Well, I guess this is vegan, right?

So I know I was supposed to do an article about my Vegan experimentation, but I realized there is something amazing (and fall themed) here in our very own Lawrenceville that I couldn’t neglect to alert you to. Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar is a tiny venue that brews its own… you guessed it… cider and wine. The proprietors live right above the shop, make the beverages themselves, and aren’t shy with the samples. Plus, last time I was there I heard tell of them hosting a live music event soon. Check them out on Facebook for the latest happenings, or better yet, in person. I highly recommend the dry sherry.

The quiet and controversial storm

Inspired by a nasty dose of cheese poisoning, I’ve launched full-steam into a grand weeklong VEGAN EXPERIMENT. An accidentally well timed experiment, since November is World Vegan Month. As if my life isn’t complex enough, I just had to add a ban on animal products. I never could leave well enough alone.
I’ve started snooping to find what the glorious ‘burgh has to offer by way of cruelty-free dining goodness, and already I’ve turned up some dirt in the way of the Quiet Storm (no, not that movie). The Quiet Storm is a café-and-music-venue turned full-scale vegan and vegetarian restaurant on Penn Avenue. Since I was planning on dragging my friend E along with me on this culinary adventure I read a few reviews online to make sure I wasn’t leading him to a terrible meal that would turn him off of vegan dining forever. What I found was disconcerting. The reviews varied from five-star raves to zero-star slams- the Quiet Storm was broadly accused of being a hipster haven with cold food, terrible service, and a snotty attitude by some and the best vegan niche in Pittsburgh by others. Well, I could never resist a good debate, so here it is!
The Quiet Storm is kind of a parody of a hippyish vegan restaurant. The staff is laid-back, friendly, and exceedingly hands-off. Our groovy waitress didn’t know what day it was, but she handed us a hand-written specials menu that featured some of the tastiest vegan food I’ve had outside of my own kitchen. The selections are creative, delicious, and they steer well clear of the cardinal sin of vegan cooking- trying to make everything a soy-based imitation of meat and cheese. It’s odd to look at a menu and have no conception of what anything was supposed to be (the descriptions aren’t that good and the names of the dishes are more cryptic than guiding) but take a leap of faith and I promise, your meal will not disappoint. And yes, the food is hot.

A cure for cheese poisoning

Hello all,
Yes, it’s me- returned from hibernating in obscurity. What can I say- I’m sorry, ever so sorry, blogland, for my extended absence! I’ll make it up to you, I swear I will. Please take me back!
All right, enough of that. The actual point of this entry is to address a very real problem amongst vegetarians who have been socially obligated to eat a Thanksgiving meal prepared by our more omnivorous cousins (or grandparents, or friend’s grandparents). What happens is we get a hearty dose of whatever non-meat dishes around, which invariably are salad with bleu cheese dressing, broccoli and cheese, fried string beans with cheese, cheese-topped cornbread, and spinach and cheese quiche…. After basting our innards with gooey cow goodness galore, we end up with a nasty case of what I’ve not-so-fondly come to term ‘cheese poisoning’. For me, cheese poisoning results in an immediate onset sodium-drenched migraine, blotchy skin, bloated tummy, and week-long disgust of anything even in the same room as a block of Parmesian. As a measure of recovery, I usually temporarily turn to a diet rich in the veggies and whole grains I’m craving- Veganism. And since I figure there’s at least a few of you who are probably feeling the same way, I thought I would pass along a gem of a site that I’ve been relying on for the past few weeks. Yeah, you read right. I’m not a vegan, but the recipes on this blog are so quick, easy, versatile, creative, and healthy (adjective overload!) that they’ve become indispensible to me. Check it out- I hope you get just as inspired as I did.
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Gallery Crawl

This little entry should be short and sweet, as the merits of this attraction speak for themselves. Gallery Crawl this Friday, October 1 in the Cultural District Downtown! Granted, the "Cultural District" of Pittsburgh stretches across about a street and a half, but it's chock-full of kickass museums which are FREE and open to the public on Gallery Crawl Night! Click the link to check it out. And don't be too bummed if you can't make it- there'll be another one the first Friday of next month, too :).

A taste of the Old Country

If you’re tired from partying all weekend (or sick of staying in) take a stroll down Main Street in Bloomfield and check out the Little Italy Days- running until 7pm tonight. Get serenaded on the street, buy cheap saint cards, and gorge on fresh Italian food that’s both inexpensive and delicious. I recommend the cannoli, and the fortune-reading booth. Great for a date, or a hangover :)

Slight blogging hiatus- Belvedere's

Hello hello, Blogland! I'm sorry for my recent flakiness about posting. I'll try extra hard to update regularly from now on- most likely, on a MWF schedule.
I'm devoting this post to an oldie but a goody- Belvedere's, on Butler St. For those unfamiliar, Belvie's is a total dive bar. Not only is it as lacking in natural light and air as Sarah Palin's bathroom, it is usually crammed with people thrash-dancing in the most alarming way. If I happen to be jogging past here during the 15 minutes a week they air it out, the stench of condensed cigarette smoke is enough to give me a nicotine buzz for a week.
With an intro like that, how could you resist?
But really, Belvie's has some redeeming qualities- in the form of 80's nights. 80's night is every Thursday, and features- you guessed it- 80's music. It's a good place to stop by if you're in the area, if only for the great DJ, the lounge-esque area, and the freedom to thrash dance as you please. It's a $4 cover, and drinks are relatively cheap, like most dive bars. Just be prepared to shower afterwards.

I'm gonna rock and roll all night.

Most of us who live fabulous lives (and if you are reading this blog, you are most likely committed to being fabulous) are under a lot of pressure. Between work, classes, personal pursuits, friendships, and partying, we end up cramming our days with enough twists and turns as to make Houdini turn in his card and quit. This can (and does) manifest itself oftentimes in troubled sleeping, which is quite a shame. At night, when we should be able to finally take a break, our poor little systems are so overwrought that we end up wide-eyed at four am… and unfortunately for us, instead of developing a charismatic cult leader alter ego that runs wild in all this spare time and develops a lucrative side business of soapmaking, we’re just tired and cranky. Luckily, I’ve come up with a few methods of circumventing this whole nasty business- and no, no need to sit here and read through a list of ridiculous, impractical tips like “Go to bed at the same time each night,” or “Meditate for two hours a day”. Personally, I have a life that doesn’t leave a whole mess of spare time that’s just begging to be spent on keeping dream journals or whatever. Try some of these workable tips, and see if they make a difference for you.
-Take a bath- I don’t mean an all-day soak, just ten to fifteen minutes in a tub full of hot water can work wonders on your muscles and stress levels. Especially if it’s in the evening. This alone has amped up the quality of my sleep. If you don’t have a bathtub, or you’re devoting every spare minute of your day to a project or paper, you can try a hot foot soak for the same amount of time. It works especially well if you add some sprigs of lavender to the hot water.
-Drink noncaffenated tea close to bedtime: This one is particularly easy, as it can be done while you’re doing other things in the evening. I don’t know why it works, but it just does. Herbal tea is supposed to be pretty healthy anyway, so choose any that you like. (I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s Bedtime Tea with a ton of lemon juice.)
-Don’t do work on your bed: You want to train yourself to associate your bed with sleeping, which is impossible if it’s covered with pens, pencils, and PB+J crumbs. Beds are awesome, and it’s fun to hang out in them, but really. Do your work on your desk, and leave your bed for snoozies.
-Exercise during the day: Or at least stretch out a little and take some deep breaths a few minute prior to bedtime. Exercise has been shown to deepen sleep, and stretching a little bit before bed helps clear the mind and wind you down.