App Happy.

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Mobile apps, what would I do without them? I certainly wouldn’t be the proud earner of the
Hot Tamale badge on Foursquare, that’s for sure. Thought I’d share a few of my favorite

Fine Wine & Good Spirits – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board apparently has a great marketing department. This little app is a searchable database of their inventory. Tell it what you want and it’ll tell you what stores have it (we’ve found that sometimes it’s more accurate than the employees). You can also place an online order via or search special order items. Very convenient for folks who know what they like. (iOS) food / drink apps in this post.

Fondu – I wish more people in Pittsburgh used this restaurant review app. Sync it with Foursquare and it pulls all the restaurants where you check-in into an easy-to-use review interface. Rate a restaurant from one to four “petals,” add photos, and write a review. You can also follow other Fondu users and comment, favorite, or like their reviews. (iOS)

Foursquare – As noted above, this app syncs with Fondu so I figured I’d add it to the list. This location-based app recognizes where you are and lets you check-in, share with your friends, and add location tips. Admittedly, I’m a bit obsessive about checking-in. Foursquare awards points for each check-in and, because you can see your friend’s points, can lead to some fun competition. It also awards badges for things you do a lot, like go to Mexican restaurants (Hot Tamale badge mentioned above) or home improvement stores (Fixer Upper badge). Some brands are also using Foursquare for promotions. American Express, for example, gives discounts when you check into locally owned restaurants and use their credit card to pay. (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, and more)

Grocery IQ – No more paper shopping lists. This is a very useful app for those who have more than one grocery shopper in the household. Jess and I both downloaded this app. We can add, favorite, and delete grocery items from a shared list. You can also scan item UPCs to add them to the favorites list. (iOS, Android)

Seafood Watch – This app from the Monterey Bay Aquarium helps you choose which seafood options are best for healthy oceans. Simply choose the fish you are considering while in a restaurant or at the grocery and the app will tell you if it’s a Best Choice, Good Alternative, or to Avoid it. (iOS, Android)

WTSO – Wines Til Sold Out is an online store that sells wine at about 25-70% off original
retail prices. The app notifies you when a new wine is available. When the wine sells out, a new notification comes through. Based upon the price of the wine you can get free shipping on an order of anywhere from one to four bottles, and they usually arrive within three to five business days. Many of the offerings have fairly high Wine Advocate ratings. I’ve ordered from them twice now and have not been disappointed. (iOS, Android)

Please share your own comments and reviews if you choose to give any of these apps a try!

St. Pat’s in the Steel City

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St. Pat's Steeler logo

FreakingNews.com

Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year. In my world, that means indulging in a few more adult beverages than I normally would on a work night. In fact, being a Saturday means that a full day of St. Pat’s festivities is in store. In planning for such a day one needs to consider a few things. My list is as follows:

  1. Drinking and eating establishments
  2. Good parade watching location
  3. Transportation

My perfect St. Pat’s drinking establishment is one that’s not overly crowded and lacks “amateurs.” You know what amateurs are; they’re the people who only drink on days like St. Pat’s and Cinco de Mayo. [Insert your personal bad drunk person experience here.] For that reason, on this particular day I try to stick to bars that do not have Irish names and do not serve green beer, which is just yucky. Don’t get me wrong, I like Irish pubs and have some favorites. If you’re in Pittsburgh and want the full Irish experience, here are a few places to consider:

  • Piper’s Pub – In the Southside. Fantastic Irish pub food and live soccer on the screens. Good craft beers on tap. They have a Sunday brunch from 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM, a perfect way to nip that hangover in the bud.
  • Sieb’s Pub – In the North Hills. Bright and clean. Large menu selection that includes traditional Irish fare.
  • Shenanigan’s Bar and Grille – In the North Hills. Big bar with a sports theme and friendly staff. Be warned that they allow smoking.
  • The local CBS affiliate did a recent story about the top Irish pubs in Pittsburgh. I haven’t been to them all so cannot offer an opinion.

The Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parade is a big draw for the downtown area. There are many good viewing spots along the parade route. March weather can be pretty unpredictable so our group opts to hang out in one of the many parking garages. Check out the parade Facebook page for up-to-date information and quick responses to questions.

Drinking and driving do not mix. My group is taking a bus downtown for the parade and a cab home. Here are some transportation options for the Pittsburgh area:

  • The Port Authority site contains detailed bus routes, rider alerts and fare information. They even have a mobile app.
  • Yellow Cab Pittsburgh – Plan ahead. Pittsburgh is notorious for its lack of available cabs.

Have a fun and safe St. Patrick’s Day!

Note: This post was originally written for the Fondu.com blog.

A non-drinking problem?

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Jess and I are hoarders. It’s not hoarding like that of the crazy cat lady down the street. We like to consider our obsession far more refined. It seems we cannot leave a good beer or wine store without having purchased at least a case. It can be expensive at times. And we have a lot of alcohol on shelves.

Here’s what our Adult Beverage Corner (ABC) looks like.

Two For Tasting Adult Beverage Corner

The Adult Beverage Corner

Early on we decided that we needed industrial strength shelving to hold our precious collection. The first attempt was a steel version with what turned out to be particle board shelves. Two days after assembling and loading the shelves they were visibly bowed. Jess disassembled them (mostly), returned them, and began an online search for something sturdier. What we ended up with are the stainless steel shelves that are most often seen in walk-in coolers. We added plastic shelf liners so the bottles sit flat. They are perfect.

The ABC is a thing of beauty and most definitely an attention-getter. It’s the first thing you see as you come down the stairs into the basement. Even the dryer delivery guy couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, that’s a lot of beer!”

It’s strategically placed next to my treadmill, like a constant reminder of one of the reasons I run. It’s also a reminder of all the great breweries and wineries we’ve visited. Many of the bottles have a story about how we acquired them. Some remind us of our week-long tasting trip from Madison, Wisconsin to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Others bring to mind a quick stop off the highway simply because we saw a sign and had the time.

The ABC also serves to replenish the stock in the beer fridge in the garage, but that’s a whole different post.

So yes, we are hoarders. But we don’t mind. We like to think of it as our “non” drinking problem.

Great Pho for You.

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We love Tram’s Kitchen. A lot. We love it not only for the great food, but for the overall dining experience. Our friends love it too.

Tram’s is not the cleanest looking place. In fact, it’s dingy. The years of consecutive Best Restaurant plates appear to have never been dusted. 2011 still looks pretty clean though.

Tram’s is small. The tables are really close to each other. It often seems like you’re dining with complete strangers.

The one-armed proprietor, I’ll call him “Tram,” has his own personal version of friendly, akin to Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi.

Order quickly and clearly and maybe you’ll get what you wanted. Regardless of accuracy, it’s always delicious. I recommend the Chicken Pho and Vegetarian Split Rice (which came with every kind of meat the last time I ordered it). Jess is faithful to the Beef Fried Rice and Egg Rolls. The egg rolls are unique to Tram’s, brown and crispy.

Tram’s Kitchen is BYOB. If you’re bringing wine, it’s easiest to supply your own corkscrew. If you prefer to drink your wine out of glasses bring those too, or you’ll be sipping your 1986 Margaux out of plastic juice cups.

And here’s something very important – Bring cash. Tram’s doesn’t accept anything else for payment, although I’ve never tried to barter with them. Hmm. Anyway, they recently installed an ATM in the already cramped vestibule, apparently catering to those forgetful enough to arrive with only plastic in their wallet. I suppose you could call that customer service.

They also do a bustling carryout business. Rumor has it Tram speaks perfect English when he answers the telephone, but you didn’t see that here.

Tram’s Kitchen
4050 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
(412) 682-2688

By the way, if you’re wondering how to pronounce “pho,” there’s a good explanation here.

Party of Seventeen.

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Jess and I hosted a New Year’s Eve party at our house. We thought it would be fun to dine out first and then move the party to the house for the rest of the evening’s festivities. It’s no surprise that we chose one of our favorite restaurants, Bite Bistro, for their New Year’s Eve tasting dinner.

Bite has an ever-changing menu that features seasonal options as well as vegetarian and vegan dishes. They also offer tasting menus every night of the week. (Jess highly recommends the Hanger Steak, which is usually on the menu and is topped with tasty Bite Sauce.)

We were thinking that it would be a small group of people having a nice dinner before the larger group met up at our house. Nope. It turned into a dinner reservation for 17 and, essentially, a pre-party at Bite. I must say that their staff handled our large group efficiently and pleasantly, even with a full house.

The chef created this special tasting menu for two seatings only.

Bite Bistro New Year's Eve Tasting Menu

My meal went like this:

  • Amuse Bouche – House Made Apple Braised Sauerkraut. The dish was served in a little Asian soup spoon.  Some of the best sauerkraut I’ve ever had.
  • First Course – Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Trout Caviar. The cauliflower flavor really came through and the caviar, while used sparingly, added just the right amount of saltiness. Although I think the presentation could have been better – it was served in a clear plastic cup – this was my second favorite dish of the night. (I got to eat most of Jess’ portion too!)
  • Second Course – Buffalo Tartare (photo below on left). This course made a few of the folks in our group nervous. One person even equated it to the TV show Fear Factor. But even so, almost everyone tried the buffalo. It was quite good but didn’t have a memorable flavor.
  • Third Course – Lobster Risotto. By far my favorite course of the night, the risotto was topped with several little pieces of lobster and the parmesan crisp was just, well…yum!
  • Fourth Course – Braised Veal. Most of us were surprised by the thick layer of fat, but the Bite staff was there to explain the cut. The flavor was very good and the meat was tender. Additionally, the polenta added some nice texture to the dish.
  • Fifth Course – Passion Fruit Gelee (photo below on right). I’ve never had a gelee before. The flavor was good but I had trouble getting past the consistency of the dish – think runny, clear jam. I’m glad I tried it but will not order a gelee dish again. Ever.

Bite Bistro Buffalo Tartare Bite Bistro Passion Fruit Gelee

Many of the folks in our group had not had anything quite like this before and we all enjoyed sampling new dishes.

If you live in Pittsburgh, want to support a local restaurant, and like to sample creative preparations, then check out Bite Bistro.  Note that they are BYOB, with a minimal corkage fee, if you like to enjoy a drink with dinner.

Wine. Delivered.

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I bought a Groupon for wine.com and ordered two bottles of Mer Soleil Silver chardonnay. The shipment arrived yesterday and I could not be more thrilled by what I received.

I already know the wine is tasty (wine.com had it in stock and I’d been searching for it for a while, which is why I bought the Groupon in the first place). What made me do a happy dance was wine.com’s attention to detail.

First, the shipment arrived exactly when they said it would and was brought to my door by a friendly UPS driver with uniform bling (always a plus in my book and who doesn’t love a white belt?). Second, upon opening the box, I saw that the bottles were packed in their own little compartments, no clinking together. Third, and most important, wine.com includes these awesome little bottle tags and stickers so you know exactly what you bought – vintage, price, etc. -  and can make tasting notes. This little detail totally set them apart for me. Wine.com is obviously managed by people who appreciate wine and I am benefiting from that.

Update 12/23/11 – Rich Bergsund, CEO of wine.com, had this to say about the tags via Twitter, “Thanks for the post and glad you like the bottle tags. We got the clue when friends were using yellow stickies!”

Now, a little about the wine. Jess and I discovered Mer Soleil chardonnay a couple of years ago when we ordered a bottle to accompany a dinner at the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto. We both thought it was fantastic, which is really something since Jess doesn’t like many whites.

There are only two wines produced under the Mer Soleil label, both chardonnays. Mer Soleil is a traditional style chardonnay, while Silver is unoaked. Both are delicious. Learn more about the wines and vineyard at the Mer Soleil Vineyard website.

If you are looking for an exceptional chardonnay in the $25-35 per bottle range, give one of these a try.

Let the tasting begin!

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For a while now friends have been telling Jess and I that we should blog about our beer, wine and food tasting adventures. We’re finally acting upon those suggestions. The posts here will consist of our thoughts on the product taste and quality, service, atmosphere, and the overall experience of our tasting adventures. We hope you will enjoy sharing these experiences, good and bad, with us.