Calling all zip car drivers and zip car wanna be drivers.  The folks from Zip Cary have organized a little zippity happy hour of sorts.

What is ZipCar?

ZipCar is a car sharing company.  You sign up and become a member, they send you a membership card with a microchip.  There are ZipCars in designated ZipCar parking spots around Pittsburgh.  When you want to use a car – you visit ZipCar.com and reserve the car you would like – the website lets you see which cars are available.  Then you walk to the car and hold your membership card over the windshield.  The doors unlock and the keys are in the car.  You pay an hourly rate that is about $10 an hour (more or less depending on which car you drive). The hourly rate includes gas and insurance.

Another great feature of ZipCar is that your membership works in any ZipCar city – when I was in Los Angeles last year I was able to use the ZipCars there just by reserving them online.

Thinking of signing up for ZipCar? Use this link and you will get $50 in  Free Driving. Join Zipcar and get $50 in free driving!

ZipCar Party
Friday, February 26, 2010 5-7pm
Easy Street Saloon, One Oxford Center

We’ll still be providing two complimentary drinks and plenty of apps for every Zipster who makes it out. And we’ll also have our prize wheel on hand, so you can spin for driving credit or Zipcar gear.

If your friend or friends can make it next week, bring ‘em by. If they sign up for Zipcar, we’ll give you both $75 in driving credit once they’re approved*.

Send a note to rsvppitt@zipcar.com to let us know if you’re planning to make it out on February 26 and tell us how many soon-to-be Zipsters you’re bringing so we can be sure to order enough food.

Read more about ZipCar:

• A Car When You Want It (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
• Car Sharing Program A Success, but Plans to Expand are Tentative (laist.com)
• Zipcar iPhone App Makes Car-Sharing Even Better (as Long as You Don’t Abuse Remote Honking) (treehugger.com)
• Zipcar Launches iPhone App With Magical Car Unlocking Powers [Zipcar] (consumerist.com)
• Zipcar Halts Rentals Of Recalled Toyotas (TM) (benzinga.com)

Due to the snow – the East Liberty Farmers’ market – which is usually open Saturday mornings – will be open on Sunday so that the meats and produce don’t go to waste.  New to the Farmers’ Market is the Kew Park Coffee Bar – read more about it in the East Liberty Post.  Also check out some of the great photos that Subu, inc took of their visit to the Farmers’ Market last month.

From one of the organizers:

The parking lot is plowed and the streets are now accessible. We decided to open up on Sunday so the meat and produce don’t spoil. Please try to stop by to support the farmers- and you can avoid fighting the crowds at the grocery stores. We will have coffee, hot chocolate and fresh squeezed juice at the Kew Park Coffee stand.

Farmers’ Market in January? Yep – The East Liberty Farmers’ Market is indoors and has been since the 1940s.

Farmers’ Market Cooperative of East Liberty
344 N. Sheridan Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (Across the street from Home Depot)

• Carnegie Museum of Natural History – Whales Tohorā – A whale of an exhibit about whales will be at the museum until May 2, 2010.
  • Tuesday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. , Thursday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday: 12 p.m.–5 p.m. – The Museum will be open on Monday, January 18 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Carnegie Science Center – Highmark  Sportsworks has reopened
  • Sunday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday- 10 am – 7 pm
• Senator John Heinz History Center – Pittsburgh a Tradition of Innovation – a look at things that were created here in Pittsburgh including the Mr. Yuk sticker and the Big Mac.
  • Open 7 days a week 10am – 5pm

Check out this video from this History Center to learn more about Pittsburgh’s Tradition of Innovation

Just a short one hour drive from Pittsburgh and you can be in Somerset, PA for the 15th Annual Fire & Ice Festival – a weekend filled with family festivities, wood carving, tasty treats and ice carving demonstrations too.  Check out the shedule here.

Fire and Ice Festival, Somerset, PA
January 15-17, 2009

The Three Rivers Beer Club is holding their next tasting on Thursday, January 14, 2010 – this month’s theme – Black and Gold.

Next Tasting: Black N’ Gold

January 14th, 6-8 pm

The Steelers didn’t make the playoffs, but you can still get your Black N’ Gold fix with this beer lineup. From Victory’s cutting edge Black IPA to Voodoo’s easy drinking Witbier, everyone can find something to cheer about.

The tasting includes beer samples, gourmet appetizers prepared by Chef Shawn, and a presentation on the selected beers. Join us at the Allegheny HYP club on January 14th from 6pm to 8 pm. The cost to attend is $15 per person. Please RSVP for the event here.

You must be 21 or older to attend. The TRBC encourages all attendees to drink responsibly.

BEERS:

• Victory Yakima Twilight
• Brewdog RipTide Stout
• Voodoo Pilzilla
• Voodoo White Magik of the Sun

The Pittsburgh City Paper’s 2009 reader’s poll named Quiet Storm the best vegetarian restaurant in their 2009 Best of the Burgh issue. Coming in second was South Side’s Zenith and third, Hoi Polloi on the North Side.

This past Sunday, I visited the Quiet Storm for brunch to see what the fuss was all about. I ordered the frittata, a generous square of eggs, spinach, tomatoes, onions and cheese in a potato crust served steaming hot with sun-dried tomato toast and a salad with dressing that was to die for. My dining partner ordered the apricot stuffed french toast which came with fakin’ bacon, fresh fruit and potatoes. Brunch entrees are $11 and come with coffee, soda, tea or juice. We were impressed by the great quality of the food and the friendly and attentive service on a blustery winter day when everything else felt miserable.

The Quiet Storm also offers wheat-free options and they are open to suggestions for future menu items.

A few people on the Never Tell Me The Odds board recommended some city favorites with many of vegetarian options: Spak Brothers, Sree’s, Pusadee’s Garden, Big Burrito restaurants, Over The Bar, Double Wide Grill, Green Mango, Tram’s, Aladdin’s, Abay, Paris 66, J’eet, Istanbul Grill and several others.

I found Spak Brother’s owner Ryan Spak on the board and he said: “We keep it local when possible and use a lot of organic ingredients. We offer carne, vegetarian, and vegan food so we get a lot of orders from offices where some of the people are veggies.”

I interviewed a few local vegetarians to get their take on the variety, quality and convenience of vegetarian options in Pittsburgh restaurants.

Val Head shared her favorite dishes from local restaurants:

Quiet Storm: Best tofu scramble ever. I’m partial to the country breakfast burrito with tofu scramble and the ginger lemonade (not at the same time, though).

Mad Mex (Multiple locations): So many options here. I usually get a spicy Mad Mex burrito with mushrooms or the hummus wrap.

The Greek Gourmet (Squirrel Hill): They really do have the best hummus in town.

Aladdin’s (Multiple locations): The veggie chili or the falafel are my usual choices.

Over The Bar cafe (South Side): Beer and Setain wings!

China Palace (Shadyside): Chinese with good faux meat options. I usually go for the hunan stir fried soy protein.

Thai Cusine (Bloomfield): Decent thai and home of the inexplicable veggie chicken ham. I usually get the spicy basil noodles.

People’s Indian (Bloomfield): Best Indian I’ve had in PGH. I usually get some kind of curry veggie dish, veggie pakora and some yummy naan bread.

Yo Rita (South Side): They change their menu and specials frequently, but there’s always at least a couple of vegetarian tacos to choose from and their soup is usually vegetarian too.

Kiku (South Side, Station Square): I usually get a couple of vegetable rolls and pieces. They have a pretty good list to choose from.

Val finds it easy to be a vegetarian in Pittsburgh, she noted that most restaurants seem pretty informed and open to vegetarian options.

A lot of the time waiters/waitresses will even mention non-vegetarian ingredients in a dish before I get a chance to ask (like fish flakes in the miso soup or fish sauce in the pad thai).  On any given day you have multiple options for vegetarian “wings” and beer or a vegan cupcake if either are your style. I’d say that’s pretty good.

Terra McBride likes to keep it local in the South Side.

My husband and I often find ourselves wanting to stay close to home so tops on my list is Zenith. I can’t really choose a favorite item since their menu changes weekly, but their Sunday brunch is simply divine. For $10, you get an entree and unlimited trips to the buffet which always has a myriad of side dishes and sweet breads. Everything is vegetarian and everything is unbelievably good. The funky atmosphere and communal seating only adds to the super hip vibe.

Terra also digs the Double Wide Grill where her favorites include vegetarian burgers, honey garlic wings and Caribbean coconut tofu. After spending New Year’s Eve at Mantini’s, Terra noted that they always have a great vegetarian special.

Kelly Miser recently moved to Pittsburgh from a small Midwest town and has loved exploring the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh. A lover of Thai food, she frequents the Green Mango in Regent Square, Thai Place II in Shadyside, Lemongrass Cafe downtown and the Silk Elephant in Squirrel Hill. She also gave props to the Square Cafe in Regent Square and the Taj Mahal in the North Hills for great vegetarian options. She also loves Giant Eagle’s vegetable sushi for a quick meal option.

Emily Levenson, the Reluctant Vegetarian, decided to join her husband in a vegetarian lifestyle after overcoming some health issues. I asked her about the challenges she has faced and her thoughts on being a vegetarian in Pittsburgh.

I think the biggest challenges of being a vegetarian are self-created. And yes, we could have more vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants in Pittsburgh, but I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone in this city that decided not to be a vegetarian because there weren’t any options. Vegetarianism is a choice, just like any other eating style or diet. A lot of people complain that vegetarian or vegan food is bland, which has never been the case for us. In fact, we eat better now than when we were meat-eaters! We have tried so many new foods and new flavors that eating is a truly enjoyable (and fun) experience.

I’m glad I took on this little research project, it seems like it’s pretty easy to have a vegetarian lifestyle in Pittsburgh. Most restaurants are open to the needs of people on restricted diets, providing them several options rather than just one or two.

Photos by Robjdlc via Flickr

Hootenanny: a thingamajig

I started out with a lot of clever openings to this post … and then I decided to look up the exact definition of ‘hootenanny.’  The first definition is exactly what you envision, (n.) “a social gathering or informal concert featuring folk singing and, sometimes, dancing.”  However, an older use of the word hootenanny is in fact a ‘thingumbob.’  If I was going to a thingumbob on Thursday night I figured I should find out what it was.  And there it was… the definition of thingamabob, according to Dictionary.com was thingamajig!  All confusion cleared up, I emailed a couple of friends to see if they wanted to attend a thingamajig on Thursday night where members of some of the best local bands would be performing holiday music at the Pittsburgh Opera (2425 Liberty Ave.) as Silver & Gold.  The event starts at 6:30PM – music at 7PM – tickets are $5 suggested donation along with a canned good for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and, sometimes, dancing.  I’ll see you at the thingamajig on Thursday.

The Goodie Truck? Yes Virginia, there is a mobile sweet shop in Pittsburgh that brings tasty treats and sweets to the streets of town! We first spotted this mobile sugar heaven  on Valentine’s day (a perfect day to find some a new thing to love about Pittsburgh <3 <3 <3).

Pittsburgh’s mobile sweet shop needs a few repairs – so the Goodie Truck folks are throwing a holiday celebration. Pittsburgh City Paper readers just named The Goodie Truck Best transient purveyor of pastries in their 2009 reader poll.

To celebrate the holiday join them for a sweet celebration this Saturday night in one of Pittsburgh less visited neighborhoods – The Run (aka the part of Greenfield that his kid of hidden).

Saturday, December 12, 2009
9pm-1am
300 Saline Street (Across from Big Jims in the Run)
$10 at the door

How do I know when the Goodie Truck is coming my way?

Follow The Goodie Truck on Twitter @TheGoodieTruck or be a fan of The Goodie Truck on Facebook to find out where they are heading next.  I think you can also invite them to drive by your event too.

****I am including this map – but if you have never been there – the only way to get to the run is from 2nd Ave.

• Friday 12/11/2009
  • 7pm – Annie Hall
    • Have a glass of wine on the Hollywood on Friday (12/11) prior to the screening of the quintessential Woody Allen film, Annie Hall at 7 PM.
  • Midnight – Shock Treatment
    • The 1981 musical is a follow up to the Rocky Horror Picture Show and follows the characters of Brad and Janet from Rocky as they find themselves trapped in the town of Denton, which has become and enormous television station! Watch as their lives are manipulated by the whims of programmers, script writers and viewing audiences.
• Saturday 12/12/2009
  • 11 am – Breakfast with Santa and Cartoon Capers
    • Admission is $10 for Breakfast with Santa and Cartoon Capers, plus a chance for kids of all ages to give the big man their holiday requests!
  • 2pm & 7pm – Stooge Fest
    • trailers from the original Three Stooges movies, followed by original shorts and Three Stooges cartoons. It will end with a short featuring everyone’s favorite, Curley. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for kids and seniors.
  • Midnight – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
    • Join the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players as they “shadow” the action onscreen for an exciting entertainment event! Rocky is shown at the Hollywood every other Saturday night at midnight.
• Sunday 12/13/2009
  • 2pm – Polar Express
    • This charming computer-animated feature film follows a young boy whose search for the true meaning of Christmas takes him on a magical journey to the North Pole.
  • 7pm – It’s a Wonderful Life
    • The film has been broadcast for many years on television but the Hollywood brings it to the big screen for a truly joyous holiday experience.

All day, every Monday, movie tickets to just about any film is $5. This includes new releases, so make sure you buy your tickets early to ensure your showing doesn’t sell out. Some restrictions apply, for instance, Sony Pictures films are not eligible for Bargain Monday pricing for the first 14 days of the release.

If you’re hungry after the show and you’d like to stick with the theme of Bargain Monday, stroll on down to Fatheads (1805 E. Carson St.) for wing night. Wings are 20 cents and you can get as many as you want, and feel free to mix and match flavors. Wing night specials are also available on Wednesday. Seasonal beers including Troeg’s Mad Elf and Great Lakes Christmas Ale are on tap at Fatheads right now.

If you’re on the other side of the river, the AMC Loews Waterfront Theatre offers $5.00 showings all day, Monday through Thursday.

All this talk of movies making you hungry for popcorn? Make sure you print out your Popalot Card from Pittsburgh Popcorn Company for a free small bag of heavenly goodness after purchasing 9 bags of any size. Each week, both Pittsburgh Popcorn Company locations feature different flavors. One is usually seasonal and the other is a bit more non-traditional. Through December 3, 2009, the Strip District (209 21st St) store is featuring Gingerbread Cookie Corn and Spicy Southwest Cheddar. Through December 1, 2009, at the downtown (822 Liberty Ave) store, you can pick up Pumpkin Spice or Dill Pickle. If you feel like sharing the popcorn love, they ship nationwide!

Photo by Jennie Roth.