IheartPGH.com » coffee shops

CALL FOR PROPOSALS! Your Big Idea Could Win Cash and Free Waffles for a Year

Lindsay — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:28:01 +0000

: Image by groovehouse via Flickr

The folks at the Waffle Shop are looking for your big idea – really big ideas – and if your big idea is the best idea you could win $250 and Free Waffles for a Year! You don’t have to be in Pittsburgh to win either. If you aren’t in town to attend the idea event on Oct. 3, 2009 – they will have an actor stand in for you.

Here are the details (see the Facebook page for the event here):

Call For Proposals!

The Waffle Shop, in conjunction with The Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University, would like to invite YOU to pitch your mind-blowing visionary idea for the future for possible inclusion in a live contest on Saturday, October 3, 2009. The winning concept will be broadcast to the cosmos and will receive a year’s worth of free waffles, along with a $250 cash prize.

The Ideas:

We’re looking for really BIG ideas here, not just a run-of-the-mill proposals for a more fuel-efficient car or a better coffee grinder, but visionary schemes for things like: how to survive the end of the planet, a way for animals to run governments, a cloning system that reinvents history, or an entire alternate universe of your own design.

The Event:

Ten participants will be selected from all walks of life, from scientists to bricklayers, children to seniors, to pitch their visionary proposals in front of a live audience and panel of judges on October 3rd at the Waffle Shop in Pittsburgh. Locals to the area will pitch in person and international participants will present their ideas at the event live via a skype-feed body double*. Local experts from diverse fields will act as judges.

Participants will be chosen based on the nature of their idea and their ability to pitch it to a live audience. The idea must be presented orally and without any electronic accompaniment (no laptops, video projections, CD players, transparencies). Each delivered pitch will be limited to a maximum of 4 minutes in length, with 2 minutes for questions from our panel of judges. The top three selected contestants will then defend their proposal against questions from the entire audience.

The Body Double*:

As all participants may not be able to join the contest in person, the event will provide an actor who will pitch in absentia. The actor will wear headphones connected to a live Skype feed of the absent participant. The virtual participant will pitch their idea as if they were present, and the actor present at the event will repeat verbatim the audio feed they receive from the virtual contestant. Materials may be shipped to the event so that the actor may utilize visual aids during the presentation.

Please send a brief abstract of your written proposal, as well as a short biography, to dawnweleski@gmail.com. Abstracts must be 500 words or less and may include visuals. All applications must be received by September 13. All applicants will be contacted no later than September 20.

Waffle Shop is an experimental platform for media production and public dialogue that combines a restaurant with the production of an online TV show directly on the premises. At Waffle Shop, our customers are our funders, audience and participants as we film each night, inviting interested patrons to express their unique opinions and personalities. Our recordings are streamed live on our website during our open hours, and then produced into episodes which are broadcast publicly 24 hours a day in the windows of the storefront, and made available through our online archive. For more information, please visit: http://www.waffleshop.org

The Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University presents 29 Chains to the Moon: Artists’ Schemes for a Fantastic Future, an exhibition that runs from August 28 through December 6. Curated by Andrea Grover, 29 Chains to the Moon features artists who forth radical proposals, from seasteads and tree habitats to gift-based cultures, to make the world work for everyone. For more information, please visit: http://www.cmu.edu/millergallery/exhibitions/29chainstothemoon

Are you the next David Letterman? Waffle Shop Guest Host Challenge (iheartpgh.com)
Live from East Liberty … its the Waffle Shop (iheartpgh.com)
Waffle Shop: Now with live news feeds (pittsburgh.metblogs.com)
National Waffle Day owes Troy inventor thanks (timesunion.com)
Waffle Shop Show, episode 6 (pittsburgh.metblogs.com)

Video of Big Dog Coffee

Lindsay — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:03:23 +0000

I posted a picture of the homemade ho hos I found on my first visit to Big Dog Coffee back in November.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out one of the newest and I think nicest coffee shops in town – check out this video interview with the owners of Big Dog Coffee from today’s PopCity Media.

Read some other reviews of Big Dog Coffee on Yelp and Urban Spoon.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZne1UEJikA[/youtube]

Iron Chef of Lattes at the Regional Barista Competition

Lindsay — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:24:21 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Pittsburgh has been getting very serious about coffee in the past couple of years. The coffee shops around the city are not only great places for coffee but have become hubs of different neighborhoods. Some of the local coffee shops have come together to form PACA – Pittbsurgh Area Coffee Association.The PACA website is PittsburghCoffee.org, which includes a map of local coffee shops and a listing of coffee blogs.This weekend Pittsburgh will host the Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Regional Barista Competition. This is kind of like the iron-chef of coffee making. Baristas from 11 different states will be competiting for fame and prizes. Check out some of the baristas from Tazzo D’oro who are experience competitors and bloggers. The competition is free to attend. They will be selling deserts to accompany the coffee – all proceeds benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Communty Food Bank.Friday, Satruday & Sunday, Feb. 6-8, 2009 11am-5pm daily (Complete Schedule here) @ Pittsburgh Marriot North in Cranberry More on the competition:

Espresso Throwdown Preview ‘09 @ 21st Street Coffee Blog
Post-Gazette Article on the competitions @ Tazzo D’Oro blog
check out their Super Bowl pictures here.
Are Your Ready for Some Espresso? @ Aldo Coffee Blog
Watch Ed Wethii from Kiva Han and Ken Zeff of Crazy Mocha talk to John Delano on KDKA here.
Follow the Barista Competition on Facebook here.

New Coffee Shop in Morningside

Maya — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:32:38 +0000

A friend and Morningside resident recently took me to the Morning Glory Coffeehouse on Chislett Street (1806 Chislett to be exact). I’m a simple drip coffee drinker with a spoon-standing test for strength and the Morning Glory passed with flying colors. Also, the apple turnover my friend purchased was delicious. The decor was bright and modern with lots of vintage accessories like flowered thermoses and cool milk carafes. While any coffeehouse that invites you to “throw a record on our turntable” garners immediate hipster cred, the staff is friendly and the bright colors of the vintage books and games keeps everything feeling fresh. Morning Glory also has free wireless and live music events.

Homemade Ho Hos at Big Dog Coffee

Lindsay — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:35:10 +0000

Homemade Ho Hos, originally uploaded by IheartPGH.

I was finishing lunch with Friend of IheartPGH who suggested that we check out the newest coffee shop on the south side. Big Dog Coffee is located on Sarah street near the South Side works. This place is beautiful – the counter is an old wooden antique, bright walls, comfortable seats (I am sitting in a rocking chair as I write this), there is a patio for outside seating when the weather is a bit warmer. The main room has a lovely fire place – if IheartPGH was a podcast I would be recording the sound of a crackling fire for you.

his place is really that cozy. The desert counter is beautiful and they have homemade ho hos. I think I had forgotten about ho hos, but the idea of a homemade one is amazing. Watch out cupcakes, there is a new tasty treat in town.

For more info on Big Dog Coffee…

I Love Me Some Good Lawerenceville Eats

Mandy — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:03:44 +0000

Lawrenceville, PA has everything I love about Pittsburgh right in a row. Cupcakes at Dozen, pizza at Piccolo Forno, vintage gems at the several thrift shops and great art in a collection of galleries. I lunched at a new eatery today, Coca Café and can safely say it is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Just a few doors down from Piccolo, Coca Café sits comfortably on the corner with a trendy red and blue paint job. The specials were written on the sign outside and my eye went directly to the pumpkin bisque, YUM! The eclectic chairs and tables made the shop just funky enough without trying too hard. I ordered the chicken and artichoke wrap, which was a great combination of warm and toasty yet light and fresh. Of course, I had to do a cappuccino and biscotti afterward. I couldn’t decide what kind to get, so I had our lovely server choose her favorite, which turned out to be vanilla apricot, YUM again! The music was just loud enough to get you groovin’ in your seat without inhibiting conversation. And something I love about local places; they accept local artwork that they display, which gives them an extra gold start in my book. Yet another Pittsburgh gem that dazzled me to the point of blogging, check them out online!

Learn Coffee at The Grind

Lindsay — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:10:33 +0000

I have this event marked on my calendar but I was grabbing some lunch yesterday at the Union Project and the flyer for this event really caught my eye. The printed version of this flyer is really beautiful as the printing is in gold metallic. Anyhow here is my list of reasons why you should attend this event, in no particular order:

learn about coffee from some of the best people in coffee in Pittsburgh – I really don’t know what the difference between a cappuccino and a latte is (yes – I have been pretending I know, but I really don’t) and I think it is about time I find out.
The people from Aldo Coffee are latte art experts and they have a great blog
La Prima Expresso is the most amazing coffee I have ever tasted – I wasn’t a coffee drinker until I discovered La Prima and I usually drive to the strip district on the weekends just to visit La Prima.
All proceeds benefit the Union Project
Snacks! I really like snacks
Who knew there was a Pittsburgh Area Coffee Association – PACA - they also have a website that links to more coffee place in Pittsburgh

You can be crowned Pittsburgh’s Donut Eating Champion

Lindsay — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:16:53 +0000

To celebrate the grand opening of Dunkin Donuts in Market Square, Dunkin Donuts will be holding a donut eating contest at this weeks Stay and Play Fridays.

While I think competitive eating is a little strange I am sure this will provide some great entertainment. Live music and outdoor fun. I saw the Boogie Hustlers a few years ago at Modern Formations. Good times.

You can be crowned Pittsburgh’s Donut Eating Champion and win awesome prizes!

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

TO REGISTER: All you have to do is send your name, nickname and e-mail address to: Elyse@trecommunications.com and you can participate.

Also this week don’t miss Comcast’s Dating on Demand and Career Networking with PNC Bank

5:00pm-6:30pm – Ten, A Pearl Jam Tribute Band
6:30pm-8:00pm – Boogie Hustlers
8:00pm-9:00pm – Cry Fire

One Pittsburgher’s Trash, Is Another Pittsburgher’s Treasure

Lindsay — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:23:36 +0000

It’s that time of year again… The Highland Park Community Yard Sale … the whole neighborhood puts their trash, I mean treasures outside for you to discover. I can’t seem to find a website for Highland Park, but the sale has been posted on Craigslist. Highland Park is filled with interesting people that have lots of interesting stuff to sell.

As part of the Community Yard Sale, The Union Project will be hosting a craft fair and serving food at their Cafe more info here. The author of this blog, Urban Saddle, found some great hats at the fair last year.

Check out the list of participating homes from 2006 – over 50 families were participating in the sale.

While you are there, take a break from shopping and grab some coffee from Tazza D’Oro, located on Highland right near the corner of Highland and Bryant. This coffee shop is one of the most community centric places you will visit. Check out their website for more info – the even have biking and walking groups. If you want to get a feel for the neighbors in the neighborhood this is a good place to stop.

I Made It! Mine ::: Feb. 9

imadeit — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:05:17 +0000

Pittsburgh’s only nomadic Indie Craft Market offers Sweet Presents for Valentine’s Day

Join us at the Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave. in Highland Park from 12 – 5 pm on February 9.

More than 50 local vendors offer unique handmade goodies for you and your sweetheart…. and don’t forget something for mommy.
www.myspace.com/imadeitpgh
www.unionproject.org