the chef- Richard Gratzmiller.  So sweet that he served up all of these wonderful selections.  We tried both soups- along side a handful of french fries because, just because.  Labor-Inducing Vegetarian Chili ($3.97) and Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder ($3.47).  I told Chef Gratzmiller that I knew he cared about his patrons when he offered samples of his soups with those french fries just because it looked so pretty on the plate!  It’s refreshing to meet the Chef and see that he actually cares that you like his food.  I love that part best about our dining reviews.    Real people, making real food, real servers who actually talk to you and are making sure everyone is having a real good time.  I think that sums up the Shiloh Grill- You’re welcome here, they make you feel really welcome!  The friendly staff, servers and bartenders and their amazing food will keep you coming back.  They even give you bacon!

Just when we thought we were too full- Hannah, our super sweet, beautiful & very personable server for the evening, brought us some fabulous desserts to share.  “Stoudt” kake ($5.49) made with oatmeal and stoudt beer, reminiscent of a carrot cake consistency served with vanilla ice cream was well let’s say- not one bite left!  The Wrongest Dessert was also served and I’ll tell you that- it’s absolutely hysterical and delicious when served to an “adults only table” however, its presentation is completely different if children are at the table!  Try it- I’m really not saying anything else about it, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.  Coffee is from Coffee Tree Roasters and so good with any of the dessert selections.  I’m a huge fan of desserts and The Shiloh Grill definitely does not disappoint.  Their selections are creative, fun, somewhat decadent and definitely delicious.

Please join me in welcoming The Shiloh Grill to Mount Washington- they are open weekdays at 4, Saturdays at 11am and Sundays for Brunch 10 until 2.  Brunch is Prix Fixe an affordable $14 which includes a Frozen Mimosa or a Bloody Mary and coffee plus a huge buffet and omelet and waffle stations.  I truly believe that once the word gets out about this brunch- everyone will want a table!  I already have 2 brunches scheduled for myself- I love my girlfriends & we all love a theme, so look forward to seeing us in perhaps tiaras or pajamas some Sunday soon!

The Shiloh Grill even has a banquet room for private parties & events.

Checkout their website for upcoming beer pairing and wine paring dinners and don’t forget to make your Valentines Day reservations!

123 Shiloh Street, Majestic Mount Washington, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  15211

412.431.4000

www.theshilohgrill.com

Frankie & Georgie’s 4 Wood Grille

by:  Steve Montellese

Frankie & Georgie’s 4 Wood Grille, a play on words for Forward Grille, is located on – guess where – Forward Avenue in Squirrel Hill.  The restaurant is conveniently located off the Squirrel Hill exit on Forward Avenue below the Forward Bowling Lanes.  You will definitely look forward to this restaurant!   At first glance, you might expect typical bar food, but you would definitely be wrong.  Owners, Frankie (Frank Pasquarelli and his wife Bobbi Jo) & Georgie (George Fisher) have teamed up to create a new menu and we can’t wait to tell you all about it.  Top quality homemade food at great affordable prices with top notch service and a great atmosphere.

The Executive Chef, Chad Rapp along with Chef, Robert Lamison prepared some really fun, unique and delicious dishes.

We sipped on  Foxhorn Cabernet, the featured house selection which was an excellent choice for a house wine.  There is also a long list of wines and Champagnes by the bottle, starting extremely low and ranging up to about $50.  There is also a fabulous list of specialty martinis, frozen drinks and a really nice beer selection with about 100 interesting brews.  Something for everyone!

We started off with a signature dish handed down from Grandma – Italian Egg Rolls ($5.95).  These eggrolls are made from sausage, meatball and cheese filling wrapped in a typical egg roll shell.  The result is an unexpected combination of tastes and textures that went together surprisingly well.  It was sort of like Italy meets China, and Italy won!  This is definitely a “must try.”

Next, we sampled the Chicken Marsala ($14.99).  These tender medallions of chicken were covered with fresh mushrooms and an incredibly tangy (but not sour) Marsala wine sauce that truly made your mouth dance.  This I’m sure has a lot to with the fact that the sauce is made to order and doesn’t sit around waiting to be ordered.  I liked this dish so much I had to go home and try to make it myself.  So far my version has not been quite as good.  Guess I need to go back for some more tastings and lessons!

OK, raise your hands – who out there loves ribs?  Well, let me tell you, the Baby Back Ribs ($16.99) were incredible.  The 4 Wood Grille refers to them as “soon to be famous” and I would absolutely agree.  I actually ate them with a knife and fork because the marinated, dry rubbed ribs just fell off the bones, so juicy, tender and delicious.  Probably the best ribs I’ve ever tasted.

Next we sampled the Pasta Primavera ($12.99) which comes with your choice of four sauces over fresh vegetables and fettuccini.  The sauce choices are Marinara, Alfredo, Marfredo or Olive Oil & Garlic.  We sampled the olive oil & garlic sauce.  This was a wonderfully light and refreshing dish that was revitalizing and springy with just enough garlic to be flavorful but not overwhelming.  I plan on going back to sample the other sauces because the oil & garlic sauce was absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try the other sauces.

Finally, we sampled the Pepperoni Pizza with Green Pepper and Onions ($16.09).  4 Wood Grille makes authentic pizza dough and sauce.  The pizza dough was delightful, not too filling, not too thin, but  the perfect thin crust pizza.  Their pizza dough and sauce are made fresh daily and are simply delicious, you’ll savor every bite and keep coming back for more.  The best thin crust pizza in the burgh!  The pizzas come in 14” – 8 cut ($9.99) and 16” – 12 cut ($13.99) sizes to suit your appetite and you can get your choice of 10 pizza toppings.  They also serve their pizza by the slice for a very reasonable price ($1.75).

Their extensive menu includes sandwiches, gourmet burgers, salads, wings, pizza, calzones plus dinner entrees from seafood to filet, chicken, pasta and their famous baby back ribs.  They definitely have something for everyone and prices that won’t break your budget.

In addition to all of this great food, the 4 Wood Grill has a wonderful entertainment schedule.  Billy Price appears there every Thursday night at 8pm.  You can check out their entire entertainment schedule on their website at FrankieandGeorgies.Shutterfly.com

Also be sure and make your New Year’s Eve Party reservations featuring the Cause – Only $20 includes full dinner buffet, champagne toast, noise makers and entertainment.  To make your reservation call:  412-422-5027.

Open daily 3pm – 2AM Monday through Sunday – kitchen open nightly till 11pm.  They also feature nightly specials and live entertainment, call for more information. Frankie & Georgie’s 4 Wood Grille is located at 5832 Forward Avenue, Pittsburgh PA  15207

Blue Dining

by:   Steve Montellese

How often have you eaten at a restaurant with a name that’s an adjective, much less a name that could also be an adverb?  Blue is just that place and is one of the few really wonderful restaurants in Pittsburgh’s North Hills owned and managed by Jason Eisenreich.  The menu is simple and elegant spanning a wide range of tastes.

Blue has a beautiful bar area where you’ll find the excellent and friendly bartender Kim Hammill.  The drink menu is spectacular and I managed to sample the special holiday drink, the Candy Cane Martini made with Godiva white chocolate liquor, vodka and Peppermint Schnapps.  Served for a limited time only, so don’t miss it.  The wine selection by the glass was unusually extensive giving everyone something to suit their palate.

We sampled four appetizers, two salads, four of the entrees and a dessert all prepared by Chef Jay Whittenberger who also paired each course with an appropriate wine.  Wine pairings are ultimately an individual choice, but these went well with the courses and are a good place to start.  First was the Lobster Risotto ($9), which was paired with a light and refreshing Vino Verde wine ($8.75) from Portugal. The risotto was prepared with huge chunks of succulent lobster and was outstanding.

Then came what Blue calls the Mediterranean Tasting ($7), which contained Tabouleh Salad, Mixed Olives and Sesame Hummus.  This appetizer was nicely paired with a Fuchs, Gruner Veltliner wine ($8.75) from Austria.

The Cheese Course ($10) consisted of three excellent cheeses; Morbeir, Cambozola and Tartufo paired with a French Chardonnay ($10.50) by Talmard.  Typically French Chardonnay doesn’t have the oakiness of the American variety which worked well with these cheeses.

Next came the Bacon Tasting ($9)  a really fun appetizer consisting of three types of bacon – Wild Boar, Pancetta and Neuske which Chef Jay paired with a great Beaujolais wine.

The two salads were next.  First the delicious Caprese salad ($7) containing tomatoes, mozzarella and red onion topped with a balsamic and fig reduction sauce.  Prosecco (which is a dry Italian sparkling wine was an excellent choice to compliment this course.

If you like Brussels sprouts you have got to try the Brussels Sprout Salad ($7) with Blue Cheese and Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing.  It was one of the most interesting and delicious salads that I’ve ever had.  To make it even better, it was paired with a Spanish Tempranillo wine ($10.75) which was silky and smooth.

Then came the entrees…

The first was the Ahi Tuna ($28) perfectly prepared with apple and fennel slaw, seared just right on the edges.

Hanger Steak ($26) also known as the butcher’s steak has become more popular as of late.  There is only one per cow and it was the piece of meat that the butcher often took home for himself.  It hangs near the liver and is said to possess just a hint of liver flavor.  It is a wonderfully flavorful cut of meat and was marinated and prepared with Chinese beans and rice.  The wine served with the steak was an Italian Negroamaro, by Salice Salentino ($9.00) which stood up well to the hanger steak.

The Cavatelli Pasta ($24) with duck confit, grilled scallions, wild mushrooms, ricotta salata with smoked pepper cream was surprisingly different and superb.  The Montepulciano ($7.75) served with the course was a really nice compliment working well with the duck and sauce.

And finally, always the crowd pleaser, the Grilled Rack of Lamb ($29) served with wild mushroom risotto was simply delicious.  Cooked just right it was flavorful and tender and was wonderful with the El Portillo Malbec wine ($8.50) that it was served with.

To finish off this wonderful tasting was the chocolate mousse dessert served with Cockburn’s Fine Ruby, port wine.  Together they went down soft and delicious.  There is nothing like good chocolate with a nice glass of port!

Besides fine dining and an amazing wine & martini bar, Blue has several other attractions.  On the last Wednesday of each month, Blue hosts, what they call, a Strolling Wine Tasting at 6:00pm, which sounds like a fun evening to try.  Tuesdays are Diva Tuesdays featuring the best female vocalists in the area, from 8-10pm.  Another reason to check out Blue is their Friday happy hour.  Complimentary sushi is served and we hear its amazing, so get there early.

Also, Blue is expanding the dining and bar areas, taking over the adjacent store’s space.  The plan is to have this open by the end of December.  Blue should definitely be on your list of places to dine…. located in the North Hills at 1701 Duncan Avenue Allison Park, PA 15101  – phone:  412-369-9050 – Reservations Recommended.

www.bluedining.com

Hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 4:00pm-10:00pm

Friday and Saturday 4:00pm-11:00pm

Sunday 4:00pm-9:00pm

Bar open until 2am

Monte Cello’s Wexford

Monte Cello’s has been part of the Wexford community for over 25 years.  Owners, Wayne Mateer, Joe Wadlow and Dominic Ricci have truly mastered the art of making fresh pizza dough and sauces from scratch to create the best pizza around. Their calzones, salads, gourmet burgers, and huge pasta selections truly set this place apart from other restaurants.  Monte Cello’s offers so much more than just pizza, their entrees are all made fresh daily and include fantastic seafood selections as well as steak, veal, chicken and pot roast to all you can eat crab legs on Tuesdays. Definitely delicious and something for everyone at extremely affordable pricing. Here you will find casual dining where the owners have worked very hard to keep the family budget in mind. Plus, their staff is great, very attentive, and accommodating.

Monday through Fridays 11am-2pm they offer an “all you can eat” lunch buffet ($7.50) offering a large selection of their famous pizzas, pastas, salads and soup. A dinner buffet is also offered on Monday nights from 4pm-8pm ($7.50) selections vary weekly, but you will always be sure to find pizzas, pasta and heartier entrees, something to tempt and please your palate.

At the bar, you will find the best happy hour from 6p-8p Monday through Thursdays and 7p-9p on Fridays and Saturdays, its half off appetizers and all drafts beers are $1.00.  They have 8 beers on tap, Yuengling, Blue Moon, Coors Light, Miller Light, Great Lakes, Sam Adams Seasonal, Labatt and Stella Artois.  Plus, Mondays are 75 cent pizza slices, 4p-8p, Wednesdays, Yuengs and Wings- 35 cent wings & $6.00 pitchers.  Fridays – $1.00 off ALL vodka drinks and Sundays – FREE Pizza during Pittsburgh NFL Football.

Monte Cellos’s Italian Restaurant is located at 10441 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA  15090 – Phone: 724-935-4151 for dine in, take out or delivery!

Open 7 days a week Visit them on the web: www.montecellos.com

Hokkaido Seafood Buffet

Much more than seafood… Definitely not your ordinary buffet!

By Trish Imbrogno

When I was asked to do this review, I must say that I was hesitant.  I don’t each much seafood, and buffets tend to freak me out.  I’m a very picky eater, and things that live in water don’t top my list of things I would eat.  I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to eat to actually complete the review.  But, much to my surprise, I was SO happy I agreed to cover Hokkaido Seafood Buffet.

Located on Browns Hill Road, between Squirrel Hill and the Waterfront, Hokkaido is much more than a seafood buffet.  The place was spotless and filled with hip furniture and bright lighting fixtures – like someplace you would find downtown in the Cultural District.  I couldn’t believe that I had walked into a buffet!  I was much more at ease, but I still had to tackle the seafood obstacle.  Good thing the rest of our staff loves seafood!

Once again, I was thankful I agreed to writing the review!  The buffet had everything from fresh fruit, pizza, and ice cream to octopus salad, whole steamed crabs, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, fish ball soup, chicken feet and everything in between.  If you don’t like seafood at all, you will definitely leave this buffet completely satisfied and still would not have tried everything they have to offer! Plus, if you like seafood, then this place is a seafood paradise!  Added bonus, the restaurant is BYOB, and there is no corking fee.

The buffet consists of a complete sushi bar – California rolls, vegetable rolls, red snapper sashimi, and salmon skin rolls are only a few of your nearly 25 options – and that’s just the sushi!  The rest of the Nightwire staff sampled most of the sushi and they all agreed that it was fresh, well presented and delicious!  There is also a self-carving section with Italian sausage and roasted beef tenderloin, and six soup options.  For the less adventurous, they have chicken noodle and Asian basics like wonton.

If you still think there is nothing for you to eat, stop by the Hibachi bar for your choice of steak, chicken, fish or shrimp.  You load your plate with your selection of raw veggies and meat, hand it off to the Hibachi chef, who will amaze you with his culinary and cooking skills and in a few minutes, you have a freshly cooked meal! I could have spent the whole night eating right here.  I chose chicken with green peppers, broccoli and snow peas, that were prepared to perfection and simply delicious.  I went on…. and sampled crab legs.

As mentioned, I have a limited affinity for seafood, but crab legs is one of the things that tops the list of things I’ll “pick” in my pickiness.  And, Hokkaido’s were amazing — easy to shell and very tender and meaty.  I’m not quite sure where I put so many of them, but somehow I had a huge plate of shells!  The salmon was also well beyond what I thought I would find on a buffet – so much so, I had a second plate.

Somehow I found room for dessert.  I have a very big sweet tooth, so with my limited stomach space left, I had a hard choice for my sweet ending.  Chocolate and tapioca pudding, Jell-O, chocolate brownies, pair candied marshmallows, and fresh fruit including mango, kiwi, oranges, grapes, honeydew and more!  There are also seven varieties of ice cream – with my favorites cookies and cream and mint chip.

Hokkaido is more of an “Asian” buffet than a seafood buffet. I was completely impressed by the atmosphere and even more delighted with the selection and presentation.  With a lunch price of a mere $8.99 and dinner at only $16.99, it’s more than worth the money.  Bring a bottle of wine or select from sodas on the menu and plan to leave completely satisfied!  If you haven’t been to Hoikkaido you are really missing this truly affordable awesome dining experience!  We highly recommend you try Hoikkaido and as always be sure and tell them your friends from Nightwire sent you!

For a complete list of menu items, directions and more visit www.hokkaidopittsburgh.com.  Hoikkaido Seafood Buffet is open daily for Lunch: $8.99 Mon-Fri 11am-3:30pm – Sat Brunch: $12.99 (11am-3:30pm)

Sunday & Holidays: $16.99 all day.  Dinner $16.99

Mon-Thurs: 3:30-10pm –

Fri & Sat: 3:30-10:30pm

Sun: 11am-10pm

4598 Browns Hill Rd
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217
(412) 421-1422

Sauce – 02-20-2010

This month the Nightwire crew headed out to Bridgeville where we found Sauce, a cute bar/restaurant where the food is not Italian, as the name may suggest but very American with a twist.  They do however have plenty of sauces available to compliment everything on the menu.  Upon entering this establishment, you will  immediately be greeted by the friendly staff and notice the long bar in front of you, to the left are intimate semicircular booths.  In the back, past the kitchen you will find another dining area to accommodate customer overflow. Sauce reminded us of an old fashion diner blended together with an upscale urban bistro, which creates a unique and very interesting look and feel.  To me a nice long bar usually signifies a great drinking establishment and Sauce is no exception.  They have super fun drinks, micro-brews as well as nice Happy Hour specials.  I’ll tell you more about that later…

According to some locals Sauce is such a popular spot that at lunch time the place is packed!  At the mere mention of the place, I got some really good feedback from someone who said it’s their favorite, and another friend chimed in to say that his dad (who lives in Bridgeville) loves it there.   So let me get to the food.  We started with appetizers – “First Stops”- Not Your Typical Nachos & Buffalo Chicken Dip.  The nachos were piled high and topped with a melted cheese sauce, jalapenos, and salsa.  They are definitely big enough to share.  The Buffalo Chicken Dip was very creamy, saucy & spicy, a perfect accompaniment with a nice beer.  We had Magic Hat a micro brew.  Sauce has a great selection of beers and specialty drinks.  Some of the drinks that we tried were a Pom-A-Politan, a Shirley Temple All Grown Up and a Grape Fusion.

Sauce makes what they call “Soda Jerk” Drinks that are very fun as well as refreshing.  My favorite was the Shirley Temple All Grown Up!  And the Grape Fusion tasted just like a grape popsicle.

Our excellent server Paulette began bringing amazing dishes starting with the Steak Wedgy Salad.  Sauce makes their Steak Salad with Filet Mignon so you can see why it’s a favorite of the local clientele.  Their fresh wedgey salad is served in a warm tortilla bowl topped with onion, bacon, eggs, tomato and filet mignon served with your choice of dressings.  We sampled another favorite- the Skillet Burger served without a bun and in tribute to the famous Strip District restaurant they put homemade cole slaw on top.  The sizzling hot skillet makes this burger so delicious.  Next, the skillet Macaroni and Cheese  we were served was scrumptiously delicious that we actually couldn’t pick a favorite.  Our host, General Manager, Vicki Morabito, joking called it “Mac & Crack” because its so addicting and the best macaroni and cheese we’ve ever tried.  I’ll let you decide – it’s a must try!  Dave Donatelli, Sauce’s resident Chef came out to greet us and told us to save room for some signature desserts but we weren’t quite through sampling Sauce’s dishes.  Next we tried their twist on a good old Ham & Cheese- Sauce serves it in a skillet on a pretzel bun.  Our dining mate Tim loves a ham & cheese and orders it almost any time it’s offered at any restaurant he happens to find himself.  To say that he is a Ham & Cheese aficionado is an understatement.  He absolutely loved the Black Forrest ham and was happy to take the remainder of this sandwich home with him!  One last entrée sent to us by Chef Dave was the Shrimp Skewer served over rice.  This was sauced with a bourbon glaze that Paulette suggested we try on the Sweet Potato Fries that accompanied our burger.  We were reaching our limit and becoming quite full when just as promised, the desserts arrived- a delicious Berry Cobbler served warm in a skillet, topped with ice cream.  There’s also a joke about getting blue teeth because the berries are so plentiful.  Believe me- it’s worth the blue teeth!  I couldn’t think of anything better and then Chef Dave brought us a Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  It looked so beautiful and tasted sinfully delicious.  What could be better than warm cookies & ice cream?  At this point I wanted to kill him because we were so full and this was sooo good!  What a treat!  Thanks Chef Dave!

Entrepreneur and Owner Clint Pohl has certainly created another award winning restaurant with Sauce!

Sauce is a short drive from the City, easily accessed by Rt. 79 & it’s definitely worth the drive!  In March they will be celebrating their 2 year anniversary and as restaurants go- this one will be around for a long time.  They really do it right with simple atmosphere, great staff (ask for Paulette, she’s been here from the beginning with a winning personality and an enthusiasm that’s hard to find!), reasonably priced, great food and fun desserts!

Sauce is open daily for lunch & dinner.  On Saturdays & Sundays breakfast is served from 8am till noon.  Happy Hour Monday through Friday offers ½ price appetizers at the bar and ½ price appetizers form 10pm till Midnight.  Wine is offered by the glass and you’ll find specialty drinks to meet every taste.  Our experience was welcoming, warm and wonderful and the food was simply delicious.  Tim is looking forward to lunch there as his job will take him through Bridgeville soon and we’ll all return with friends to have a burger or salad.  As always……don’t forget to tell them your friends at Nightwire sent you!

500 Washington Ave
Bridgeville, PA 15017

Café Notte – 03-26-2010

I love beautiful food.  It’s a fact. I love atmosphere and great service and when we find a place that offers all three AND great drinks, great wine selection AND real coffee, well of course I’m willing to share……Café Notte located on Rt. 65 in Emsworth is quickly going to be a red hot spot for foodies and gastronomes alike.

Debbie & Jerry Santucci have brought to life a gorgeous vision complete with a real wood burning fireplace, an amazing starry ceiling, a warm and friendly atmosphere and a great staff including some that call them mom & dad! Executive Chef David Hurley along with Sous Chef Doug Panessa create spectacular Tapas, Soups, Salads, Lunch & even Brunch!  You’re gonna love this place!  Now let me tell you all about it!

Our evening started out with a round of amazing drinks made by Debbie’s son David Mielnicki.  The experience he gained from working in notorious Pittsburgh hot spots is evident and David serves his creations with pride.  I had one of the best martinis ever and then got to try an Espresso martini that tasted so good it’s dangerous.  He knows his wines and is always available to assist with pairing.  The menu even offers suggestions to help enhance your dining experience.  The wines at Café Notte are not available in retail outlets so don’t hesitate to ask questions.

The first Tapas we tried was the Antipasta, a generous portion of authentic Italian meats, cheese, olives, everything you’d expect in a top notch Antipasta.  Knowing Italian meats, I picked out my favorites and they were all there. The homemade bread was too enticing not to try even though we usually don’t when conducting a review- but, we DID!  I’m soooo showing up there for a bread lesson!  Crab Bruschetta was next- homemade bread topped with a crab & fresh roasted red peppers, perfectly seasoned and topped with grated cheese.  I knew we were in for something special because this dish was presented so beautifully and was so fresh, plus the smells coming from the kitchen were making me hungry!  Next came the Spicy Tuna Tar tare and seriously- I could live on this.  It immediately took me back to Maui where the locals eat a similar raw concoction called “poke’”.  Wow!  Was this awesome!  I was glad that Joyce, our editor had little interest in eating raw tuna and quickly I calculated that I could eat hers.  Paired with a glass of white wine…….Just when I thought I’d reached culinary heaven, Debbie sent out one of her favorite’s- Shrimp Mozambique, 4 spicy gigantic shrimp atop a perfect risotto (and you know I know risotto!)  I’ll just say I thought about this dish the next day with the exotic spices and colorful presentation.  Such a nice portion but that didn’t make me want to share!  Shrimp and Risotto and a fireplace and a starry ceiling,  I fell in love.  And then they brought us the Blue Filet Mignon.   Tender aged filet wrapped around goat cheese, topped with kalamata olive tapenade, served over micro greens with a pomegranate cabernet reduction.  (You know I stuck my finger in that sauce! & I’ll call it “lick the plate” good!)  This is probably THE best tapas I have ever had!  This dish totally speaks for itself and don’t EVER think I’m sharing mine with you.

At this point, we felt like old friends with Michael, our seasoned server.  His friendly demeanor, attention to detail and pride in this restaurant and quality of food certainly enhanced our dining experience.  He even snuck us a sample of the Seafood Bisque (which was to die for!).  The couple of spoons were a perfect serving size when trying so many different things on one night.  The presentation was stellar with little dabs of crème fraiche and a tiny garnish in a wee bowl.  These guys really care about what they’re doing and you’ll appreciate their hard work.  Tapas at Café Notte are $11.99 each and plenty to share but be careful, you probably won’t want to.  Appetizers & daily specials are offered as well as Ala Carte items such as Asparagus, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Polenta Points and Pastas.  Entrees are offered and we were delighted to try the Colorado Lamb Chops ($22.99) served perfectly prepared and artfully presented I think we all fell in love.  The tender lamb made me think of Spring, conscious farming and family tradition and how nice it was to relax with such good food in such a peaceful, soothing atmosphere.  Café Notte is excellent, not in any pretentious, snooty, “wanna be” fantastic way but- they are fantastic, good, real, wholesome, beautiful and best of all family.  We felt so comfortable and welcome that it is definitely worth noting.  I’m looking forward to the patio addition, which should be opened early April, brunch and being part of the family!  Café Notte hosts a Sunday Brunch that I personally can’t wait to get to.  Here’s a preview of just some of the menu offerings- Lobster & Asparagus Benedict ($13.99), French Rolled Crepes ($9.95), Brown Sugar & Honey Glazed Ham ($11.95) and they even have Made to Order Omelets with an impressive list of fillings.  Plus they make real Espresso & coffee drinks!  Lunch is served daily from 11 to 4.  Happy Hour is Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 7 with wine, liquor & beer specials.  Friday & Saturday nights from 10 to midnight you’ll find more drink specials.  Café Notte is closed Mondays.  The kitchen is open until 10pm  weekdays and 11pm on Friday & Saturday.  The bar is open until 2am.   Pay them a visit.  Enjoy La Dolce Vita!

Café Notte

8070 Ohio River, Pittsburgh, PA 15202-1703

412-761-2233

Bistro to Go – 04/25/2010

A couple of weeks ago, I took a few friends to lunch and was very excited to try a new place I’d seen on East Ohio Street in the North Side- Bistro to Go.  We had delicious salads, soup and Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese…… I couldn’t wait to meet the owner and hopefully get an invite to try more of their culinary creations.  I never leave a card hoping to get an invite, but in this case, everything was so delicious, picture perfect, and reasonably priced, I had to break that rule.

Nikki Heckman opened Bistro to Go about 2 years ago and I really believe that you haven’t heard much about it because the regulars fear you’ll invade their territory!  I promise you, if you go there once, you’ll definitely go there twice, three times, four times & before you’ll know it, you’ll be a regular!  The concept is simple- provide great food prepared with fresh ingredients at great prices, have  weekly menu changes, be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and even provide vegan options. Absolutely everything is available to go.  Nikki’s past includes many successful years in the corporate restaurant world, and I have to mention, she really knows what she is doing.  The atmosphere she created inside her restaurant is so warm and relaxed that it goes right along with the comfort food dishes they serve up daily.  Nikki and her staff love to feed people and treat them as if they are guests at their party.

We met Chef Madeline Jones, Matty, her warmth shines through even before you taste her food.  She served us Chicken Cobbler and I gave her a hug because it was that good.  It consists of little biscuits on top of creamy chicken, with carrots and mushrooms.  There is pride in this food, you can just tell.  Matty loves cooking, and this food is for lack of better terminology “real”.  We tried so many things and since the menu changes weekly the options seem endless but let me start with the salads- Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad is served as a sandwich ($6.75 whole or $3.75 half) on a buttery croissant or fresh wheat bread.  I love this so much I prefer to eat it right out of the to-go container!    The Sugared Pecan Salad ($6.75 whole or $3.75 side size) is a nice mix of crisp romaine and spring mix with sugared pecans, toasted almonds, feta cheese, red onion, dried cranberries or seasonal strawberries.  It’s available with chicken (+$2.00) and served with raspberry vinaigrette.  So delicious…..it’s the salad that I will order over & over again.  In fact, I had some friends drop by during a very busy week, I picked up this salad along with some Chicken Marsala ($8.95), Thai Peanut Noodles, and the Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad and everyone raved about each and every different dish.  Bistro to Go has awesome side selections like Sweet Potato Casserole- YUM!  I actually got it as my two sides with the Chicken Marsala.   A double dose of wonderful that I knew everyone would love.  There was not one bite of anything left.  I love that Nikki loves to feed people and I love to feed people really good food!  I am a regular now and I think about Bistro to Go every other day, well sometimes every day depending on how hungry and busy I am.  This is real food people.  This is real good food people.

Sandwiches on the menu are offered as whole or half ($6.75 & $3.75).  Toasty Warm Bistro Sandwiches are also offered as whole or half ($7.25 or $4.00) and include offerings like Courtyard Chicken – grilled BBQ chicken breast topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, pico do gallo, lettuce & spicy ranch, Honey BBQ Pulled Pork, or Maple Ham & Cheddar to name a few.  Homemade soups include Chicken & Dumpling, Tomato Basil, Stuffed Pepper, Broccoli & Cheese and change daily.

Salads range from the Plain Simple Salad to the Chicken Caesar, to Insalata Chicken Salad with Cajun chicken, black bean & corn salsa, pico do gallo, cheddar cheese, on a bed of spring mix topped with crispy corn chips and scallions.  This is served with s spicy cool ranch dressing.  Light fare offerings include a wonderful hummus & pita ($4.50) which I have to tell you, I bought some hummus in the Strip and had some leftover Bistro hummus that some friends and I were eating and unanimously we all loved the Bistro hummus much better than supposedly “authentic ethnic” hummus from the Strip.  A true taste test in which Bistro to Go came out the winner!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the entrees served up with either your choice of one or two sides- Crispy Chicken with Honey Mustard.  This was so crispy, moist & delicious and Nikki is proud to let you know that there is NO fryer in her restaurant.  I’m going to adopt that as a standard just like going into a bar without televisions.  A restaurant without a fryer!  How awesome.  Remember I told you that they like to feed people- well they are even concerned about healthy eating as well.  Some other options include Maple Glazed Roast Turkey, Lemon Parmesan Chicken, Beef Tips & Wild Mushrooms.  I think you’re getting the idea.  It’s all good and there’s really something for everyone or for every taste.

Next Month Bistro to Go will be expanding with Bistro Soul, slow cooked comfort food.  They’re looking forward to providing authentic soul food at the same great quality & prices.  I’m looking forward to summer – dining on the quaint patio that will separate the two restaurants.  I actually can’t wait to see what they’re cooking up!

Bistro to Go offers catering from the grand scale weddings to small office luncheons.  I can’t wait to be the one making the suggestion in my office.

Open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 8pm and Sundays open from 11am to 4pm it’s located at 415 East Ohio Street right in the heart of the historic North Side.  It’s a gem.  Sign up on their mailing list to receive weekly menus.

Get there, eat there & repeat!

415 E Ohio St

Pittsburgh, PA 15212

www.bistro-togo.com

412-231-0218

Dining Review- Tailgaters by Suz Pisano

Tucked away in the corner of Washington Plaza, yep that’s the giant white building with the big red “W” on it, right above the new Consol Energy Center is…….. Tailgaters…….our newest find that’s that you’re gonna love.

Owner Jackie Horvath knows a great location when she sees one and jumped at the chance to open a sports bar with a  traditional “bar food” menu but surprisingly a place where everything is homemade.   Tailgaters, of course offers a full bar with beer on tap but I have to tell you about the food.  Chef Tom Chojnacki serves up all the familiars but we wanted to try everything on the menu because everyone loves Nachos Grande ($7.95) or a Quesadilla ($6.95).  We literally could not stop eating the nachos.  They were piled high with homemade salsa, jalapeno peppers, and shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheeses,  sooooo good with a beer after work.  We even tried the Warm Soft Pretzel, ($3.25) better than any pretzel served in sporting arenas!  Then they brought us the Wings (6 – $5.95, 12- $9.95 & 18- $13.95).  Definitely try the Hippie Sauce- it was finger licking good!  The wings were perfectly crispy and I was soooo hoping that there would be at least 2 left so that I could take them home… There was, and I was so happy to share them with my husband, a self-described “connoisseur of wings”.  Such an unusual but seemingly addicting wing sauce…. I’m going to say no more- you’ll just have to try ‘em & let me know what you think.  I love good wings.  (I will have undoubtedly been back there at least once by the time you are reading this!)

Okay, so now we were intrigued – Burgers were definitely on the menu and we tried a basic homemade Cheeseburger ($6.95 + toppings).  Very delicious and served with some great fresh cut fries.  I truly believe that we’re on to something here.  Toppings for the burgers are plentiful and there’s surely something to satisfy every taste.  As far as sandwiches – Tailgaters also offers Fish & Chicken Sandwiches, but I want to tell you about the Wraps.  They look pretty straight forward on the simple black & white menu but the Buffalo Chicken Wrap ($6.95) was really rockin’!  Even when I heated up the half we couldn’t finish the next day – it was still very delicious.  Portions are generous and the wraps are big, the served with fresh cut fries.

Salads are offered – we shared the Steak Salad ($10.95) which was mixed greens, Rib Eye steak, grilled onions, roasted red peppers, cheeses, tomatoes, & cucumbers.  Are you recognizing the simplicity?  Tailgaters certainly covers all the bases, they even make Pizza!

Grilled Pizzas with golden char-grilled crust range from Traditional ($7.99), Margherita ($8.99) Veggie Delight ($8.99) or Steak Deluxe ($8.99).  Fresh ingredients reign over top of fresh dough dusted with cornmeal and flame grilled.  This is not your ordinary pizza.  Then again, this is not your ordinary sports bar! You will love knowing about this place when hockey season starts again or when you want to grab a bite before a concert.  It’s a hidden gem for now that’s sure to be a familiar destination or perfect meet-up spot.  Outdoor seating is also available.

You may wonder where to park – free parking is included at Washington Plaza or for the time being across the street at the Civic Arena upper lot (until construction or destruction begins).  Take advantage of this out-of-the-way Downtown establishment.  Be sure to stop in & say “Hi” to Jackie & Chef Tom.  He’s a familiar face with an extensive restaurant resume.  Together they make a great team at an up and coming place where team sports will certainly be the focus!  Open daily for lunch at 11:30 and until 2 am most nights, not open on holidays.

Tailgaters 1420 Centre Avenue, Washington Plaza.  412-745-8245 – Tailgaters Website

Be sure and tell them your friends from Nightwire sent you…. your gonna love this place!

Villa – 1831 East Carson Street – Pittsburgh, PA 15203 – (412) 431-3535

This month our review takes us to my neighborhood- the South Side where you’ll be surprised to hear about a fabulous new “White Hot” night spot that serves up not only great drinks but some fabulous food as well.  I’m proud to tell you about Villa Southside, located at the corner of 19^th & Carson Streets.  With a late night menu that beats any bar food, great service, friendly bartenders and an atmosphere straight out of New York City, this is a place that even us “slightly older” folks can still feel cool hanging with the young crowd.

The entire structure has been completely renovated from a former restaurant to a bar with several comfort zones.  They built an open air deck that rivals any I’ve seen and the open air feeling makes the upstairs bar & dance floor that much more popular.  Villa does have a dress code, they explain it’s similar to the standard- no baggy oversized clothes, no athletic wear, no ball caps but the rule I like the best when dressed to my best is “no smoking” anywhere inside the establishment at any time.  Villa doesn’t even like smoking on their rooftop deck.  I have to say it definitely does make for a much cleaner environment and the furniture surely won’t have nasty burn holes.

I can’t wait to tell you about the wonderful tapas we tried, but first- let me mention the drinks!  Mike, our “Mad Mixologist” for the evening served up some pretty sweet (meaning specialty) martinis.  We’re talking Key Lime, Dirty Banana & Pomegranate concoctions that we were literally fighting over at the bar!  It was such a nice mixture of martinis and a great representation of the kind of drinks Villa can wow you with.  Mike (super cute & single!) explained that they care about the quality and use only the best of the name brand mixers in their soda guns.  It does make a difference, the drinks are fabulous.  Now let’s get to the food…

First let me tell you that the full Villa menu is available online.  Here’s just a taste of the not only delicious but beautifully presented plates.  Jennifer’s favorite was the Pasta Roll Giovanni ($7), baked pasta layered with sautéed spinach, prosciutto, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, rolled pinwheel style, served over Rosa sauce.  This dish would make a nice light dinner as the portion was generous.  I would order it along side the Stuffed Banana Peppers ($9) breaded banana peppers, stuffed with a blend of pork, veal, and beef, fried golden, served over a smoky tomatillo sauce, topped with freshly grated mozzarella cheese. I have to admit it was hard to save a few bites for our other Nightwire staff. who were off busy taking photographs while we were eating.  Ahhh, the benefits of seniority!  When I said ahhhh, I should have said Ahi, as in Ahi Tuna ($12) Sashimi style tuna, seared rare and served with wasabi aioli and ponzo sauce.  This was one of my favorites and not a bite made it to the photographers!

The food was flowing as the drinks were being refilled and passed around.  We  were served Lobster Macaroni & Cheese ($15) Maine lobster lightly simmered in a four cheese sauce served over fusilli pasta.  Definitely more along the lines of a dinner dish rather than a tapas dish because there is plenty to share for sure.  Villa has a nice selection of seafood selections Gamberi Alla Proscuitto ($11) grilled prosciutto wrapped shrimp accompanied with roasted red peppers and a fig molasses sauce.  I swear I used my finger to swipe up that sauce.  Villa also offers Fire Cracker Shrimp ($10) a spicy coconut shrimp served with a tequila orange dipping sauce.  If shrimp is not your taste- you can try the South Side Sliders ($11) premium Kobe beef served on a warm pretzel roll.  This seems like the perfect late night bite and I’m glad to know that the kitchen at Villa is open late.  They serve food till11pm.  The last tapas we tried was the Chicken Skewers ($8) tender chunks of chicken grilled to perfection with veggies served blackened or barbeque style.  Joyce couldn’t figure out how they grilled the chicken to perfection, moist and juicy, seared on the outside without serving burnt vegetables but this simple tapas seemed to be her favorite.  Simple and savory always gets her vote.  The villa menu offers vegetarian choices of Risotto Fritters, Fresh Cut Fries, Sweet Potato Fries and Vegetable Spring Rolls.  We’re pretty certain that there’s something for every taste and it’s so much fun to order a few things and share.  I love ordering a bunch of things and at Villa the cost is very fair considering the quality and presentation.  How exciting that this is in my neighborhood.  I think I’ll be a regular!  I often find myself tired and hungry after a long work day not wanting to eat fast food- never –  but wanting to patronize my local establishments who all seem to close around 9 or 10.

Villa has raised the bar on the South Side nightlife scene.  They feature the best DJ’s in the city, an outside patio, VIP accommodations, dancing and great food!  There’s no age limit too cool, so stop by have a martini and grab a bite to eat.  This is a fabulous people watching hot spot that provides a stimulating atmosphere in one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

Villa is open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at 5pm till 2am.  Saturday’s open at 7pm and Sundays Villa opens at 2pm with tapas for a late brunch.  Check them out at www.villasouthside.com, find them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter!

See you on the dance floor!  And as always be sure and tell your friends from Nightwire sent you!

Coco Bongo… Nightlife in Cancun

Nightwire was invited to experience Coco Bongo which is in our opinion is absolutely the best nightclub in Cancun.  Coco Bongo with it’s 1,800 people capacity is a spectacular club featuring live rock and salsa bands, flying acrobats, and rotating impersonator shows of the Mask, Beetle Juice, Madonna, and Spiderman.  Not only will you see them on stage, but you’ll also find them on the bar and swinging in the air.  This Las Vegas style club has more acts, lights and special effects than you can imagine, with the very latest in audio and video entertainment including a huge video screen, where they project movie clips.  Special effects include soap bubbles, balloons, confetti streamers and so much more this is definitely Cancun’s party arena. Best of all your admission includes an open bar.

Coco Bongo has been featured and praised by ABC News, Discovery Channel, MTV, Playboy, Rolling Stone Magazine and Billboard Magazine.

There are also other ‘super clubs’ – The City, Dady Rock and Bulldog. These venues have capacity for thousands and all offer nightly entertainment. In Cancun it’s not a case of just going to a club sitting back having a drink and maybe a dance. There’s something new happening every few minutes, from fantastic circus type performances, giant video screens, the famous Cancun bikini contests, mime artists, crazy waiters and bubble balloons and ticker tape. It’s not uncommon for the major Cancun nightclubs to carry on going until 6 in the morning. A night out at one of the bigger Cancun nightclubs will not be forgotten …… no matter how much you drink!

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Nightwire Magazine captures the true essence of Pittsburgh with humor, sports, dining reviews, entertainment, travel, wine & spirits and informative features.  Our goal is to make you smile, lighten your day and lift your spirits.  We are never political and we don’t make statements.  We offer pure entertainment that will tickle your funny bone.

Nightwire has continued to grow and we continually have a documented 98.9% pickup rate. Our readers look forward each month to picking up a new issue…

We are distributed throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area with strategically placed street boxes and racks at over 500 locations plus our entire magazine is posted on line each month at Nightwire.net.

We have received world-wide recognition through our coverage of NASA’s launch of STS 128, the concert coverage of KISS, coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Penguins plus our coverage of travel throughout the world.  We continue to bring new ideas and informative useful information to our readers.

Nightwire is a montage of things that just doesn’t seem to fit, but somehow it all blends together in perfect harmony.  Our magazine offers something for everyone from the 21 year old to the 90 year old, we have managed to bring together people from all walks of life, helped brighten even the darkest of days for some of our readers through the power of humor. Laughter is the best medicine…. it is contagious and powerful….

We are proud to bring you Nightwire!

Publisher/CEO/Editor-in Chief: Joyce Campisi

Executive Editor: Joseph P. Campisi, III

Assignment Editor: Jennifer Campisi

Managing Editor: Joseph P. Campisi, III

Sports Editor:  Stacy Kauffman

Music Editor:  Mike Pap

Creative/Production Director: Michael Kurov

Director of Marketing:  Lori Czekaj

Designer Company: Design 2 Pro

Photographers: Caleb Green, Michael Pap – Varies upon assignment

Concert Photographer:  Michael Pap – Varies upon assignment

Feature Writer Dining: Suz Pisano – Varies upon assignment

Feature Writers Travel: Jennifer Campisi, Suz Pisano

Feature Writer Craft Beers:  Brian Meyer

Feature Writer Movie Reviews:  F. D. Mastracci – Fiore

Feature Writers Wine & Spirits: Varies upon assignment

Feature Writers Business: Varies upon assignment

Contributing Writers: Lori Hon,  Gerry Pekol, Dottie Wilhelm

Webmaster: Joseph P. Campisi III

Distribution Managers: Jeff Englebarth