Disclosure: This post was prompted by a request from Giant Eagle to help spread the word about their new Market District location in Robinson. Be sure to keep reading for details on how to win a $25 gift certificate, and be part of the first community-driven FoodBurgh post.

But here’s the rub: I can’t always fit those places into my schedule. Some are too far away for a quick week night stop; many are simply closed by the time I get home from work; and some (notably Good Apples), require a little bit of planning. More often than not, I buy what I need at Giant Eagle—and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just as much a fan of G’Eagle as any of the other places I mentioned. Well, it turns out, they’re opening a new Market District location this weekend, and they’re sponsoring a first-ever FoodBurgh contest to help spread the word.

Giant Eagle is trying to generate buzz. Last week, I was contacted by a marketing consultant for Giant Eagle who was hoping to spread the word about a new Market District location. I’m guessing that most readers have checked out either the Shadyside or Bethel Park examples of the Market District concept. The idea is to create a store targeting foodies and health nuts (and I’m guilty on both counts). It’s hard not to like a store that specifically targets your exact demographic.

How to win a $25 Gift Certificate. Courtesy of Giant Eagle, I have four $25 Giant Eagle gift cards to hand out on this site. To help figure out the winners, I’m collecting contributions for a bit of a collaborative “best restaurants” post. Use the contact form to send me a brief explanation of your favorite Pittsburgh restaurant. All entries are due Saturday, when the new Market District store is slated to open. I’ll round up all the presentable submissions and post here next week.

Some ground rules…

• Submissions must be less than 200 words.
• Entrants should list their name and neighborhood of residence
• All entries must be received by midnight on Sunday, 11/8.
• Winners will be drawn at random and notified via email.

That’s all there is to it. I’ll randomly select 4 winning entries and Giant Eagle will send a gift card to each of them.

All about the new store. Because this little contest is sponsored by Giant Eagle, and their new Market District store, I’ll give you a little background. According to the Post Gazette, the new location has been in the works for some time now. While Market District locations are fairly large stores, this one dwarfs both the others in the area at a whopping 150,000 square feet. It sounds like it will have all sorts of amenities not currently available ab the other stores—including an in-house creamery serving up fresh gelato.

Did I mention they’re allowed to sell beer and wine? It’s true. Until I did some digging, I didn’t even realize that this was the “new store” that has been battling the PLCB for the ability to sell alcohol. The details of how that will work are still a little murky, but I’m definitely intrigued. Having grown up in Ohio, and still traveling back on a regular basis, I can say that the Giant Eagle stores out there tend to have an exception selection of craft beer—so I’m definitely hopeful.

Enter first, then check out the new store. So what are you waiting for, use the contact form to submit your favorite Pittsburgh restaurant. While you’re waiting for your entries to appear on a post to this site, be sure to stop by the new Giant Eagle Market District in Robinson. It’s at least worth heading out there to investigate.

Trib: Storm-damaged slots cause Rivers Casino to delay grand opening

In addition to the 3,000 slot machines, Rivers Casino will provide the culinary opulence found along the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City’s Boardwalk.

The Andrews Steakhouse — named for the city’s famous Andrews of Carnegie, Mellon and Warhol — will be a fine-dining restaurant with steak and seafood.

Ciao will offer on-the-go sandwiches, salads and desserts, and the West End Cafe will serve sandwiches, pizzas and other cuisine inspired by Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods.

Grandview Buffet will accommodate up to 450 diners and offer made-to-order meals from Italian, Asian, American and barbecue stations. Selections include freshly made pasta and pizza from a wood-burning oven, ribs and brisket from two smoker ovens and grills offering Mongolian- and Argentinian-style meals.

(continues…)

Who knew from the title that they’d be talking about food for several paragraphs?

Quite honestly, I hadn’t really thought about the culinary aspect of the Casino. I also have no idea whether the restaurants listed will be any good. I actually tend to shy away from the behemoth restaurants common to casino’s (and, frankly, have not interest in gambling what-so-ever). That list is intriguing, but I still have a background suspicion that the listed restaurants will try too hard to be “prim and proper”—only to present an unnecessarily stuffy environment.

That all said, I am interested in what the sandwich shops and casual facilities will provide. Will they provide healthful and interesting menus or just revert to nothing more than glorified fast food? I suppose I’ll have to give them a shot to see.

TRASH XIX: Annual Homebrew Competition
Entry Fee: $6 (plus three 12oz samples)
Entry Deadline: July 6
Competition Date: July 18

Is this an “event.” In short, no. That issue seems confuse people when they first hear about a competition (myself included). I like to think of this as a “mail-in competition.” Beer is difficult to ship (not to mention, expensive), so we have 6 drop-off locations throughout the area: 5 local homebrew shops and the competition site (Rivertowne Pour House). The competition itself is held at the Rivertowne Pour house on July 18th, and involves certified beer judges from around the area. They sample all the entries, rate them, and we select the award winners based on these ratings.

Professional feedback. If you brew beer (or do just about anything), then you know all about self-doubt. You are your own biggest critic, and brewing is no exception. You probably brew beer and notice every flaw (even the ones that don’t exist). Your friends are just happy to get free, half-way decent beer and they pile on the praise (“this is fantastic” and “great job”). What’s wrong with that? First, they’re your friend, they’re not going to say it sucks (because even flawed homebrew is pretty good). They’re also probably not certified beer judges and haven’t developed any real beer tasting skills or vocabulary. A competition overcomes that issue by giving you real, honest, and anonymized feedback. Judges have no idea who brewed what they’re drinking. They also carry a certification from the BJCP that can only be earned by passing a rather rigorous test.

Want to submit an entry? Good. I’m glad you understand. Just print out and complete out the entry packet available on the event web site and drop off three bottles of homebrew at any of the participating drop-off locations. Each entry requires three bottles, each wrapped with bottle identification form that has been attached with a rubber band. Drop them off with the entry form on or before July 6, and we take over from there. If your homebrew shop of choice isn’t open on July 6, then you better find time to drop it off on the last day it is open before the holiday weekend. Winners will be notified in the following week, and all participants will receive complete judge feedback. That feedback makes events like this just as much about education as they are competition.

When you make your next batch, be sure to bottle at least a few and drop them off at your local homebrew shop (or other participating drop-off locations).

The options, which come out of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, lie in five main categories…

• Giving
• Methodical
• Healthy
• Competitive
• Innovative

This particular study focused on a single member of a family that serves as the “gatekeeper” to food. Different gatekeepers have different styles and different goals, and they can have a huge impact on the health of their whole family.

It’s all in the categories. To me, the gatekeeper idea is obvious. I was more interested in the categorization, which is further expanded upon in the author’s blog. What struck me is how much I can identify with some of the categories. In general, I think I’m an innovative cook–at least when I’m at home and cooking for close friends. When I have people over or want to bring something to my friends, I turn into a giving cook. Brett, my good friend and housemate (GFAH? GFH?), is most definitely a methodical cook.

Innovative is good. I fall into the category because I try new things. I experiment. I pay much attention to what ingredients I’m using and what I do with them. Innovative cooks tend to be healthy (and help their families eat healthy as wel). They tend to care about the quality and nutritional content of the ingredients they use.

Giving is bad. The giving cook primarily aims to make people happy. He or she will make what people most want to eat. Little attention is paid to how healthy the end result is. Think of the person that prepares a meal without taking advantage of any healthy options–hoping that they can throw in all possible badness and maximize the immediate pleasure of their unhealthy family.

It really depends on my mood. When I’m depressed or feeling unwanted, I become Mr. giving cook himself. That’s not the only reason I might be a giving cook, so don’t feel bad if I’ve ever baked you a cake. I hope that I’m a special occasion giver. I’ll try to bake you a freakin’ amazing cake on your birthday, but, if I invite you over for dinner, I’ll make a concerted effort to at least make sure everyone has a healthy option. Hell, I might even serve that birthday cake with homemade frozen yogurt with minimal sugar content. Maybe that’s just because I’m only thinking of myself. After all, I’ll be eating the food at my party too.

How about you? Which category do you land in? No really, post a comment and let me know.

Based on that review, I’d still like to give it a try (for the sake of trying something different). That said, I don’t expect much. I’m a little too health conscious to enjoy the kind of Dive that Kristopher’s appears to be. I’ll try to keep an open mind and post my own thoughts if I ever try it.