University of Pittsburgh Week Events

Make sure to check out these great events being held at the University starting this Monday February 3rd. There are movies, lectures, and career events that are great ways to learn something new outside of your classes. Check out the list below! FILM
Anime Film Series, showing of film Akira set in Neo-Tokyo in the year 2019 follows a biker with psychic powers, 7 p.m. Feb. 5, The ToonSeum, 945 Liberty Avenue, Downtown, Pitt Asian Studies Center, visit www.ucis.pitt.edu/asc/animefestival/index.html for more information.

LECTURES
“Shale Gas: From Poland to Pennsylvania,” Dimiter Kenarov, fellow at the Pulitzer Center in Washington D.C., 7 p.m. Feb. 5, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies, Global Studies center, Center for Russian and East European Studies, contact Eleni Valliant (env1@pitt.edu) for more information.

“Firefights and Foot Patrols: Documenting America's Engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Carmen Gentile, foreign correspondent for the New York Times, USA Today, and other publications, noon Feb. 6, 3911 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St., Oakland, Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies, contact Beverly Brizzi (beb38@pitt.edu) for more information.

“Negotiating Decay, Delay, and Debt: Speculation and Time-Travel in South India's Grocery Trade,” Laura C. Brown, Pitt assistant professor of anthropology, noon Feb. 6, 4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St. Oakland, Pitt’s Asian Studies Center, Asia Over Lunch Lecture Series, contact Adam Reger (reger@pitt.edu) for more information.

“Shale gas in Poland and Europe,” Dimiter Kenarov, fellow at the Pulitzer Center in Washington, D.C., noon Feb. 6, 4217 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St. Oakland, European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies, Global Studies center, Center for Russian and East European Studies, contact Eleni Valliant (env1@pitt.edu) for more information.

“In the Center of Europe, But on the Fringe? Liechtenstein and European Integration,” Claudia Fritsche, ambassador of Liechtenstein to the United States, noon Feb. 7, 4217 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St. Oakland, free and open to the public but contact Allyson Delnore (adelnore@pitt.edu) to RSVP.
For more information see the University of Pittsburgh.

Affordable Delicious Night Out

Noodlehead is a great restaurant with an eclectic feel.  They serve food from Thailand, and all the dinners are under nine dollars.  There is a very specific menu that gives you a variety of tastes to choose from.  This great restaurant is something for everyone to try, and it will not break your budget for a night out with friends.

Nearly a decade ago, the opening of Typhoon on Shadyside's South Highland restaurant row seemed to signal a sea change in local Asian dining. It elevated Thai food from "ethnic" category to stylish cuisine, served with refinement in an artistic, upscale setting. In Typhoon's wake, other restaurants now provide a similarly splurge-worthy experience of Thai dining, while a new, far more humble but still delectable, trend has taken hold in the once-elegant space Typhoon occupied: noodles.

To say that Noodlehead isn't elegant is not to suggest that it isn't fashionable. But the recycled wood-plank walls, old-fashioned filament light bulbs, picnic-style utensil caddies and eclectic seating (from industrial stools to plastic-fantastic mod chairs) evoke a feeling more than a specific place or culinary tradition: simplicity, authenticity, rusticity, noodles.

Such rough-hewn chic does not necessarily come cheap, but by taking cash only, not accepting reservations, being BYOB and not even having a phone, Noodlehead is able to offer an elemental approach to the delightful street food of Thailand in which nothing is over $9.

Noodlehead's tightly curated menu is another part of this equation. It has four short sections: a pair of noodle soups at $6 apiece; five no-substitution noodle dishes for $9; three more with your choice of shrimp, chicken or tofu, also for $9; and five finger-food "snacks," each at about $6. You can try the entire menu for $104 — and, with the help of some holiday guests, we nearly did.

As their title suggests, the snacks are small plates, and good for sharing. Thai fried chicken came as a mound of moist, sliced cutlet, coated in a light, ultra-crisp crust that was delightful on its own and better with a generous dollop of sweet garlic-chili sauce. Pork belly steamed buns were actually less labor-intensive rounds of fluffy dough folded over several chunks of succulent pork belly in a smoky-sweet, barbecue-esque sauce, while paper-thin slices of house-pickled Asian cucumber added brine and tang.

An order of pig wings inevitably led to jokes about when pigs will fly. But these morsels of pork shank were worth the groaners. Butchered to resemble drumsticks, they were spicy and intensely flavored; unlike chicken wings, pork has more than enough robust flavor of its own even beneath minced herbs, spices and chilies. Perhaps disadvantaged by following the pig wings, garlic nam pla chicken wings were plump and crisp, but not especially flavorful.

After all these delights, it was noodle time. The 10 noodle preparations on offer included fully six different types of noodles, a testament to Noodlehead's commitment to its craft. Thin rice noodles were tender in both Sukothai and Love Boat soups; the former punched up the flavor quotient with sliced pork loin, slivered green beans, peanuts and hard-boiled egg in a spicy lime broth, while the latter relied on the rich savor of simmered beef and pork cracklings. 

For more information see City Paper.

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week starts this week.  There are some great deals and restaurants participating all throughout the city.  However, to get the most out of this week make sure to follow these tips and tricks listed below.  This will allow you to experience the most restaurants at the best price.


Tips for Getting the Most out of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week

Excited to celebrate Pittsburgh Restaurant Week? Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your restaurant week experience.
 
Make reservations early, many of the most popular restaurants get booked up. If making a reservation by phone, be sure to mention Pittsburgh Restaurant Week when booking.
 
Read menus and reviews of participating restaurants. Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to experience the diverse restaurants available in Pittsburgh. Some restaurants offer pre-fixed menus as their restaurant week special, others offer a flat discount.
 
Be aware that not all restaurants participating in Pittsburgh Restaurant Week offer the promotional menu at lunch AND dinner. When you make your reservation, you should confirm with the restaurant that they are participating in Restaurant Week. Some restaurants may have seats set aside for diners participating in the celebration.

For more information see Pittsburgh Restaurant Week.

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week starts this week.  There are some great deals and restaurants participating all throughout the city.  However, to get the most out of this week make sure to follow these tips and tricks listed below.  This will allow you to experience the most restaurants at the best price.


Tips for Getting the Most out of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week

Excited to celebrate Pittsburgh Restaurant Week? Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your restaurant week experience.
 
Make reservations early, many of the most popular restaurants get booked up. If making a reservation by phone, be sure to mention Pittsburgh Restaurant Week when booking.
 
Read menus and reviews of participating restaurants. Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to experience the diverse restaurants available in Pittsburgh. Some restaurants offer pre-fixed menus as their restaurant week special, others offer a flat discount.
 
Be aware that not all restaurants participating in Pittsburgh Restaurant Week offer the promotional menu at lunch AND dinner. When you make your reservation, you should confirm with the restaurant that they are participating in Restaurant Week. Some restaurants may have seats set aside for diners participating in the celebration.

For more information see Pittsburgh Restaurant Week.

21 and Over at the Carnegie Science Center!

Did you ever want to run around the Carnegie Science Center like a kid, but without having little kids push you out of the way for the Earthquake Ride?  Now Carnegie Science Center is letting everyone be a kid with their 21 and over nights.  Come enjoy the robots, space exhibits, and even the miniature railroad while enjoying a cash bar and food.

  

All those who have ever wanted to enjoy Carnegie Science Center without having to elbow 8-year-olds out of the way for a chance to compete against the Air Hockeybot or peer at the baby seahorses, will not want to miss 21+ Night at Carnegie Science Center.

For just $10 (in advance, $15 at the door), adults ages 21 and up will have access to all four floors of exhibits, including SpacePlace, SeaScape, the Miniature Railroad and Village^®, roboworld^™, the Earthquake Café, the weather station, a planetarium show, and scientific demos. There will be a cash bar, and snacks will be available for purchase.

Get $15 in free slot play at Rivers Casino - just a short walk away!

For more information see the Carnegie Science Center.

Gifts for the Commuter

Do you know somebody that commutes far distances to work everyday?  Making that commute easier could be the best present they could ever ask for.  Here are some great presents for the person that sits in rush hour traffic most of their mornings and evenings.

1. Noise Silencing Earbuds: Not only to keep yourself entertained, but to drown out the unavoidable noises around you. These are great because the ear buds work like ear plugs, and they even come with an app to use with your smart phone that further silences noises. Etymotic hf5 earphones, $149.
2. Thermos: Coffee is key to being awake by the time I get to work. I've tried several travel mugs, and this one is hands down the best at keeping beverages piping hot for the winter and icy cold in the summer. Klean Kanteen Insulated, $25.95-29.95.
3. A Durable Bag: Because a canvas bag just isn't going to cut it on the floor of a wet train or bus, or outside in nasty weather. Look for a leather, nylon, or waxed canvas bag with a reinforced bottom, or even one with little feet to keep it elevated off the floor. 2Unfold Laptop Bag / Heritage by hard graft, £400.
4. Reusable Bags: I use these all the time for toting stuff back and forth from work. They stash away so easily in my desk drawer or bag, and actually expand to a fairly large capacity. Envirosax, $39.95/set of 5.
5. iPhone/iPad (or other mobile device): If I had to pick one thing that has made my commute more tolerable, it is the invention of mobile devices. I can talk to my mom, browse the web, check email, listen to a podcast, etc. And last year I was gifted an iPad, which even further improved my commute by providing an abundance of reading material without all the weight. iPhone & iPad, prices vary.
6. Touch Gloves: So that you can still use your mobile device without your hands freezing while you're waiting for the train or walking to work! Agloves, $19.99-29.99.
7. Bike Handle: Genius. This handle makes carrying a bike up and down stairs and onto a train so much easier. Bicycle Frame Handle, $38.
8. Boots: Because trudging through the rain and snow is one of the worst parts of commuting. I have a few different boots to wear depending on the weather, but if you're going to pick just one, Hunters are classic, and you can get boot socks to keep your feet warm in the winter. Hunter Boots, $135-225.
9. Lunchbox: This is the one thing I don't actually have, but should. I usually use one of my reusable bags, but they don't do anything to protect from spills, and they definitely don't keep food warm or cold. Something insulated and lightweight that folds up seems ideal. Lunch Tote by BUILT, $24.99.

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

Skate at Schenley Park

This Sunday you can have some holiday fun at Schenley Park.  Bring your kids, brothers, sisters, and everyone else in your family to skate with Santa. There will be music and refreshments at the event from 1:30-3:30pm.  There are also some other great public outdoor ice rinks throughout the Pittsburgh area such as PPG place.
 
Skate with Santa at Schenley Park

 

Event: Skate with Santa at Schenley Park
 
Location: Schenley Ice Skating Rink, 1 Overlook Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 (Schenley Park – Oakland)
 
Date: Sunday, December 16, 2012
 
Time: 1:30pm until 3:30pm
 
Cost: Adult admission is $4.00, youth (17 and under) is $3.00, and seniors are $3.00. Skate rental is $2.50.
 
Description: Create memories while skating with Santa at Schenley Park Ice Rink. Enjoy great music & refreshments while you skate with the big guy himself! For more information, please visit the City of Pittsburgh website.

For more information see Living Pittsburgh.