Category Archives: Food & Drink

“Duke of Ribs” at the Union Project

RIB COOK OFF!  Oh that is right, you read the heading correctly. As if I didn’t love the Union Project enough.

*”DUKE OF RIBS” COMPETITION AT THE UNION PROJECT*

COMPETE OR JUST COME AND ENJOY THE TASTES, SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF OUR FIRST ANNUAL RIB-OFF!!!

Where: Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave., corner of Stanton Ave.
When: Saturday, September 30th, 11am to 3pm

Big Prizes, Local Celebrity Judges, “World of Soul” and DJ Omar-Abdul!

How: Enter at unionproject.org, the Union Station Cafe

Tickets are $5 and available at the event. Enter by 9/20!

More Info:412-363-4550 x 26 or hilary@unionproject.org or www.unionproject.org

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Git Aht! – Things To Do This Weekend

(Things to do while deciding whether to get that ink done…)

Friday, September 15
Oktoberfest, 5:00 p.m. and all weekend, Penn Brewery
suck it trebekIf someone comes up to you and tries to make a joke along the lines of “This is the wurst thing you can do this weekend”, you have my permission to dope-slap them upside the head. Don’t worry about the consequences, no jury of like-minded citizens would ever convict you. As a matter of fact, they’d probably take an opportunity to dope-slap them themselves. All that aside, the Penn Is Mightier, and this event is a great time to drink a wonderfully-crafted beer within the happy confines of the North Shore Side. Food includes grilled wurst and chicken, strüdel, and hopefully that spaetzle stuff which goes with beer a treat. Music provided by Two German bands, Heimat Klang and Alpen Glow playing in the Fest Tent, and accordionists Steve Grkman and Frank Pusateri playing in the restaurant. It’s a polka party and everyone’s invited!

It’s a Dog’s Life, Photographs by William Wegman, 6:00 p.m., Silver Eye Center for Photography, Sahsside
silver_eyeWegman’s the guy that takes all the pictures of Weimaraners. This exhibition features 28 polaroids of dogs doing things like roller-skating, playing dress-up, and exercising on a bike.

All right, fine, it’s a little cutesy, but at least it’s not those babies in flower beds, and his photography is indeed fantastic, and who doesn’t like dogs. Refreshments will be served, members and students get in free, non-members pay 5 bucks.

Saturday, September 16
Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, 11:00 a.m., South Side Riverfront Park
Dragon Boat racing is a 2,400 year old competition and one of the earliest forms of boat racing. This friendly competition is meant to promote the Asian community here in Pittsburgh, which mean lots of music performances and great food from all over asia. They will have hot dogs “for the little ones” but let’s all remember that ketchup was originally an Asian sauce, so even that’s kinda ok. Bonus points if you show up dressed as Wong Fei Hung. The awesomely-named “Monolithic JJ” has more details here.

The Pittsburgh Sound, 9:00 p.m., Moxie Dada Gallery, Bloomfield
Billed as “Pittsburgh’s Premier Party Band For The 21st Century”, The Pittsburgh Sound is a 4-piece ensemble of Pittsburgh Jazz Veterans led by Hill Jordan. The set starts at 9, immediately after the closing reception of the previously mentioned Blind Date exhibit. It’ll cost you 10 bucks to get in, but that includes an open bar with beer and wine, and a soul food sampler buffet.

The New Yinzer Party!, 9:30 p.m., Brillobox, Upper Larryville
The New Yinzer is an online literary magazine centered on Pittsburgh. Probably because with that name, it couldn’t be centered on, say, Paris or Tokyo. Which makes sense. (If it was Tokyo, maybe it’d be called “The New Yakuza-er”.) The get-together is a launch party of sorts for the magazine, which recently re-opened it’s doors after a brief hiatus/revamping. The party will feature readings from authors and music, and special guests include Julie Sokolow and Harangue. Plus, it’s at Brillobox, which holds a dear place in my heart now because it was closed for a week earlier this summer so the staff could go fishing. At least, that’s what the sign in the window said when we rolled up one night, forcing us to go drink at Kelly’s. So ok, no blood, no foul.

Sunday, September 17
Genghis Con II, 11:00 a.m. (and all weekend, really), Green Tree Radisson
First alerted to this via The Dish, “The Wrath Of Con” features a film premier! Woot!, as the kids all say. Bikini Blood Bath actually stats at 5 on Saturday, but this gets the Sunday mention because, well, what could be better than hanging around with Fangoria-Heads on a Sunday afternoon right after church? And hey, Leslie Easterbrook will be there! Make sure you ask her about the guy in the Police Academy movies that makes all the funny sounds with his mouth! She’ll love it if you do that!

Spamalot, 1:00 and 6:30 p.m., Benedum Center
vertigoThe Tony Award winning musical opens this weekend at the Benedum Center. I tried to tell them to go away, that we already got one, but they persisted, so I proceeded to say that their mother was a hamster and their father smelt of elderberries. But even after all of that, they still wanted to stage it this weekend, so the production will apparently go off as scheduled.

Now go away before I taunt you a second time.

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Got an event planned? Would you like a whole flock of yinzers with disposable income to show up? Let Git Aht know by sending the electronic mail to gitaht@gmail.com.

Git Aht! – Things To Do This Weekend

(Things to do while deciding whether to ask Joey porter for advice on your love life…)

Friday, September 8
Phat Man Dee, 8:00 p.m. Quiet Storm Cafe
Phat man Dee brings the pianos (and lots of ’em, I’m told) to the Quiet Storm tonight, and gets help from friends Nicholas Megalis from Cleveland, OH and Ratty Scurvics with Stix duh Clown of New Orleans, LA. For those of you unfamiliar with Phat Man Dee, she’s a jazz artist capable of both belting like a valkyrie calling warriors to the great hall for the never-ending feast, and then crooning so sweetly that fallen angels think about switching teams back to the good side. Bonus points for Dee: she rode a pink elephant (ok, fine it was fabric, but still) to her wedding.

The Pittsburgh Irish Festival , 4:00 p.m. and all weekend, Chevrolet Amphitheatre, Station Square
Allow me to share with you a song we used to sing at family gatherings with Dear Old Dad… (The name up there is Patrick for a reason, y’know..)

*ahem*

Weeeeeeeee
Drinkandwefight
andwedrinkandwefight
andwedrinkandwefight
andwedrinkandwefight
(repeat4x)

Soulcialism, 10:00 p.m. White Eagle Club, Sahsside
Soulcialism - JuddyMonthly sweaty dance party courtesy of DJs Juddy and Soccer John. This is rapidly becoming a staple, so go… Important note: there’s no cover, the drinks are cheap, and if you make a small donation to a good charity you’ll walk out with a CD full of solid New Orleans Soul. Is that a good deal? You damn skippy it is.

Saturday, September 9
Rock The Block, 8:00 p.m., Bedford Square, Sahsside
Git Aht loves Australian girls. Git Aht loves Italian girls. Git Aht loves Polish girls. There’s a pattern here, and I could go on for days, but alas we haven’t the time. (ED NOTE: Thank god!) Suffice to say he also loves the Brazilian Girls, and WYEP is bringing their brand of electro-dub-pop-punk-dance-with-lyrics-in-five-languages to the Rock The Block festivites. Food will be provided by a whole rash of local restaurants including personal favorite Harris Grill. Now, I’m only gonna say this following thing once, because if I dwell on it, I’ll get all over-excited and need to think about baseball or Martha Stewart… Open Bar with the price of admission.

Aerosmith with Motley Crue, 7:30 p.m., Post Gazette Pavilion
I haven’t seen the video, but I heard that Tommy Lee trips sometimes when he gets out of the shower. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin‘. Anyway, summer concert season is winding down, and the weather looks to be good this weekend (for the most part), so go out and enjoy open-air music thrown at you forcefully by two absolute legends of rock. And if you get a little misty when they play “Home, Sweet Home” that’s ok. Let it out, I understand. I get the same way when they play “Girls, Girls, Girls.”

Sunday, September 10
Zany Umbrella Circus, 12, 2, and 4:00 p.m, Mellon Park
This is a good chance to catch the Zanies if you missed them up at the Schenley Plaza earlier this Summer. It’s part of the larger “A Fair In The Park” crafts festival presented by the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh which is going on all weekend and features booths and live demonstrations.

Vertigo, 8:00 p.m., Regent Square Theater
vertigoIndiana PA’s own Jimmy Stewart in the classic Hitchcock flick about a detective afraid of heights.

Okay, fine, it’s a bit more than that, but come on… You know it’s good, it’s Hitchcock, it’s Stewart, it’s the absolutely beautiful Kim Novak. And it’s filled with sexual tension. Everybody love ssexual tension, don’t they? Isn’t that why Moonlighting was so popular back in the 80s?

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Got an event planned? Would you like a whole flock of yinzers with disposable income to show up? Let Git Aht know by sending the electronic mail to gitaht@gmail.com.

Git Aht! – Things To Do This Weekend

(Things to do while figuring out what the hell happened to Summer…)

Friday, September 1
Happy Hour: Drinking For A Cause, 5:00 p.m. Maragarita Mamas, Station Square
The CFF people keep doing it right because they know how to connect with my giving instincts and get me to take money out of my pocket and give it to them. That is, they continue to host events where people do what they’re gonna do anyway (i.e., have a drink on a weekend) and then get us to pony up cash for the privilege. I know, it’s all broken-record how they keep popping up here, but seriously, they’re all over town hosting these things, and I dig it. This week, go to Margarita Mamas for an after work cocktail, donate 5 bucks at the door and enjoy well drinks for a buck, Miller Lites for two, and Smirnoff Martinis for three. Just not all at the same time, and remember to pace yourself – this is a Happy Hour, and the night is still young at this point.

Birds, Bees, Flowers and Trees, 7:00 p.m., 5151 Penn Gallery, Garfield/Friendship
The new multi-purpose gallery and performance space opens with artists Kim Fox and Linnea Glick presenting their visions of nature in the abstract. Git Aht favorite platter pusher Justin Hopper (Juddy of Soulcialism fame) provides the music. Food and beverages will be scattered tastefully around the place just waiting for you to artfully consume them.

Labor Day Party, 9:00 p.m. Shadow Lounge, Shadyside
Lindsay loves the Shadow Lounge, and you should too. Why? Because Lindsay loves it. Anybody who disagrees with that statement is itchin’ fer a fight. Sure, there are many other reasons to love the Shadow Lounge, chief among them the fantastic Labor Day Party they’re throwing tonight which Git Aht hopes to get to, but really, none are more important than Lindsay’s undying love, which is so pure and pristine and sincere it makes me feel bad that I haven’t lived a better life as I bask in it’s reflected glow. Again, if you’ve got a problem with that, I will fight you. That’s no lie. Dress is “Cocktail Attire” which means, y’know, put on your dressy Big Ben jersey, I think.

Saturday, September 2
Quiet Riot, 4:00 p.m., Rhythm House Cafe, Bridgeville
No, really, I’m serious. You will cum on and feel the noize. Metal Health will drive you mad. Mama, mama, weer all crazee now. Local rockers Turn are one of the openers, and their myspace page (All the cool kids have one) has “HULK SMASH CRAPPY BANDS” as their headline, so they’re all right in my book.

Scott Blasey, 7:00 p.m., Club Cafe, Sahsside
Scott sings for a little Pittsburgh band called the Clarks. They were somewhat popular, and by somewhat popluar I mean played Letterman, so, y’know, there’s that. He’s a particularly gifted writer, and this show is just him, just playing, and should be worth checking out. There’s a second show later, too, if the early one doesn’t work out for you.

Sunday, September 3
2006 Gatorade/Steelers 5K, 9:30 a.m, Heinz Field
Go run around Heinz Field on a Sunday morning. No, not on the field, around it, on the outside. It’s a pretty level course, and hopefully the sun will be shining. It’s always good to get out and breathe in the fresh air of the North Shore Side.

Marx Brothers Double Feature, 8:00 p.m., Regent Square Theater
The Marx Brothers at the absolute top of their game in both of these films. One of the reasons I heart Pittsburgh Filmmakers is because they’ll drop these fantastic older movies into the schedule, and allow you to go see them with a bunch of like-minded folks who also appreciate them in the same way you do. I mean, yeah, you can watch them at home, but going to see them with a room full of lunatics such as yourself is priceless.

Sure, I’m a Marxist. I also dig Lennon, for that matter.

Monday, September 4
Sleep in. Watch a parade. Go to a cookout. Relax for a change.

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Got an event planned? Would you like a whole flock of yinzers like us with disposable income to show up? Let Git Aht know by sending the electronic mail to gitaht@gmail.com.

Git Aht! – Things To Do This Weekend

(Things to do while figuring out how the hell we only ended up in 8th place…)

Friday, August 25
Wine Tasting, 5:30 p.m., The Warhol, North Shore Side
12 bucks gets you samples of four wines, some food provided by Big Burrito and admission to the museum, ’cause there ain’t nothin’ more fun that gettin’ toasted and hanging out in the balloon room, right? “Dude! There are so many of me right now! I’m floating! I’m floating!” Bonus points if you show up dressed like Nico.

Exposure: Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. Club Havana, Shadyside
The monthly photography show put together by a talented bunch of flickr-affiliated photographers that features a local artist. This month, the show features Chuck Schneider, whose work can make the ordinary extraordinary, and whose eye can find an abstract in the middle of an otherwise everyday scene featuring manhole covers. This gig also features photographers drinking and good house music provided by DJs Walter, Angeles Bailey and Disco Dan.

Tamburitzans, 8:00 p.m. South Park
One of the things that makes Pittsburgh Pittsburgh. Go see the local Institution for FREE at the South Park amphitheater as they close out their Summer season. I actually tried out for the Tammies a long time ago, but after I finished my audition piece, which consisted of the Pop And Lock, The Running Man, The Cabbage Patch and The Worm, I received a polite, “Thank you, we’ll call” fom the musical director. Turns out that wasn’t what they were really looking for. Ah well.

Saturday, August 26
Jam On Walnut, 7:00 p.m., Walnut Street, Shadyside
The monthly benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis foundation winds up the summer with $2-cover-charge-Drinking For A Causeâ„¢, eventual staggering around on the Double Yellow Line, and music from Joe Grushecky and Sho ‘Nuff. You’ll probably end up hitting that pizza shop down on Ivy around 2ish, so make sure to skip dessert earlier and save room for a slice.

Run Around The Square, 8:15 a.m., Frick Park
Go then, be healthy, work off the booze from the night before. Seriously, a friend of mine ran this thing last year after staying out until 2, got up and ran it in a decent time. He says it was all the carbs from the night before, I say he was still drunk and therefore didn’t feel the pain in his knees. There’s a shorter “Fun Run” before the main event at 9 a.m. They’ll have musicians and “themed water-stops” whatever the hell that means, sprinkled throughout the course, which seems cool. Go enjoy Frick Park as the Summer wanes.

Super Computer Donation Bowl, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Heinz Field
Donate your computer in a way that’s good for the environment and the community. I mentioned this before, but I’m mentioning it again ’cause it’s a good cause. Plus, Charlie Batch is gonna be there! Chuck’s the man! How often do you get to meet a Super Bowl winner? Unless, of course, you’re an EMT working the day shift on Second Avenue by the Armstrong Tunnel. (See, he’s fine so we can make the jokes! Kids! Wear a helmet!)

Sunday, August 27
Rent, 1 and 6:30 p.m., Benedum Center
The Tony Award-winning musical makes a stop on it’s road tour at the Benedum as part of the PNC Broadway Across America series. They use a lot of exclamation points on the web page to describe it, so I’m wondering if they’re maybe trying too hard. I haven’t liked a musical since Sondheim’s “Sunday In The Park” so I’m probably not the best authority on this, but a lot of people like it so there must be something to it. I dunno, maybe I’m a bit cynical and bitter and in a bad mood because the Flagstaff movie tonight is…

Flick: Hoodwinked, Duskish, Flagstaff Hill
The animated re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood story as voiced by Glenn Close, Jim Belushi, and Andy Dick. I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence. I feel all… unclean, if you will. Umm… it’s free? Yeah… Free.

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Got an event planned? Would you like a whole flock of yinzers like us with disposable income to show up? Let Git Aht know by sending the electronic mail to gitaht@gmail.com.