Author Archives: Natalia

Thank you, dear readers.

To all who found us through today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

We at I heart PGH are happy that we can provide Pittsburghers with important information about events such as bacon night. This is just the tip of the iceburgh. For example, if bacon bracelets or even chocolate-covered bacon would make it to Pittsburgh, we’d be there. With reporter’s notebooks and digital cameras and a smile on our naseous faces.

Why?

Because we always go the extra mile to heart PGH. The bacon, the dogz, the beer, the cut. Any shape, any event, any form … we write to serve you, our beloved community.

We will strive to provide such important updates to Pittsburghers in the future. As always, thank you for clicking!

TGIB – Bacon Night!

When I first heard about this, I almost fell out of my chair. Could this be real? Is this just a figment of a pig-fat lover’s wild imagination? But no. It’s true! Bacon addicts, have we got something for you:

Tuesday night is bacon night at the Harris Grill.

(The Harris Grill is located at 5747 Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside.)

bacon bacon bacon !!!

The free bacon at the bar starts at 7:30pm (after happy hour) until the pigs come home.

Wow – has anyone ever been? How is the bacon served? I must check this out.

MapHub and (seriously) GIS Day!

Well, this is going to be a 2 for 1 post:

MapHub.org is an interactive mapping website sponsored by CMU and a number of city organizations. Hubs are interactive groups of objects and users illustrated on maps. Users can add sounds, text, video and images can be added to any public map hubs.

For example, I registered with the site and started a Hub called Karaoke Pittsburgh. If you dig Karaoke, please register for the site, and add more spots … we can make a definite map of Karaoke sites in the ‘burgh. Rock!

You can use other Public Hubs to find free wi-fi spots, bike info, real estate listings, and audio snippets from Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

AND THERE’S MORE.

MapHub is offering free public workshops at the Carnegie Science Center as part of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Day. GIS is a mapping software that organizations from private companies to police departments use to spatially show information and data. (As a map nerd, I can’t even handle the fact that we have GIS Day in Pittsburgh. Yes!)

At 10:30am and 2:30pm on Wednesday and Friday, November 16th and 18th and 12:00pm on Saturday, November 19th, representatives from the project will give one-hour workshops on using MapHub.org in the classroom. These workshops will be at the Carnegie Science Center on the North Side.

For more information, contact: Continue reading →

Pierogi Madness

Compact, tasty, and filling, pierogies are perfect food for a Polish girl on the go. That’s why they’re my FAVORITE! While I prefer making them at home, I do occasionally have to buy them.

For out-of-towners who have stumbled upon this page:

pie·ro·gi also pi·ro·gi n. : A semicircular dumpling with any of various fillings, such as finely chopped meat or vegetables, that is often sautéed after being boiled.

There are a couple of places I like to buy them in bulk in the ‘burgh:

First up is Pierogies Plus owned by Helen Mannarino, located in a former gas station in McKees Rocks, and staffed by the sweetest Ukrainian and Polish ladies and gents. Second up is Clara’s Pierogies, which is owned by Kathy Davis (daughter of Clara!) The business started out as a catering company and is now located in the South Hills on Route 51.

Both Pierogies Plus and Clara’s have similar menus, offering some crazy fillings like apricot and jalapeno, while staying close to traditional favorites the kraut, potato, and cheese. They also offer kielbasa, potato pancakes, and other fixin’s.

Helpful hints: you can print out coupons from both websites. And and now you can order from Pierogies Plus online! And DEAR GOD, Helen can even show you how to Make Your Own Pierogies on DVD. (Best PGH-esque stocking stuffer EVER Award.) Someone please take away my credit card.

Any other places to stock up on pierogi? Let us know.

Homemade Caribbean Food

If you are looking for some homemade jerk chicken, shrimp curry, and oxtail stew, look no further than Irieites Afro-Caribbean Restaurant on Brownsville Road in Mt. Oliver. Last week, the IheartPGH team feasted on some of the delicacies above, as well as some greens and rice’n’beans, and it was deeeelicious.

It’s a short drive or bus ride from the South Side – to get there, follow 18th Street up past the Slopes. Eighteenth turns into Brownsville Road. We couldn’t find an address, but it’s around the 100 or 200 block of Brownsville, located across the street from the Mt. Oliver Post Office. The phone number is 412 431 5027 in case you get lost.

The decor will make you smile (think plastic doilies and random framed photos of cape cod), and the food is cheap and sure to fill your belly.