Was that a Hurricane in Pittsburgh Last Night?!

I don’t really trust weather reports.  Around here, they always seem to get it wrong – either the big snow they predict turns out to be flurries, or they say it’s going to rain, and the sun is out all day long.  But, when they warn about a snow storm or torrential downpours, I at least am prepared (mentally at least) for them to happen.

Yesterday, the only thing I was aware of was that it was probably going to rain.  So, when I left to pick Gabby up for an evening of poetry and the Pittsburgh Symphony, I brought my umbrella.  I stopped at the MAC machine first…and it was just starting to sprinkle.  By the time I drove from the South Side to Point Breeze – all of what 5 miles? – it was pouring.  Gabby raced to get into my car, and we were off to downtown.

That’s when it started getting interesting.  It was raining so hard I could barely see the car in front of me.  When we pulled up to the Church that was holding the performance, it was coming down hard…and the wind was racing making the rain come down in every direction.  We decided to sit it out in the car until it slowed down.  It usually rains hard for a few minutes and then drastically slows.  Well, it didn’t seem to slow, in fact it only seemed to rain harder.  And then the hail started coming down.

At that point the streets around downtown Pittsburgh were flooding and looking to get worse with every passing second.  So Gabby and I decided to go home.  An hour and a half later, we made it to her house – after trying to go about 5 different ways and definitely going through high rushing water that you’re advised to stay away from.  Gabby’s house didn’t have power, and her basement was flooded.  I waited the storm out there for a bit before trying to make it back to the South Side.

When I left around 8pm, it was still raining, but normal rain.  Fifth Avenue wasn’t flooded any more whn I got to it, so I relaxed a bit and kept driving.  And then the rain started coming down harder and harder.  And the roads started flooding all over again.

Somehow, I safely made it home.  I’m convinced it’s only because my car is somehow a land/water machine…kind of like those Ducky Tour Boats.

Gabby eventually got her power back and now gets to start drying out her basement.

The point:  where are the weather FORECASTERS?  By definition, they’re supposed to prepare us for weather BEFORE it happens.  Yes, all of the local news stations were more than happy to start covering the storm nonstop…but that’s not good enough.  They need to figure out how to know these things are going to happen ahead of time and to let people know.

What’s your favorite Pittsburgh restaurant?

I love going out to eat.  And, I love trying new restaurants….and returning to old favorites.  Some of my favorite Pittsburgh restaurants are Soba (for the ambiance and pad thai…best pad thai in the ‘burgh!), Mallorca (for the service and the amazing food), 17th Street Cafe (good food, great neighborhood charm)and UUBU 6 (best duck I’ve ever had).

What are your favorites?

Cafe Allegro is Closing :(

Cafe Allegro is closing.  They have one of my most favorite pasta dishes…the Pasta Del Sol.  This is sad news for Pittsburgh and the South Side.

Nordstrom Comes to Pittsburgh

Finally.  The official opening is Friday, October 24, but yesterday employees invited friends and families for a sneak preview, and through a friend of a friend, I made the list.  The store is nice, bright, and not too big, but not too small.  The shoe department is huge – with a mix of shoes from Jimmy Choo to Stuart Weitzman to Jessica Simpson.  I found a cute pair of Dolce Vita pumps with a nice four inch heel.  It’s probably possible to spend about three days straight just in the shoe department. 

The women’s clothing upstairs was a little less impressive.  They have nice things, but they also don’t seem to have that much merchanides yet.  The dress section has about four dresses.  But, if you need a pair of jeans or a coat, they are stocked with those. 

The handbag section was definitely an improvement over Macy’s…but too many Coach and Michael Kors bags…which you can get at their respective stores elsewhere in Ross Park Mall. 

After one trip and several purchases, I’m definitely excited to see Nordstrom open.  They have a good mix of high end designer and more reasonable priced things and are definitely a welcomed improvement to the Pittsburgh shopping scene.

Adele’s Surprise Shower

Adele is getting married in three weeks!  Yesterday, we threw her a surprise shower at work.  Well, it was actually at a bar and restaurant during work hours, but it was all work people there, so it counted as work

It was my job to get her there…my plan was to act like I was having a bad day (not a hard thing to do any more with all of the insane reogranization stuff going on) and tell her I needed Starbucks.  Then, at the last minute I would decide that no…I needed a real drink and tell her to stop in the Union Grill with me.

Well, I was beyond excited about her surprise and couldn’t must up a “i hate work” act.  I was in too good of a mood!  (Seriously, that should have tipped her off right there!) So, we met and actually did work for about 15 minutes, and then I just interuppted and said that I needed Starbucks. 

The best part about the walk down Craig St was that Adele was telling me all about how great her fiance has been…it was so sweet.  She was going on and on about it – in a very cute way – so as we got to the Union Grill door, I literally just had to grab her arm and pull her in.  She followed me in with ease.

And waiting inside were about twelve of our coworkers.  Adele was surprised, and I think it was a really fun afternoon.  Now, I just can’t wait until the wedding!!!

Restaurant Review – 17th Street Cafe

I haven’t blogged in awhile…and now two in one day?! Can you tell I just really don’t want to work???

Anyway, we went to 17th Street Cafe last night with my mom, who is visiting from Florida. I love that restaurant. The food is great, it’s really cute and cozy inside, the wine is good, and the prices are reasonable. Since we moved to the South Side, we’ve eaten there several times, have gotten take out and had them cater last year’s holiday party. They never disappoint.

We started with the hot banana peppers appetizer…very good, and not really that spicy.  They could actually be a little spicier.  Then, we had bread and salads. I don’t know if they bake their own bread or where they get it from, but it’s simple Italian bread that is so soft and yummy.

For dinner, I ordered the filet, extra extra rare. Normally, I don’t like when filet comes with a bunch of sauce and other things, but the sauce and the mushrooms were excellent. I did scrape the blue cheese off the top though because the meat was too tasty and didn’t need it. And, it was cooked, or under-cooked as my mom said, to perfection.

My mom really enjoyed her pasta dish, and Brad loved his spicy diavolo pasta. They also have Chateau St Michelle Reisling by the glass…which is my preferred Reisling. It was a really great dinner, and nice to spend some time with my mommy.

Wohoo – Regola quits Senate race

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08225/903590-178.stm

Thank goodness. However, it’s not surprising that Regola is blaming the media’s “unfair coverage” for his withdrawal. The guy can’t ever take responsibility for ANYTHING. Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County and Hempfield Township are so much better off without this shady, disgusting character in office.

Regola seeks to expunge charges

According to the AP, PA Senator Bob Regola wants to “erase all records of [his] arrest, including his mug shot and fingerprints.”

This is ludacris. He was charged with felonies and now wants to act like nothing ever happened? Not guilty does not mean innocent. Remember O.J. Simpson?

I’m sure the Farrell family would like to expunge this whole tragedy from existence, too. But, they can’t…they lost a son.

The Allegheny County Drink Tax

It’s been a long day and a fun evening…I’m quite tired. 

There’s a lot about Pittsburgh politics/government that don’t make sense to me.  The drink tax is one thing.  I don’t think it’s fair that every person who wants to enjoy a glass of wine or beer or whatever inside the Allegheny county lines should have to fund the Port Authority.  It’s not fair that small business owners are forced to charge higher prices.  Public Transportation is important, but it is not a given, and when a public agency has been mismanaged for so long, why is it my responsibility, as an occasional drinker, to pay for it?  Or why is a restaurant owner – a person taking a financial risk yet trying to contribute to the county’s economy – responsible?

But, that’s not even my biggest problem with the whole issue.  Lately, groups have been pushing to get the drink tax on a ballot this November.  Wow–what a modern notion…let the VOTERS decide if they want their drinks to be taxed in order to fund anything – let alone a corrupt Port Authority. 

Leave it to Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to screw that up.  Shady Dan Onorato and his cronies have somehow fixed it so the referendum that was up for vote tonight goes something like this:  voters can vote to have the drink tax…OR have their property taxes increased.

WHAT?

For those of you unfamiliar with Allegheny County politics, property taxes are a hot issue around here.  I guess because they were being raised and raised a few years back because the morons running this area have no idea what they’re doing.

Anyway, I need to read up more on the issue and all of the proceedings (which I will do, don’t you worry!).  But I would like to ask these crazy politicians one thing – particularly Dan Onorato (who thinks he’s PA’s Governor-in-training):  why does repealing the drink tax automatically mean that property taxes have to be raised?  I don’t see or understand the correlation to a tax on drinks (that are already taxed once through the state’s liquor system - don’t get me started on that) and property taxes.  I understand that decades of fraud and bad behavior at the Port Authority have caused the agency to be totally strapped for cash.  I don’t agree with funding it through taxation, but I’ll save that argument for later.  I don’t see how there are just NO OTHER OPTIONS other than two – drink or property taxes – to fund the county’s transportation. 

Dan, can you please explain that to me?  Because from where I’m sitting, it just looks like you and your County Council buddies are dropping the property tax card just to make sure the drink tax isn’t repealed. 

Restaurant Review: Cafe Allegro

There’s nothing better than Friday night date night.  Brad and I were starving after a long week and decided to go out to dinner. 

We had tried Cafe Allegro about a year ago after we first moved to the South Side.  The food was amazing but our server was terrible.  We sat there without wine from before our entrees were brought out until we finally flagged him down for the check.  Our appitizer and salad came out at the same time…very annoying especially at a nice restuarant.  But, the food was so delicious, we were willing to give it another try.

I started with their homemade white sangria.  It was fruity and refreshing…I just don’t think there was any alcohol it it.  After three glasses, I didn’t even feel a faint buzz.  Brad had the house cabernet and thought it was decent.

He tried the Allegro Salad and really liked it.  For dinner, he had the seafood stew dish and ate every bite of that.  Even the oysters, his least favorite type of seafood, were good…and gone.

I’m the type of person who finds a dish I like and then sticks with it.  The pasta I had previously was one of the best pasta dishes I’d ever had.  I immediately found it on the menu and couldn’t wait.  The second time around, the Pasta Del Sol didn’t dissappoint.  The sundried tomatoes had a really rich taste.  The cream sauce covered the penne noodles pefectly – I’m not a fan of tons of sauce.  It was a filling but very good meal.  Brad tried some and defintely agreed!

Our service this time was much better…exactly what you’d expect from a more upscale restaurant.  Our wine and water glasses were never empty, plates were promptly removed from the table and our server was friendly and helpful.

I’d give this experience four stars out of five.  We’ll definitely be back!