My Weekend In Snowshoe

This past weekend Erica and I spent the weekend on Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. It was a fun little trip that we were both looking forward to. Neither one of us really knew where Snowshoe was until after we began planning the trip. It was a little farther away than we both thought it was, but we both prepared for the 4 hour drive and knew a fun weekend away would be worth the time in the car. The drive was pretty rough though, snowy conditions made the curvy mountain roads even harder to navigate. Some of these roads had no lines painted anywhere on them, and no light of any kind, so it was very hard for us to see where the road was going sometimes. It took us a little longer than expected because we had to slow down quite a bit to follow some of the roads, but we found the Mountain Crest Villas relatively easily and entered our home for the weekend.

We got there pretty late Friday night, so after unpacking we just watched some television and then went to sleep. Saturday morning we woke up, had some cereal and just relaxed around the room for awhile. We watched television and basically vegged out for the morning. Our first plan for the day was to go tubing which was at a location a little lower on the mountain than we were staying. We drove down to the tubing area and found out that we actually timed it well because we only had a few minutes until the first tubing session of the day began. Sadly neither one of us thought to bring a camera with us to this part of the trip so we couldn't take any pictures of our tubing fun times. While tubing there were of course some very rude kids who just didn't understand how waiting in line works. They would just squeeze past people and get themselves as close to the front as they could, and of course there were no parents around to tell them that that isn't appropriate behavior. Another rude happening was while we were on the top of the hill waiting in line to go down the hill one West Virginia hick gets off to tow lift and yells for his friend at the front of the line to wait for a second. His adult friend waits and this young yokel proceeds to walk up and go down the hill cutting Erica and I and the other people who appropriately waited in line. His friend gladly lets him do this, then proceeds to wait until he is done and goes down the hill like nothing was wrong with this behavior. Even with this rude behavior we still had a fun time tubing down the hill repeatedly (on a side note, every time we raced I WON).
After tubing we decided to catch a bus and head to the top of the mountain and check out The Village, which is the majority of the resort. Everyone who we spoke to who had been there before told us the pizza shop had amazing pizza, so that is where we decided to go for lunch. The pizza certainly did not disappoint, it was very delicious. The price was exactly what you would expect for this type of location, but the pizza was much better than I expected. The location is right at the top of the mountain right off the lift, so of course it was full of people taking a lunch break from the slopes, and they were all certainly satisfied.

With our bellies stuffed with delicious pizza we decided next to explore The Village and see what we could do later that day. We walked around and found the other restaurants so we could know where we wanted to eat dinner, and we went to all the different shops to see what they had for sale. There was a lot of cool stuff there, and if we had more money we definitely would have done a lot more. After our exploration of the mountain we went back to our room. Once there we kicked back for some more relaxing. We watched some more television, then showered and got ready to head back up the mountain. We took a bus back up to The Village and went to Foxfire Grille for dinner. With so many people staying in the general area of course there was a wait for a table, but we used our waiting time to head down to the souvenir store and buy a few things. After our trip to the store there wasn't much more time to wait for our table. We ordered some fried pickles as an appetizer and they were crispy and delicious. Erica had a shredded BBQ chicken sandwich which she loved and I had a taste too and it was fantastic. I had a a burger with pulled pork and bacon on it. This was a fantastic selection. I absolutely loved the burger! I had a local micro-brew pale ale to wash it all down which was also awesome. The fries weren't that great, but everything else was good enough that I didn't really eat all my fries anyways. Possibly the best part of the restaurant was the 5 bottles of BBQ sauce they kept on the table to enjoy. They had some very different sauces to choose from, which added some flare to the food.

We were both feeling tired so after dinner we got back on the bus and went back to our room. We chilled on the couch watching television. Mostly we watched Pit Boss which seemed to be having a mini marathon. While watching Erica noticed some movement outside and when we went out we saw there were about 6 deer hanging out behind our building. We brought some bread because we were told to bring something to feed the deer. They walked up pretty close to eat the bread we had scattered outside our back deck. It was really cool to see them up so close, they were too frightened to eat the bread I was holding out in my hand, but they came a lot closer than any other deer I've ever seen.

The next morning we basically just took our time packing up and getting ready to leave, some more deer came back, but we had already given all our bread away so we had nothing to feed them. We loaded up the car and went back up the mountain one last time. We went past the village to one part of the resort a little higher up than the rest. Before our trip we found out that there was a bar there named Hoot's and since that is Erica's nickname we knew we had to check it out while we were there. So we went up the mountain and found Hoot's. We were a little disappointed with the food there, it was basic bar food. We were hoping they would have shirts or something for sale so Erica could get one, but they did not. Well after Hoot's we got in the car and began our drive back. It was much easier with the sun out and no snow. Being able to see the road ahead makes it a whole lot easier to drive on. I did the entire drive there and back, and for those of you who know me and my driving history that is a huge deal.
Overall it was a very fun weekend, with plenty of relaxing down time. I wish we could go back when we both have some more money and more time, it was a lot of fun and I recommend Snowshoe Mountain to anyone who enjoys Winter fun.

Restaurants I Like and Dislike

Last night, like many other Monday nights, Erica and I went out for a weekly special meal. Almost every Monday Erica and I go out for burritos at Moe's Southwest Grill. For those of you unfamiliar with Moe's here is a video explaining all about Moe's (I don't know why it looks like it's from a 1994 corporate training seminar).

We go to the Moe's on Campbell's Run Road in Robinson. Monday nights, also known as Moe's Mondays, there is a special deal for ANY burrito, chips, and a drink for less than 6 bucks!! I typically get a burrito stuffed with so many additions the burrito builders have a hard time rolling it shut. We also normally get a cup of the queso dip on the side as it is a perfect addition to go with the freshly made chips. The burritos are quite big and very filling so it is a lot of bang for your buck. The staff is always very friendly, I smile every time I walk in and hear them all shout "Welcome to Moe's!" Which I'm sure gets really annoying to them, but they always seem happy to shout it. They always seem to be in good moods and chat with us as they create our burritos. While checking out last night, the guy working the register said I lose brownie points for having Erica pay for my meal on Valentines Day. I told him that was her V-day treat for me, a delicious burrito meal, which is much better than a crowded fancy restaurant on Valentine's Day.
I highly recommend checking out Moe's it definitely falls into the "Restaurants I Like" category. The burritos are great and the prices are good too. The staff is excellent. I have never had any problems with the food I've ordered since you get to watch them build it right in front of you, and you choose everything that goes in. If your hungry on a Monday night maybe give me a call and we can go enjoy some Moe's Monday burritos together!

Moe's Southwest grill is not to be confused with Flaming Moe's...

Restaurants I Like and Dislike

I've reviewed three restaurants already and a few people have said to me "Dave you like every restaurant you review!" While I did say I disliked the Noblestown Road Wendy's I did like Wendy's as a whole so there has been a "Like" in every review thus far. So this week I decided I will write about a restaurant I dislike. It took me awhile to figure out what I would write about, I actually didn't figure it out until I started typing this paragraph. However, one restaurant did come to me and today I will be writing about why I dislike... (you can bang your hands on your desk/table/lap here if you wish to make a drum roll)...

RUBY TUESDAY!

Ruby Tuesday is not just an excellent song by The Rolling Stones (pictured right), it is also a restaurant that specializes in burgers, much like Max and Erma's and Red Robin. Now I've only been to Ruby Tuesday on a few occasions, but what I've witnessed there has made me dislike this restaurant. Jim and I even gave the restaurant a nickname "Racist Tuesday." This nickname pretty much explains why I dislike the restaurant; the service there was racist. Now I don't mean a waitress came up to us and said, "What can I get for you cracka's?" Although I may not have been completely surprised if that's how it happened.

James and I visited Ruby Tuesday on a few occasions whilst we lived in Washington D.C. for our semester at American University. When we visited we had both good and bad experiences, and also noticed other patrons of the restaurant having good and bad experiences. After a couple visits we realized a connection between the good experiences and the bad experiences both that we had, and we witnessed others having. The service seemed only to be good when your waiter/waitress had the same skin color as you. When James and I (both being white) had a white waitress the service was good. When we had a black waitress the service was terrible (pictured left is a dissatisfied hungry customer, that I found on Google images, who apparently was not the same race as his server). Now before you start thinking "well Dave you are just saying black people are terrible waitresses" STOP THAT! That isn't what I'm saying, let me finish. At the same time we were having excellent service from our white waitress, a black customer was complaining (and rightfully so) about the terrible service he received from her. We witnessed how she repeatedly came back to our table to check on us, refill our drinks, and update us on our order status. She never went to his table, his drink lay empty, and his food seemed to take twice as long as our meals to be ready.

On the flip side of this argument we had absolutely terrible service when our waitress was black. She took forever to come get our orders, bring our drinks, and bring out our meals. We only got refills once because we asked her specifically for them after she brought out our meals. She ignored our attempts to get her attention. All the while, she was giving excellent service to the black family just a few tables away.

The food at Ruby Tuesday is actually quite good, but because of the racist service roulette you play whenever you enter the restaurant this one has to go into the "Restaurants I Dislike" category. These are probably just a few coincidences about service, but from what we witnessed the restaurant is racist (although an equal opportunity racist). We never saw any Asians or other races dine there, or working as waiters/waitresses, so we could not observe this with any other races. However, after these few experiences we decided not to go back to "Racist Tuesday" because we didn't want to gamble on if we would have a white waitress or not.

Restaurants I Like and Dislike

The next restaurant in my series will be Chan An. This quaint little Chinese restaurant nestled in the Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center is my absolute favorite place to get Chinese food. I call in and am greeted with the lovely voice of Mrs. Chan An saying "Chan An how can help you?" I tell her what I want, she quickly repeats it back to me, tells me my order number, and thanks me. I used to get the same order number no matter what I ordered, or when I ordered it. I could call in at any time and place an order and Mrs. Chan An would say "Take out order number 43. Thank you." It was uncanny that I was always number 43. I honestly think Mrs. Chan An knew my voice from calling in so much and purposely just gave me the same number every time.

I used to order from Chan An once or twice a week while in college. I would come home from school and go pick up some delicious food for lunch. I may have gone too often because Mrs. Chan An recognized me and when I walked in the door she would immediately know which order was mine, no matter how many she had packed and ready to go. I still go to Chan Ans often, not as often as I used to, but perhaps it is still too often. While trying to find pictures to add to this blog post I Googled Chan Ans Restaurant on the image search; while looking at all the pictures I found there is a picture of me on the second page!! My favorite dish to get there is the Hot and Spicy Chicken, with Fried Rice and Wonton Soup (pictured right).

Since I go so often I think you can already tell that Chan An is without a doubt in the "Restaurants I Like" category. I have never had a bad experience there, I am always happy with the food I receive from Chan An.

Restaurants I Like and Dislike

For the past two Wednesdays and a few random ones scattered before that, I have gone down (or should I say dahn) to Tad's on East Carson. I first went to Tad's because Tad, the namesake of the bar and owner/operator, is a good friend of my brother Boo. The main reason I keep going back is because on Wednesdays the wings are only 25 cents. These wings are not only cheap, but extremely delicious as well. I can honestly say these are my favorite wings in Pittsburgh. Recently, Steve, the best man at my brother Boo's wedding, took over the kitchen. He did a major expansion and overhaul on the menu. Formerly the menu had about 3 items, wings, fried cheese balls, and french fries (I honestly think that was all they had, maybe 1 or 2 other things). The menu now has a myriad of choices including burgers, chicken wraps, and a slew of appetizers. Also, the wing flavors now have normal names, before the new menu, wings had names like "Hot Lass" which did not describe what it tasted like at all. People were constantly asking "What does this mean? What about that one?" Now there is no confusion, Hot, Mild, and Medium are pretty self explanatory, as are the other flavors they serve.
As for the bar itself it is a very nice place to sit, eat, and enjoy a drink or two. Granted, I'm always there from like 7pm-10pm on a Wednesday night, so it isn't really a crowded time for a bar. I love going to watch the Pens' games. There are plenty of televisions around the bar so you can see one from any seat (this is a big plus for me, because so many places have seats where you have to twist and turn and strain to see a television with the game on). Jordie, the bartender, is super nice too. He keeps my drink full and is very nice and personable.

I highly recommend checking out Tad's on East Carson, especially on a Wednesday. Last night dinner for two (a dozen wings for me, eight for Erica, and splitting an order of fried cheese balls) and a few beers cost me $13, and we were full. You can't beat that! This easily falls into the "Restaurants I Like" category. If you stop down tell Tad Dave Kraemer sent you (maybe he'll give me a free beer or something). Even if Tad wasn't a friend I would still love this bar and their food, everyone who I have been there with has loved it too!

Restaurants I Like and Dislike

I had the idea for a reoccurring theme to blog articles. One of my favorite things to do is eat, and so I figured I could share some of my wealth of eating knowledge with my blog reader(s). Ill post about places I like to eat, places I don't like to eat, places I want to eat, and anything else that I could fit into this theme. So whenever I feel like discussing food, I'll post another article discussing "Restaurants I Like and Dislike"

I'm going to start with the restaurant I go to the most often: Wendy's. When I look into the eyes of that happy ginger orphan, my lips instantly begin to water. Wendy's is delicious, I enjoy so many things on their menu. Recently I have been getting their Baja Chicken Salad when I go. Of course the Spicy Chicken Sandwich is pretty much one of the best items you will ever find on a fast food menu. They recently got those new Fresh Cut Sea Salt French Fries, which to me taste the exact same as the old fries. The value menu is fantastic, and I can easily buy a cornucopia of items off of that menu and be happy with an enormous, greasy, delicious, feast. Now to get a little more specific about 2 Wendy's locations I go to the most:

I meet Erica for lunch probably at least once a week. When we meet 90% of the time we go to Wendy's. The Wendy's in Kennedy is fantastic, I don't think they have ever messed up an order, and the food is always done well. Everything is done quick, which is really helpful because Erica has to get back to work within a half an hour.
The Wendy's on Noblestown Road however is a completely different story. I don't think I had a 100% enjoyable experience there in over a year. Orders are always wrong or missing something. The food is made horribly, or under/over cooked. Erica loves the baked potatoes at Wendy's but the ones at this location are always way over cooked and nasty hard. I really should just stop going there, but stupid me always thinks "They can't get it wrong every time". Well they do! Maybe one day I will learn my lesson and I'll stop going there.

Overall I would have to say I love Wendy's and will continue to go there for the majority of my fast food needs. However, I recommend if you are going for Wendy's you steer clear of the one on Noblestown Road. So I guess Wendy's as a whole falls in to "Restaurants I Like" category, but the Noblestown Road store falls into the "Restaurants I Dislike" category. Let's try to get some reader feedback from my loyal reader(s). In the comment section let me know your favorite thing to get at Wendy's!