It’s been a few (busy) weeks, but I’ll take a stab at writing down some of my thoughts. Consider this post a starting point. I tend to be biased against the food at any Sharp Edge just because they lack much in the way of healthy options or veggie-centric dishes. The new place has some new options, but I still had a somewhat negative food experience in this trip. My hope (and expectation) is that I can write that off to the new kitchen still finding it’s way. A trip back will likely be a better indicator.

The Sharp Edge Bistro on Penn
www.sharpedgebeer.com

922 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-338-2437

For anyone who doesn’t follow the local beer scene, The Sharp Edge now has 5 locations throughout the city. Long before interest in craft beer really started to explode, The Sharp Edge was serving up a huge variety of hard-to-come-by Belgian beers—starting from their original location in East Liberty, the “Beer Emporium.” The menu very much follows suit: plenty of Belgian-inspired dishes along side some individually prepared pizzas that I’m told are quite a hit (and half price during happy hour). Also half price during happy hour: Belgian Drafts. If you can show up before 6:30, you probably won’t be disappointed.

Two categories, one beer market. Now let me back up a bit: “rare imported Belgians” is very much distinct from “American Craft Beer,” but they capture a very similar spirit (and almost the same market). Starting not too long ago, the two scenes even started to merge as craft brewers grew an interest in playing with Belgian styles and even cooperating with Belgian brewers. The Sharp Edge own Over the Edge, contracted through a Belgian brewer is evidence of that cross pollination: a Belgian IPA.

Fits right in with Penn Ave. The most striking aspect of the new setting is the fact that it melds in quite well in a row of somewhat upscale establishments in the cultural district. I’ve read that the downtown location most closely resembles the Bistro in Sewickley, which is also supposed to be a higher end place. In this case, their Penn Avenue neighbors include the likes of Nine on Nine, Sonoma Grille, and Seviche—all on the up-scale side of the fence. I tend to think of any Sharp Edge as far more approachable than any of those; if you ignore the rather expensive beer, the new location lists prices in line with other Sharp Edge locations—probably less than their Penn Avenue neighbors.

Key to fitting in is clearly the enormous array of windows in front, which shows off an inviting sitting area beside the bar. On the Friday evening I stopped by, there was little chance of finding a spot on the couch or up at the bar, but I’ve been told (and would have to expect) that’s not always the case. I hear that a little earlier on Friday (4pm) and even on week nights, it’s not very hard to find a spot at either.

The Cozy Seating Area (with a friend waving me in)

One of Several 5-Tap Units

Impressive bar area. In comparison to other locations, the bar area was quite impressive—more so than the section of the dining area that I sat in. Several clusters of 5-tap fixture were spread out evenly across the whole bar area with a backdrop containing both a visual bottle list and (faux?) brick backdrop. With plenty of space behind for the bar tenders and wait staff and a dark marble countertop, the whole thing looked quite impressive.

Familiar dining area. The dining area had a completely different feel from the bar. In fact, it reminds me a lot of some of the other new-ish Sharp Edge locations—Brasserie being a good example. Separated by a partial wall, the dining is clean with orderly tables (and plenty of space between). With nearly half the width of the restaurant dedicated to the bar, the downtown dining area seemed a little bit “thin” but not really small. The separator between dining room and bar actually did that did a pretty good job of isolating noise.

Looks familiar, doesn't it?

Some (new?) veggie-friendly salads. In terms of the menu, I had heard about a new menu for the new location—one that will possibly be pushed out to the remaining locations. I’d say the format looked completely different, but the contents were somewhat familiar. In their defense, The salad section did seem to see more revisions and even included many veggie-friendly options. There’s even a portobello option on the “deluxe salad,” which I don’t recall from the previous menu. Other veggie-friendly salad options: House, Field Greens, Spinach, and The Edge Stack Salad. Of those, I seem to remember only the house and spinach option. The others may or may not be new.

A disappointing but optimistic look at the food. Despite the new salad options, I wanted to avoid actually try something more typical of the typical Sharp Edge fare: I went with a panini/soup combo. The panini: a grilled veggie option that has actually existed for a while; the soup: a crab chowder that happened to be in rotation that night. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very thrilled with either.

The Panini. The panini wasn’t really what I was looking for. The flavor was good, but the quantity of veggies within was relatively small. I would have liked to see more. The goat cheese could have been a nice touch with a lighter hand, but it was oozing and dripping like crazy while I tried to eat. Personally, I think goat cheese should have a texture, so heating to the point of melting (though easy), isn’t what I would want. Beyond that, it was far too much cheese to be considered a light option (which I always hope the veggie options can turn out to be).

The crab chowder. First, be warned that this particular chowder included bacon. I have no problem with that, but some probably might. Beyond the bacon, the crab chowder looked like a pretty good cup of soup: plenty of texture from a fairly dense treatment of crab and a decent mix of potato and corn to complement. The only problem I ran into is something that was fairly easy to correct (and I’m guessing they will): it was tremendously salty. It was really so salty that I ended up leaving most of it behind, which was a shame. I’m hoping I can write that experience off with the fact that they had only opened up that week.

Crab Chowder and a Grilled Veggie Panini

A Well-Received Buffalo Burger

Burger form across the table. My friend across the table ordered a buffalo burger, which has always been a favorite of several friends. It looked to me like a solid burger, and he confirmed that it was indeed quite good. He was even a little surprised by my own somewhat negative experience. From what I’ve heard, the burger option is always a good choice after the appetizer specials end and pizza is no longer a cheap option.

A typical Sharp Edge beer list. In terms of beer, there’s not much to say. The selection is very similar to any existing Sharp Edge: plenty of imported Belgian drafts along side a handful of american craft beers and an enormous bottle selection. It’s a great place for imports, but can sometimes be hard to find a more sessionable option: there are plenty of ABV’s floating around throughout the list.

Sad to see beer behind bars, but that's Downtown

Cautious optimism. Despite the fact that I didn’t have much success with the food, I have pretty high hopes for the downtown Sharp Edge. I’m a big supporter of re-vitalizing the downtown area, and it seems that a Sharp Edge entrant could entice an audience that otherwise might not spend time downtown. Downtown is really hurting for a good beer destination. With the Market Street Ale House long since gone (and replaced by a less beer-focused Las Velas), there’s really wasn’t a notable beer option anywhere downtown. The Sharp Edge is a good beer option and then some, and I’ll definitely be heading back to give the food another try.

Penn Brewery & Restaurant
www.pennbrew.com

800 Vinial St
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 237-9400

For those of you that need a little context, Penn Brewery lead a fairly stable local existence from 1989 to 2003. At that point, a private equity firm purchased a controlling stake, then 6 years later shut down all brewing operations and very nearly closed down the restaurant. At that point, all Penn brews were outsourced to the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre. 6 months later, the restaurant closed. 6 months after that (this past December), the original owner (Tom Pastorious) and a small group of local investors bought back the brewery and immediately began preparations for a reopening. That pretty much takes us up to today.

Now get ready. The official re-opening is now scheduled for May 5. If you’re looking for an opportunity to go, the Pittsburgh Beer Meetup is planning to head over the following week: on May 11. I know I’ll be there (after all, I’m organizing the outing).

So how was growler hours? So far, growler hours have been fun. The vibe is a little different from the only other growler hours I know at East End (okay, enormously different)—mostly because you can grab a table and order a pint. It also takes place in a restaurant setting rather than Scott’s warehouse brewery. I made use of the former for both my visits: I ordered a pint and hung out for a bit (okay, I ordered two). I only filled up a growler after the second visit. I kind of like the setting, though the timing is a little rough. My only real complaint is that the WiFi doesn’t yet seem to be working. I get a signal but no actual gateway to the Internet.

Some old standards with a promise of something healthy. Like I said in my intro, Penn’s most recent growler hours offered a preview of a few appetizers from the menu. The partial menu came along with full table service and featured several of the heavy German appetizers that the brewery has traditionally been known for. Those are a little heartier that what I am typically up for, but sources within the brew crew tell me they will actually expand into some lighter options once the restaurant opens. I’m looking forward to that. When I do experience the full menu, I’m hoping I’ll have some quality veggie dishes to report on. In the mean time, I gave some old standards a try.

Sampler Menu during Growler Hours

Buffalo Chicken Pierogi (apologies for the lousy photo)

Buffalo Chicken Pierogi. I’ll admit, that falls way outside of my usual diet. But really, I’ll try anything in moderation (I only ended up eating one). The basic idea is pierogi filled with shredded (buffalo flavored?) chicken. The pierogi are served on a plate of three with caramelized onions–all doused with first buffalo wing sauce, then blue cheese dressing.

They taste better than they look. Really, they do. The blue cheese dressing feels a little excessive, and makes the whole plate look sloppy and less appetizing than it really was. If I were plating it, I’d opt for crumbled blue cheese. That said, they tasted far better than they look and seemed to succeed in being both a buffalo chicken dish and a pierogi dish. The major flavors were well balanced and the slightly chewy pierogi texture was definitely there. If you’re into that sort of thing (and not counting calories or keeping vegetarian), I’d say they’re worth a try. Just ask for the blue cheese on the side.

A pretty bad photo of Sauerkraut Soup

Sauerkraut Soup. Aiming to try more than a single option, and hoping to have something a little more restrained than the pierogi, I went for a cup of the sauerkraut soup as well. This option was was straight up traditional sauerkraut soup—really the standard recipe. My photo is horrible, but the basic theme is cubed sausage links, sauerkraut, and potato floating in clear broth. Classic German food all thrown in a bowl.

Could have been a little brighter. I’m by no means expert on sauerkraut soup, but this one seemed just a little flat. I could have used more of the acidity from the sauerkraut and maybe some fresh black pepper. I’ve even seen some recipes that throw in caraway seeds (which really bring some complexity). On the bright side, the major ingredients seemed to be well balanced. Not too thin, and about equal proportions on sausage and potato with a slightly lesser portion of sauerkraut.

Because it’s really all about the beer. At least, that’s where I stand. If you’ve ever followed Penn in the past, the beer options will look familiar—with the exception of the newly established Allegheny Pale Ale (their first American stylebeer). The traditional options all represent classic German styles: a Dunkel (Penn Dark), a Helles (Penn Gold), a Märzen (Pen Pilsner), and a German Pilsner (Kaiser Pils). If you’re looking for German beer and a beer hall that doesn’t feel like a frat party, then skip the Hofbräuhaus; the restaurant at Penn is where you need to go. Both the beer and the atmosphere is vastly superior. Plus, you’re earning some feel-good 3/50 points and supporting a locally owned operation.

A Full Growler of Penn Dark

Hopeful expectations. Now, you may have read my commentary on the food and thought I was disappointed. I wasn’t. Neither option was really something I’d normally order; neither was vegetarian or particularly healthy. It makes sense that I didn’t think either was perfect.

I’m actually quite hopeful for some of the upcoming veggie options and expect that a great many people will be thrilled with the more traditional items on the menu—just not me. Keep in mind: the restaurant hasn’t even opened; I’m certain it will continue to improve over time. Plus, it will always be a good place for beer. I’m just thrilled to see a great local business emerging from the ashes and looking forward to seeing the full new menu.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I’ve been to Duke’s a total of three times: once for my pre-Easter parental bar crawl, and twice for dinner. That means I’ve managed to see several different parts of the menu.

Duke’s Upper Deck Cafe

122 W 8th Ave
Homestead, PA 15120
(412) 461-8124

Duke’s is yet another Homestead find—just to the right of where the Homestead Grays Bridge hits 8th (and across the street from the Walgreens). If you pay attention, you can even see them from the bridge.

Being so close to Blue Dust, it seems like I walk or drive by fairly frequently and always wondered what to expect. From talking around, it sounds like some of my friends feel the same way. That uncertainty makes it exactly the kind of place I like to write up for FoodBurgh. Remember, even Blue Dust started out that way.

Traditional bar, quiet dining room, and even a patio. Okay, so the the patio is still in the works, but a quick peek outside tells me they’re close—maybe just waiting for the right weather. For now, your options are either the bar or an offset (and elevated) dining area. The bar is filled with all the visual noise you might expect: neon lights, hanging glassware, and…oh yeah, Steelers paraphernalia.

The dining area is a little bit more quiet—along multiple sensory dimensions. From the separate room, the sometimes loud music and conversation of the bar is pretty well muted, and the assorted visual kitsch drops from view—replaced by bare brick and a few chalk boards for specials and beer lists.

Almost-Ready Patio Area

The Bar at Duke's

Beyond just the menu exploration, my multiple visits allowed for some exploration in seating. I spent my first visit in the bar and subsequent visits in the dining room—where I picked up some free WiFi the the purpose of finishing up my Molly Brannigan’s post. It’s worth noting that there was really no host table at the front. The policy seems to be just walk in and find a table—bar or dining area.

Who knew Homestead had more good beer? Because Duke’s is really a bar, I’ll move on to the beer. I count 12 or so tap handles with 3-4 macro beers, a couple of European imports and pretty much finished out with some quality craft options. You’re not going to find the huge craft beer focus and rapidly evolving beer list as Blue Dust, but they do carry at least one option from East End. For both my visits, that was Big Hop, though Scott tells me they’re big EEBC supporters—sometimes with 3 of his brews on tap at once.

Here are some of the non-macro notables I found on draft over the course of my visits:

• Flying Dog Pale Ale
• East End Big Hop
• Sam Adams Noble Pils
• Magic Hat No. 9 (not my favorite, but I’ll mention them)
• McSorley’s Irish Black Lager (actually from Lion Brewing)
• Rogue Dead Guy Ale

As you might expect, the bottle selection is quite a bit more extensive. I was particularly pleased to find 4 different Samuel Smith options—Nut Brown Ale, Old Brewery Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, and India Ale. I think I enjoyed at least one of those every time I stopped by. If you haven’t had one yourself, each one is a primary example of the British style it represents. My favorite: the pale ale (a.k.a extra special bitter).

A Lousy iPhone Shot

Beer Styles at Duke's

Fantastic…in the world not revolving around beer. Overall, I like to think of Dukes’ beer options as top notch among establishments that don’t hold craft beer as part of their DNA. You can’t really compare them to D’s, Blue Dust, the Sharp Edge, or even Mad Mex—but they do rate pretty highly against just about any place else. In the context of their own weight class, they present an outstanding beer list.

Vegetarians beware: this is a Pittsburgh food. Let me start off by saying that I love the atmosphere at Duke’s. Part of what drove me to return so many times was  just menu exploration. I wanted to find some food that aligned with my tastes. Sadly, I didn’t find it.

While the beer gave me something to be excited about, the number of veggie options on the menu are limited. The options for reasonably healthy veggie items on the menu are exactly nil. Overall, I count just a veggie “riverboat” (a big hoagie) and a veggie calzone as the only two options—besides deep fried bar food.

A Chef Salad. Putting the veggie trend aside—for lack of alternatives, my second visit involved a chef’s salad. On balance, I was pleased: leaf lettuce, red onion, cherry tomato, and a hard boiled egg. The bowl was even filled out with a nice thick layer of lettuce in the bottom—which is somehow rare among restaurant salads. My chosen dressing, a balsamic vinaigrette, was emulsified and probably not made in house.

Chef's Salad (dinner attempt 1)

For the remaining toppings: the meat and cheese, I found cheddar, Swiss, provolone, roasted turkey breast, and ham. Actually, the whole mix produced a pretty thick layer that covered nearly all the lettuce. From my perspective, the proportions were off: I’d rather smaller amounts of meat/cheese over mostly lettuce. That basically just meant that I ended up sweeping most of the pile to the side and eating around. I’m sure the proportions were pleasing to someone, but that someone wasn’t me.

A Corned Beef and Turkey Rachel. The second time I went back, I went completely insane: I dove straight into the heart of the sandwich list with the Rachel: turkey, corned beef, coleslaw, and American cheese. I suppose that’s exactly the kind of item that Duke’s carries itself on, which should have made it a great place for me to dive in. Sadly this one seemed like a miss as well. The bread was really more of a marbled soft Italian than a marbled rye, and the cole slaw biffed an opportunity for texture. The American cheese didn’t really help either. Again, I’m sure the sandwich was spot on for somebody—it just wasn’t me.

Rachel Sandwich (dinner attempt #2)

Brett's Fettucini Alfredo

On the plus side: the waitstaff. A fun and interactive wait staff was one place where Duke’s really succeeded. Though there was some initial uncertainty over waiting for a seat versus sitting down anywhere, I was more than happy with the three different servers I had across three different visits. None of them were fully in tune with the beer list, but all three quickly jumped in with friendly banter and quickly established a positive customer-server rapport. On my last visit, I even got a quick visit from my pre-Easter server—who immediately asked about my parents. Definitely friendly and attentive.

Worth a shot. Overall, Duke’s is worth a shot—assuming you’re okay with the menu. Though the veggie options are slim and the food isn’t really my style, I still love the atmosphere, and appreciate the well-rounded beer list. Plus, their support of East End is always a welcome trend. The way I see it, a trip out there is just another way to do your part for the 3/50 project.

Molly Brannigan’s
www.mollybrannigans.com

660 Washington Rd
Mt Lebanon, PA 15228
(412) 341-7827

Molly Brannigan’s is a chain—local in scale but regional in dispersion. They have exactly three locations, but they’re all spread out around Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh location is in Mt Lebanon—right on Washington Rd, while the others are in Erie and Harrisburg. This was actually my first visit. Prior to a vew weeks ago, I had driven by a number of times but never really made my way out there. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but had moderately high hopes.

Big Irish-looking space—only newer. While zipping past on Washington Rd, you can see a name and know they’re an Irish-themed pub, but it’s hard to see much else. Having actually made my way inside, I should note the interior looks nicer than I expected. It’s a big space with a rather high ceiling. A sign somewhere says the masonry was actually brought in in from Ireland, but they probably could have done just as well staying local. While tasteful, the whole decor looks too new and too clean cut to really remind me of Ireland. That’s not a bad thing…just an observation.

A nice little fireplace/lounge in the main room

Attentive, highly interactive server. Our waitress was excellent. From the time I showed up (somewhat late, but certainly not last to the table), she was both on top of our orders and willing to banter. This was an instance of very good waitstaff rapport. Based on comments from Meetup.com, it sounds like others in the group agree.

The 67% Irish-themed menu. Okay, so 67% is a guess; I didn’t actually run any numbers. The full Molly B’s menu is available online, so it’s worth taking a look if you’re on the fence. Based on menu content, the food feels like a bit of an American grill with Irish options interspersed throughout. That’s not to say there’s no Irish food, it’s probably 67% of the menu. It’s just funny to see plenty of options I don’t tend to think of as Irish—notably a Santa Fe Salad and series of pasta dishes with an Alredo Sauce. Think of it like the “gringos” section of your favorite Mexican place.

Limited veggie options. The veggie options were a little sparse, but some could be found. The veggie wrap and roasted veggie boxty are probably the most notable options, though I went with a spinach salad and some (non-veg) seafood chowder. In retrospect, I’d be interested in giving the veggie wrap a try—though it seems decidedly un-Irish.

Traditional Salad. Okay, so it was the least exciting thing on the menu. I really felt like being health conscious for the evening, and with beets and hard boiled eggs, it did sound at least vaguely reminiscent of being Irish. The result was a worth salad by any measure, but not particularly noteworthy.

My Traditional Salad (with Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Here’s what I found in the salad…

• Fresh lettuce (mixed greens on top of iceberg)
• Small cucumber dice (to small, if you ask me)
• Beats, in 1/8″ slices
• Halved grape tomatoes (with a surprisingly amount of flavor)

For dressing, I went with the house balsamic vinaigrette, but found that it was a little too oily without enough vinegar

Soup: actually a little spicy. In addition to the salad, I ordered a cup of Seafood Chowder. I tend to really like seafood stews/chowders (especially stews), and that gave me a chance to sample something beyond just my salad. Somewhat surprisingly, the seafood chowder actually packed a modest little bit of heat. You really could call it spicy. It certainly wasn’t over the top, but it packed a larger punch than I anticipated—and I appreciate that. I would have liked to see a slightly chunkier chowder—more veggies, more shrimp, must stuff beyond just broth, but the flavor was excellent: a nice, well rounded heat with room for other flavors to coexist.

Seafood Chowder with a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout

I often find that restaurants are driven to err on the side of avoiding food with much of a spice level. I suppose a complaint of “too spicy” is stronger than “not enough flavor.” In the latter case, the customer might not even speak up and can certainly still eat his dinner. When a restaurant serves something that’s more than a little warming, I think they deserve some respect for sticking to their guns. I have a similar rant about the inevitable growth of portion sizes, but I’ll hold back.

From elsewhere around the table. Some of the other highlights going around the table were probably Colcannon (a side you really ought to order) and the Reuben Sandwich on Marble Rye (which looked awesome even to me). The Roasted Vegetable Boxty is notable in being availalbe, but doesn’t being to compare with the Piper’s Pub interpretation.

Black and Bleu Burger

A Colcannon Side

Grilled Vegetable Boxty

St. James Guinness Stew

The Reuben

Spinach Salad???

Beer wise, a bit of a mixed bag. Molly Brannigan’s has some of the more notable craft beer on tap, two fairly surprising options, and a good mix of european imports. Still, the selection pales in comparison to a restaurant that really “does” craft beer. Basically, you’ll find a beer you can be happy with, but the selection is sufficiently sparse that you might find not find exactly what you’re looking for.

Tap Handles: Not So Bad

On the bright side, the two most notable craft beer options included Snow Melt Winter Warmer from East End, and Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Both are pretty “big” (high alcohol/calorie) beers, but that could actually make sense if you think of them as balancing out the comparatively smaller brews behind most of the other tap handles.

In general, I enjoyed my trip to Molly Brannigans. The waitstaff was excellent, and parking wasn’t really all that bad—though they don’t have a dedicated lot. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like the restaurant leaned more in the direction of chain/family restaurant—if an Irish Pub can even take that form. The food certainly wasn’t bad, but nobody in my group claimed it was particularly noteworthy either. At the same time, the Reuben across the table looked good even to someone who hasn’t had a Reuben in 8 or so years. In the end, it really depends on what you order and what you’re looking for.

Would I go back? If I was in the area, I probably would—but probably not until I’ve at least given a few other Washington Rd joints a try. Should you go? If you’re in the area, I’d say they’re at least worth a shot.

Monterey Pub
www.montereypub.com

1211 Monterey St
Pittsburgh , PA 15212
(412) 322-6535

Tucked up in the Mexican War Streets on the North Shore, you probably aren’t going to come across the Monterey Pub without trying. The front door opens onto an otherwise residential street in an otherwise residential part of Monterey Street. I like to think of it as kind of a brittish pub. When I went, the place was packed–in part because a large group was holding a happy hour event a little earlier. Space is tight in general, so it seems like a better place for one or two than a full crowd. It’d be a great destination to catch up with a friend over a beer.

A quaint British pub. More than anything, Monterey Pub reminds me of a quaint neighborhood bar you might expect to find in Ireland, or, if you rather, your own favorite British isle; aside from an Irish flag out front and a handful of old Guinness ads, the pub is pretty neutral.

A single tender maintained the bar, while a server handled individual tables. Despite my feeling a little guilty, both were quite cool about trying to squeeze in a big group. They even managed to round up a table sooner than I expected. In general, they were laid back but on the ball.

Black bean everything! Quite honestly, I expected a menu full of pub grub and only sparse veggies. Turns out, I was way off: Monterey Pub had a vegetarian option on every section of their menu. Most (but not all) options feature black bean burger—basically the best commercial patty around.

Here’s what I found:

• Black Bean Quesadilla
• Ploughman’s Lunch (just cheese/bread/apples/chutney)
• Black Bean Salad (really, any salad with black bean)
• Pub Salad Wrap (w/ black bean)
• Mango-Ginger Salad Wrap (w/ black bean)
• Grilled Veggie Wrap
• Vegetarian Black Bean Burger

Not too bad—especially for a pub!

Pub Salad with Black Bean Burger (crumbled)

Pub Salad with Black Bean Burger. When I whip up a salad for dinner, black bean (or sometimes just veggie) is my favored approach. Sadly, you don’t see the option called out on too many menus. When I saw the option on the Monterey Pub menu, I went for it.

Fresh veggies and good balsamic. I really can’t complain about the salad. I found cherry tomato, red onion, sliced cucumber, and crumbled pieces of black bean burger–all over mixed greens. The veggies were packed with flavor, and lettuce mound was pretty well-sized. If I were to make one comment, it might be that the red onions were sliced a little thick: I would have stuck with half the width. I especially appreciated the black bean texture: there’s often a tendency to throw a sliced up burger patty on top of a salad. I think the semi-distributed crumbles are just a better presentation.

Going around the table. Others around the table placed some other orders, so I’ll show off what photos I captures. You’ll have to give me a break on the quality. As you almost expect for a pub setting, lighting was somewhat limited.

Monterey Burger (maybe?)

Black Bean Quesadilla

Solid session beer. A bottle shop with every beer imaginable is certainly fun, but I think most nights call for a nice balanced session beer. Think English pale ale, various red and brown ales, or perhaps even a dry Irish stout. Monterey Pub seems to nail that list with their draft list. The options sway more toward European imports than American craft beer, but they did throw in at least two American options—including one from East End (Snow Melt, I believe). The full list included about 8 different options, plus a bottle list they defined with a row of empty bottles resting above the bar.

Well worth a shot. Plus. Depending on what you’re looking for, I wouldn’t tag Monterey Pub as a “must try,” but I am a big fan. It’s definitely worth a shot. After all, my “must try” list does have to mean something. That said, Monterey Pub does make for an excellent destination if you’re looking to grab a drink with a friend—especially if you’re already on the North Shore. If you’re like me, and like to rock the veggie thing along with you’re beer, then you’re edging closer yet to the must try realm. You probably have a good reason to venture across town and try it out.

OTB Bicycle Cafe
www.otbbicyclecafe.com

2518 Carson Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
(412) 381-3698

For the second visit, I invited “the community;” this was the third outing of the FoodBurgh Meetup—my little experiment in reader participation. For the OTB trip, about 8 people made their way, and I’d say it went pretty well. The diversity of the group made for some interesting conversation, and one discussion even inspired another outing, to Las Velas (in Market Square).

If you don’t remember, OTB is a South Side bar with a definite bicycle theme. The interior artwork includes colorful murals, and dangling old-time bicycles (and bicycle parts). They serve a “relatively small” number of draft beer options, but take care to focus on some more worthwhile options than just macro-brews. For the veg heads in the crowd, the menu also does a pretty good job of offering up vegetarian version of several meals (thanks to seitan and tofu substitutes). For the more carnivorous crowd, I’m told they serve up a pretty good burger.

For this trip, the bar was definitely busier. The staff was more than willing to save us a large-ish table in the back, which is notable given the number of restaurants that refuse to accept a reservation for any group. A quick email to one of the owners (an earlier FoodBurgh connection), and a call to the restaurant the night before was really all it took.

Fun and knowledgeable server. In my original review, the service was effective but not very interactive. This time, the situation was far different: the bar was packed, and we had a far larger group. Despite the crowd, our server was attentive and friendly—she even knew something about the beer. That’s not to say she was a “beer person,” but at least she knew some basic styles. Actually, my second beer came as one of her recommendations: a Singletrack Ale from Boulder Beer.

Good ingredients, but way too much seitan. I discussed the menu in my previous post, so I’ll spare the details here. For my meal, I ordered an Allegheny Cycling Salad—with seitan, though chicken is also available. What came out of the kitchen was kind of a mixed bag. The ingredients were top notch: quality greens, tomato with some actual flavor, shredded carrot, and red onion. They top it with big pieces of seitan and will optionally present it ‘Burgh style with fries cheese for $1.50 more. The seitan, unfortunately, was the problem.

Allegheny Cycling Salad (w/ seitan)

I like seitan, and this seitan had great texture, but the pieces were far too big—really out of proportion with the rest of the salad. Smaller pieces would have offered up just enough flavor to complement the salad, but the big chunks drowned out the veggies and came across as bland.

Recovered by a great server. Being good at her job, our server noticed that I lacked enthusiasm in my consumption of the seitan. She suspected I was looking for more flavor and offered to bring out one of their wing sauce options, which are apparently available with really anything on the menu. I went for the standard wing sauce, which she explained is actually vegan, thanks to a kind of butter substitute. Granted, a lack of flavor wasn’t the whole problem, but the fact that the waitress took note and gave me a chance to effectively munch on a few “winged up” says to me that they’re trying.

From the rest of the table. I picked up photos of a few additional items around the table: mainly the Clipless Pedal (a crusted tuna appetizer) and the Granny Gear Salad. The clipless pedal looked outstanding (see below) and was complimented by a meetup-goer as having an excellent sauce. The Granny Gear was well received, but looked to me like it went a little overboard on the candied walnuts—a little reminiscent of my experience with the seitan.

The Clipless Pedal Appetizer

Granny Gear Salad

Getting past the winter beers. The beer list over at OTB isn’t huge, but they do lean almost entirely toward craft beer. They have a pretty good relationship with East End Brewing, and always have something from Scott on tap. In fact, this year’s keg ride (and reverse keg ride) ended (and started) at OTB.

One thing I’ll note about the beer: this time around, I ran into an overwhelming number of big heavy beers. Given the season, that kind of spread is fairly standard. The problem? Winter beers tend to be big beers—delicious, but also high in both alcohol and calories. This time I was aiming for something a little “smaller” and more sessionable (lower in alcohol and caloric content). With guidance from our server, I found something, but could have used a few more options from the category.

Good for a drink, okay for dinner. It’s not a must visit, but you can certainly find good beer and a place to hang out with friends. I tend to appreciate the less noisy, less crowded scene than what you might find at the South Side’s far western bars, but that comes at the expense of a smaller beer list. On the food side, the ingredients are fresh, and they make a strong effort to please a veggie (and even vegan) diet. Even if you’re not a health nut, they actually offer up a few rather interesting burger options. All that aside, I wish the execution was a little more reliable, and others in the group seemed to echo much the same. Even so, it’s at least worth a shot.

Last week, various meetups gave me two chances to strike south of the Monongahela, starting with a Beer Meetup at the Birmingham Bridge Tavern. The took me to OTB (a FoodBurgh Meetup), but that will have to wait for another post.

Birmingham Bridge Tavern
www.barsmart.com/bbt

2901 Sarah St
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
(412) 381-2739

Unless you’ve gone looking for it, you may not have ever noticed the BBT. It’s tucked away on Sarah St, East of even the Hot Metal Bridge. Questions of why they called it the Birmingham Bridge Tavern come to mind, but I’ll let that one go. If you ever do drive down that section of Sarah St, you’ll probably notice the lights—they stand out in a part of the South Side that’s otherwise residential and, well, dark. One benefit of being tucked in a far corner: I actually found a parking space within a block of the door.

First a bar and second a dining establishment. BBT does have a full menu with all the standard bar fare, but, at least in the main room, most the tables on the first floor are within an arm’s reach of the bar. That doesn’t necessarily say anything about the food; it just says you really ought to order a beer while you’re there.

On this visit, I really only entered aforementioned “main room”—a rather narrow room on the corner of the building. I’m also told there’s a second floor for larger groups, but didn’t get a chance to see it. Focusing on the first floor, the bar sits on the longer interior side, with stairs and restrooms on the short interior side. The lighting is somewhat less dim than the usual bar—but still not bright (because it is a bar).

…and, of course, flat screen television pop out at every angle.

An attentive waitstaff of one. When I showed up, members of the Beer Meetup were situated at a long table downstairs, and a single employee served as bar tender, server, and restaurant spokesperson—though I can only imagine there was at least one other person in the kitchen. That “uni-server” turned out to be quite personable, and very much in touch with the beer: both traits I appreciate when I go out.

Got beer? 20 Drafts, 100 Bottles. If I were to drive past BBT and maybe even peek my head in, I would be quite sure of what kind of beer to expect. Sure, there’s the requisite neon out front—from the likes of Sierra Nevada, I seem to recall. But it’s still sometimes hard to tell. Fear not, BBT offers up a respectable number of “good beer” options. They even had something from 21st Amendment—just weeks after it first arrived in the ‘Burgh.

Beer travels faster than ink. Good selection aside, both the draft and bottle lists were slightly outdated. The first two drafts and first bottle I asked about had recently been replace by something else. That actually ended up working out pretty well for me: the uni-server suggested a bottle that wasn’t on the list: Pandora’s Bock from Breckenridge Brewing. That was both new to me and a far better bock than expected—a welcome outcome out of possible disappointment.

Complete menu, but it’s not online. Working from memory and sparse notes, I’ll say the menu is fairly complete (even relatively large): appetizers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers—just about everything you would expect in a good pub. Sadly, I can’t verify that memory with anything on the web: the closest I’ve found to a menu online is a catering menu over on BarSmart. One thing I did take note of: vegetarian options in every category, which were much appreciated.

So I ordered a shrimp wrap. Despite ample vegetarian options, I took the seafood route: a shrimp wrap with a side salad. All sandwiches came with a choice of sides that included even a side salad, and that’s exactly what I ordered. The shrimp came served along side a pretty good mound of quality greens along with greens and croutons. The wrap itself included a reasonable quantity of internal veggie matter: lettuce and tomatoes along with large chunks of shrimp and some cheese—though not so much that I felt guilty for eating it. I found the big chunks of shrimp to have a somewhat pleasing texture that shined through everything else—that familiar not-quite-chewiness, which I rather enjoy.

I ended up eating all of the salad and half the wrap. Both were good. That’s not to say that either qualified for gourmet cuisine, but they were definitely worth eating. I enjoyed a nice shrimp texture with every bite with enough flavor to keep it interesting, but not so much flavor that the shrimp itself was hidden.

Not all that unhealthy. The best part: neither the salad nor the wrap was all that unhealthy. Both included a more than adequate supply of veggies, and the thick balsamic that came along side the salad went along way in tiny drizzles, and the veggie to shrimp/cheese ratio of the wrap was well within reason. I didn’t even feel compelled to add extra veggies when I ate the second half at home the next day—a practice I seem to follow almost anytime I’m eating leftovers.

In general, I’m a fan of BBT. The uni-server was friendly enough to make me (and the entire meetup group) feel welcome, and the food was good enough (and healthy enough) to make it a good place for a beer. I wouldn’t call BBT a “must visit” ‘Burgh establishment, but it definitely holds it’s own. BBT actually makes for an excellent alternative if you’re driving in circles around the rest of the South Side and can’t find a place to park. Chances are, there’s a spot somewhere not too far from the BBT. Plus, if you’re really desperate, they’re even within a few blocks of the parking structures on Sydney.

Beer Nutz Bottle Shop
beernutzplaza.org (broken link!)
2 out of 5 stars

1335 Freeport Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
(412) 963-6882

As a place to grab a beer (or buy a case at the adjoining distributor), Beer Nutz does a pretty good job. With different sets of coolers and some un-chilled shelving, they have a lot of beer options. That’s not to say they outdo either D’s or Bocktown, but there’s little chance you won’t find something worth enjoying—unless you’re that one friend that doesn’t like beer at all (we’ll call her #5 in my group).

Situated way out in Aspinwall, they aren’t anywhere close to local for me, but if you’re out that way, it’s a solid place for a beer. Sadly, that didn’t seem to be the case relative to food: I and multiple others at the table were somewhat disappointed by our meals.

Inside: bright, clean, and spacious. When you first drive up to the place, it’s not clear what to expect. Some of my companions were even a little nervous about even walking in. Fear not, there’s absolutely no reason to fear. A step inside shows off a well-kept, bright room with a decent row of tap handles, an open kitchen, and plenty of beverage coolers. The main room offers up a decent amount of seating at bar-height tables—in this case, all of those tables were filled. A second, smaller room on the other side of the kitchen offers up dart board and a few more (normal-height) dining tables. The second room was empty, so I and my 5 companions found a table there.

Open Kitchen and Bar

Front Room (Bar-Height Tables)

Back Room (Normal-height tables)

An adjoining distributor. Though I didn’t stop in, I should note that the same building houses both a beer distributor (i.e., cases of beer) and a bottle shop (i.e., food and individual bottles). This is the first I’ve heard of such an arrangement, and one can imagine using the bottle shop as a method to decide what to pick up next store. I’m not sure I would ever make use of that possibility, but somebody out there might. In general, the trip I take to the bottle shop and the trip I take to the distributor are two very different use cases that don’t really tend to overlap.

Holes in the menu. Though the “placeholder” site (on around-foxchapel.com), suggests they have a “large menu,” I didn’t find that to be the case. I found only burgers and salads and various piles of fries—plus some wings. The whole list is up on Urbanspoon for anyone looking to check it out. The unitary vegetarian option: a pita platter with hummus, feta, pita, and a few veggies didn’t really make sense as a meal. To be fair, the focus is clearly on beer, and they never promised to serve up healthy or vegetarian options, but I wish they had done better on that angle. I would have liked to see at least one vegetarian salad or maybe some kind of wrap.

Based some positive trending salad sightings, I suspect I’ll be ordering one of those in any future visits. I’m sure they would have no problem serving up a grilled chicken salad sans grilled chicken.

Beer selection? Good, but no surprises. Departing from my normal format, I’m going to talk about beer options before I go on to nit-pick the food. That follows and the Beer Nutz approach and gives me a chance to start with the positive. I found options from just about every brewer I expected to see and even a few I didn’t. Somewhat notably, I found multiple “He-Brew” options from Shmaltz—something I haven’t exactly started to see everywhere.

One category in short supply: less common options. Most places will have a few 750mL bottles of some more interesting options or just beer that I hadn’t heard of. Sometimes I’ll even find 12 oz bottle I never expected to see. Those are winning stories: I consider a bottle shop to be successful when they show me something I didn’t know about before walking in. Beer Nutz didn’t really manage to do that.

Not seeing something new and unexpected may just mean that I’ve been saturated with beer awareness, but, given the industry’s rate of change, I find that hard to believe. My hope is that this is just a characteristic of being relatively new. My hope is that they’ll start to reach a little once they turn through a few more iterations of their regular inventory.

The Mediterranean Platter. While this “platter” did provide for a vegetarian option, I was somewhat disappointed by the execution. The platter consisted of kalamata olives, peperoncini, slices of feta, sliced tomato, soft pita, and hummus. First off, there are some positive notes: they could have done far worse on the olives, and the presentation was fairly well done. As the pita, I find that it usually comes in one of two varieties: hard pockets from a “lean” dough (i.e., minimal fat or other additives) and softer, “flat bread” without much in the way of a pocket. Beer Nutz served up an example of the latter.

Mediterranean Platter ("Grilled Hummus & Pita")

What went wrong? A couple of issues. First, the tomato slices were the kind really meant to top a sandwich. For the platter, I would have liked to see a different variety (or at least thicker slice). The tomato the did use was flavorless and not particularly easy to consume with the pita. Second, the hummus was…lacking in complexity and overly salty. Hummus is a relatively easy to make in-house, but I’m fairly certain the Beer Nutz hummus wasn’t: it was wet, overly salty, and otherwise dull—basically, cheap manufactured hummus. They could have done a lot better—even without making their own.

Continuing with the nitpicks, the feta pieces were somewhat large for consumption without first being broken up, but that’s was difficult with the sparse collection of toothpicks and notable silverware shortage. Even dining companions who ordered a salad had to go hunting up front and make special requests for a fork. I decided not to go to the trouble.

Some brighter notes on salads. Two of my companions ordered a salad, so I did get a chance to see if they turned out any better. Thankfully, the situation seemed to be an improvement from the platter. Though neither salad-ordering companion was extremely happy with the salad, I should note that their only complains surrounded off flavors of the chicken/steak on top. Somewhat unexpectedly, all of their salads sat on ample beds of mixed greens. That much was a plus. By default, all salads came topped with fries and a handful of cheddar. I also noted a peperoncini floating on top of each.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Steak Salad

Overall, the salads came with plenty of greens, but that’s where any notion of healthy eating collapsed. Fries, cheese, and off-tasting meat were just about about the only other components. More veggies on top would have been a a big plus.

Don’t forget the burgers. Two of my dining companions ordered burgers, and their reviews were somewhat contradictory. One was overall moderately happy with his cheeseburger, the other was frustrated by an aggressively charred and overcooked patty. I’ll give Beer Nutz the benefit of the doubt and assume that was a fluke. Based on appearance, and at least one success: I’ll say the burgers are probably pretty decent.

Cheeseburger w/ Provolone

Will I be going back? Well, there’s a lot of room for improvement, and I’m actually quite interested in what happens over time. I’d like to go back to check in on them, but I wasn’t really impressed. As I’ve said before, both D’s and Bocktown have better food and a better beer selection. Those places lack an adjoining beer distributor, but I’m not sure what use case requires the two to be connected. If Beer Nutz is a convenient destination for you, then by all means give them a try. If you’re in the city like me, then I don’t really see the need.

Fast forward several years out of grad school, and The Sharp Edge came up at a Birthday outing for one of my friends. She was interested in hitting it up in the next few weeks, so I took full advantage of the opportunity to assemble a FoodBurgh post (and hang out with an old friend). For the non-veggies in the audience, I even have some non-veggie coverage courtesy of said friend.

Sharp Edge Beer Emporium
www.sharpedgebeer.com
3.5 out of 5 stars

302 S Saint Clair St
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 661-3537

The Sharp Edge really falls into the category of “regional chain,” but the Shadyside/Friendship location that I went to this time is the original. They call it the “Beer Emporium.” Other instances are available throughout Pittsburgh—from Sewickley (“The Bistro”) all the way down to McMurray (“The Brasserie”). Each location takes on both it’s own tagline and it’s own distinct personality. Basically, they do a good job of keeping things interesting.

The “beer bling” decor. Being the original, the Beer Emporium that I hit up with this visit is a little bit homier, than the comparatively pristine Brasserie (located in a strip mall, of all places). Each location is decorated with its own mass of rustic “beer kitch” on the walls—though not nearly enough to overdo it to the boring extent of a big chain establishment. Applebees, anyone? Overall, the setting seems to match the restaurant.

About that winning atmosphere. I can’t remember ever going to the Sharp Edge and not feeling comfortable, welcome, and at ease. The wait staff is always friendly and outgoing: that all-important server rapport never fails to develop. That alone makes for a great place to hang out and have a beer with friends.

I don’t know if it’s due to good hiring practices, good training, or just providing the right atmosphere, but the servers never fail to be interesting and talkative. For this particular visit, my experience was no different. I showed up a little early, and developed a really nice back and forth with the waitress while I took way too long deciding on a beer. Even after being joined by my companion, the playful back and forth continued through all of our interactions.

Not my favorite menu. I’m certain to get some angry responses to this position, but I’ll come right down on it: the menu just isn’t what I’m looking for. That’s not to say it’s not good; it’s just not for me. Though they include a few veggie shout-outs, the trend is toward big and greasy—a far cry from healthy.

So what is on the menu? The more notable options include some rather eccentric burgers: ostrich, buffalo, Kobe beef. Other menu sections offer up the more traditional sandwiches, salads, and even pizza. On the veggie side of the fence, the options are really either a grilled veggie panini or veggie pizza—plus the obligatory field green and house salads. Of course, the mac and cheese entree is a non-meat option as well, but I wouldn’t call it veggie-focused (or healthy).

Like I said, my opinion isn’t universal. For some people, the Sharp Edge food is fantastic. My dining companion, for example, absolutely loves the ostrich burger. Another favorite: the pomme frittes with three different dipping sauces.

Beyond the salad: fish tacos. Knowing full well that the veggie items could very easily be a disappointment, I went crazy and ordered the fish tacos. As some readers have probably noticed, I’m a veg-head for the sake of general healthfulness, and have no problem hitting up seafood from time to time. I’m also particularly fascinated by the quest for quality fish tacos.

Well presented; lackluster flavor. Given the Sharp Edge’s good reputation with the stuff that is on their menu, I expected some high quality fish tacos. For $16, they prettymuch had to be. Sadly, they were only partway there: not $16 worth of good. The presentation was beautiful, but the quantity was excessive (perhaps explaining part of the $16). The lengthy wedge of grilled cod was well cooked, but could have used some additional seasoning. In many cases, a fish taco almost implies some sort of slaw to offer crunch and a little flavor, but this one didn’t: instead it came with a dose of “herbed aoili.” I found that it added very little other than excess calories. I would have preferred a sauce with a little more bite or acidity to accent the fish.

I still had an awesome salad. Turns out, when you order fish tacos (an entree), you get a salad as well. I opted for field greens variant, and can easily call it highlight of my visit—and not just by default. The “greens” (mostly spinach) were fresh, and the quantity of cranberry and nut was well in balance. The apple pieces were unnecessary, but good apple specimens: crunchy and tart.

That bottle you see in the background? It’s not my beer: it’s the dressing—the house balsamic vinaigrette. It had a great flavor, but I didn’t really even end up adding it to the salad proper: between the cheese, cranberries, and pecans, there really wasn’t a big need.

Remember how my companion ordered meat? Opting to branch out from ostrich, she hit up a meatloaf sandwich (a special for the night). Like the fish tacos, it looks well presented. In this case, however, I’ve been told it was quite good—though far too much food for one sitting. I think she ended up taking home half.

The beer? Lots of Belgians. The Sharp Edge is kind of a mixed bag when it comes to beer. Don’t get me wrong, the selection is fantastic—complete with some Belgian varieties you probably can’t find anywhere else. After all, Belgian is really the unifying theme. My issue: I sometimes wonder if they don’t lean too far in that direction.

Though they’ve picked up ever so slightly on the recent explosion of high quality craft beer, they still focus primarily on Belgians—plus all kinds of other imports. If that’s what you’re looking for, you want to be there. My biggest problem: on the draft side of the menu, it can sometimes be difficult to land on more than a handful of sessionable options: Belgians tend to be big beers. Of course, the recent trend in American craft beer seems to be toward pretty big styles anyway, so I may not even have a solid complaint.

Keep an eye on your wallet. The Sharp Edge can be damn expensive. I’ve heard horror stories of guys going there for drinks and dinner after work and ending up with a $100+ bill for two people. Somewhat hard-to-find imports drive part of that equation, but the food also tends to reach into the upper limits of the casual dining spectrum. Order an entree and a few of the more interesting beers, and things quickly add up. My advice: pay attention to what you order, and you should be fine.

Overall, a solid hang-out. I like supporting the Sharp Edge (any location), but I can’t say I’m universally a fan. The atmosphere and waitstaff are alway fantastic, and that alone makes it one of my favorite places to hang out over a beer. The food, on the other hand, really doesn’t fall into the category I’m aiming for. The beer selection, though extensive, can often been expensive and focussed on some rather big styles. For a beer with a friend, the Sharp Edge does the trick quite nicely. For a full dinner, it’s not my destination of choice.

The event was well covered already, but I was there and taking pictures, so I wanted to take the time to post my thoughts here.

Penn Brewery and Restaurant
www.pennbrew.com

800 Vinial St
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 237-9400

Though positioned as a special “sneak preview” the event was pretty well publicized: invitations were posted on multiple brewery Twitter accounts as well as the main page of the Penn Brewery site. As a result, the place was packed. Everyone, it seems, is excited to see an old favorite return. The event featured beer samples, (extremely) light snacks, and ongoing tours of the brewery. I was there for the first two hours (of 4) and the place was packed to the point that I had trouble moving around.

So how was the beer? Four different beer options were available for sampling: Penn Pilsner (unfiltered), Penn Weizen, Allegheny Pale Ale, and St Nicholas Bock (from a previous year). A free ticket available in in the rear claimed that the first sample was free, and most everyone I talked to expected that to be a full glass. It wasn’t: just tiny sample in a plastic sampling cup. Luckily, you could buy a full glass for $3—though it was also served in plastic cups. In an effort to avoid hitting the 25-minute line twice, I pro-actively ordered two glasses: Allegheny Pale Ale and unfiltered Penn Pilsner.

Though I’m still not hugely confident in my beer evaluations, I can say that I enjoyed both. Due largely to equipment availability and timing, the Pilsner was served unfiltered, which was a new and therefore welcome experience. Basically, this was the same clean, bright lager you have probably come to expect from Penn—only with a slightly yeasty flavor to keep it interesting. The newly released pale ale was…very hoppy (in the true American style). I picked up a heavy dose of hop bitterness plus the familiar citrus flavor typical of American hops. From my perspective, the bittering here was almost too harsh, but that’s really the style in this case. If anyone was pondering the style of hops, I seem to remember Tom mentioning Chinook during the brewery tour—though I didn’t notice any of the piney flavor normally associated with that variety.

A tour of the brewery. One of the better aspects of the event was the brewery tour—except for that part where I waited out in the cold for it to start. The tours were running every 30 minutes, and the tickets being passed out inside assigned a particular time. No one was really checking tickets, but the tactic did lead to a relatively small tour group—which I appreciated.

The tour was really just standing just inside the brewery entrance and listening to an overview of the brewing process from Tom Pastorius himself. I don’t think he showed off much beyond what you can see from the dining room’s window into the brewery, but it was interesting to hear his spiel and pick up some details regarding their brewing operation. Most of description was geared more toward the non-brewing crowd, but there were some interesting operational tidbits thrown in for good measure.

Here are some of the more interesting announcements I picked up…

• The restaurant will open when they have enough beer to satisfy demand
• Tom has no idea (or isn’t saying) when that time might come
• There’s a good chance another “preview” will occur in a few weeks
• A new German bottling line has been ordered (and paid for)

A founder’s plea. Another interesting aspect of Tom’s “tour” was a plea for support. His major request: buy a case of Penn beer. Yes, that means it will have been brewed in Wilkes-Barre by the Lion Brewery, but there’s a lot of Lion-brewed Penn product in the pipeline, and he can’t push out his new stuff until that has worked through the system. In his words, he needs us to “take one for the team” (no really, he said exactly that). In the spirit of supporting our local, independent brewers and restaurants, I can support that request. If I’m buying a commercial beer for an event at my place, I’d be happy to make it a case of Penn.