Three Rivers Rowing Wine Tasting and Auction

Our Grand Hall will be hosting the Three Rivers Rowing Juniors Boosters Organization spring Wine Tasting and Auction on Friday, March 11, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Three Rivers Rowing Juniors is a nonprofit organization devoted to engendering youth physical fitness through the sport of rowing. The Juniors team is open to any child age 13 through 18 who is interested in the sport and who is willing to work.

The Wine Tasting event will feature four wines showcased by wine host Reid Vogel of Capital Wine & Spirits, as well as entertainment by the Pittsburgh jazz icon Etta Cox. The food will include a variety of passed hors d'oeuvres as well as carving and pasta stations. It looks like a super fun night for a great cause.

Event tickets are $75.00 per person.

Three Rivers Rowing Juniors are also raffling an all expenses paid 7 day cruise for two courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line. Raffle Tickets are $10.00.

Contact Cathy Palmer at 724 355-5587 for more information or to purchase raffle or tasting tickets.

Wine Tasting with Ross Outon

Many thanks to Ross Outon, our Wine Host for the February 18th Tasting in the Grand Hall, and everyone who came out to the event that evening. Ross was a fantastic host and everyone had a great time playing our own wine competitions and enjoying great wines from the Paso Robles region of California.


Click the video below to hear Ross talk about the event.

St. Patrick's Party at the Grand Hall featuring Seanchai and the Unity Squad

Join us for what promises to be an absolutely fabulous night out in the St. Patrick's season on March 5, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Live music will start at 7:30 p.m. Our Unrepentant St. Patrick's Day Party will feature music by New York's Seanchai and the Unity Squad and Pittsburgh's own Jack Puskar

Party packages are as follows:

St. Patrick's Package: $40.00 per person includes ticket to the event, ticket for our Irish buffet, and 3 drink tickets for your choice of beverage.

St. Brendan's Package: $30.00 per person. Includes admission to the event, ticket for the buffet, and one drink ticket for your choice of beverage.

Shamrock Package: $10.00 per person, includes admission to the event. Food and beverage tickets may be purchased at your discretion.

Overnight Package: $170.00 for Overnight accommodations in our Priory Hotel for two in one of our standard rooms, along with two St. Patrick's Package tickets.

Pre-paid St. Patrick's Packages in groups of at least four can reserve a table.

For tickets or additional information contact us at Gene Lucente at (412) 224-6302 or e-mail gene@thepriory.com.

A portion of this event's net proceeds will benefit the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

Seanchai and the Unity Squad features Chris Byrne (formerly of Black 47) and offers a distinctive melange of Irish traditional music, reggae, ska and hip hop. The music of Seanchai, which means storyteller in Gaelic (Irish), is deeply political, with a very strong streak of Irish nationalism. This is well evident on their songs "It's Time to Go" and "I am Gavarghy Road," as well as in covers of "The Ballad of Mairead Farrell" and "Fields of Athenry." Seanchai's music also tells of the Irish American experience, especially the Irish American and immigrant milieu in New York. One of Seanchai's better known songs is "Walk All The Days," a complex and heartbreaking first person narrative of a dying Irish American police officer who's been shot because he hestitated to fire at a teenager. The song has particular resonance since Byrne is a former NYPD officer.

Chris Byrne is joined on vocals by Rachel Fitzgerald, born in Dublin, who has an unbelievably clear and precise vocal style.

Seanchai performed here at the Grand Hall in March 2005, as part of the Unrepentant St. Patrick's Day Gathering tour, along with Declan McLaughlin and Eire Og. It was a blast of a show, and we're looking forward to more of the same in March!

Packages

St. Patrick's Package $40.00 St. Brendan's Package $30.00 Shamrock Package $10.00

Ross Outon Wine Event Gets P-G Publicity

Our event with Ross Outon, winner of "The Winemakers" reality series on PBS, got some notice in China Millman's column in the Post-Gazette last Thursday. Our event with Ross, which features his 45 RPM wine blend from Paso Robles, is on Thursday, February 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Contact Gene Lucente at 412 224-6305 or gene@thepriory.com for tickets or information.

Priory Groundbreaking Postponed

The groundbreaking for our hotel expansion, slated for tomorrow (Wednesday) 2/10 at 11:00 a.m. is being postponed due to inclement weather. We will post when the new date is set.

Pennsylvania Restaurant Association Award

John and Suzanne Graf at Restaurant Awards.

The Wilmer S. Lapp Keystone Award.

From left to right: Pennsylvania Restaurant Association Executive Director Pat Conway, Kevin Joyce (Restauranteur of the Year), Me, Woody Ostrow (CleanCare Linens, Associate Member of the Year), and PRA state Board President Garth Weldon of the Prime Rib Restaurant of Philadelphia.

We were fortunate to be able to host the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association's (Western Chapter) annual Installation and Awards Dinner at our Grand Hall on February 2. At the dinner, Kevin Joyce of the Carlton Restaurant, won the Restauranteur of the Year award. Kevin is the consummate restauranteur, with a passion for excellent food that we can all emulate. His award is very much deserved. One perhaps less deserved was the Walter S. Lapp Keystone Award for service to the restaurant industry which was awarded to yours truly. My surprise at winning this award is surpassed only by my gratitude to my industry peers for thinking my contributions worthy of recognition.

Mayor Ravenstahl to Attend Groundbreaking Ceremony for Priory Hotel Addition

The Groundbreaking Ceremony for our Priory Hotel Addition is set for Wednesday, February 10 at 11:00 a.m. Among the attendees will be City of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who has been a great supporter and promoter of development in his home district of the City's North Side. The event is open to the public, and we will be serving refreshments afterward at our Grand Hall. This is the first step of the new stage of our hotel expansion project, which we hope to have complete by October of this year. Keep your eyes open for new developments!

Congratulations to Priory Hotel Manager Tim McGlothlin, named GPHA "Manager of the Year"

Tim McGlolthlin and Priory Founder Mary Ann Graf

Tim McGlothlin and Priory Hospitality owners Ed Graf, Mary Ann Graf and John Graf

Our own Tim McGlothlin won the Greater Pittsburgh Hotel Association's "Manager of the Year" in its Spirit of Hospitality Awards held Thursday, February 4 at the Westin Convention Center. Tim's award is much deserved. It was a very exciting night for all our staff. Tim is now automatically qualified for the "Manager of the Year" award in the statewide competition, which will be awarded in April. Congratulations to our Manager of the Year, Tim McGlothlin!

Avenue B Redux

A couple of weeks back I posted about Avenue B, a restaurant recently opened by former Red Room chef Chris Bonfili. (The Red Room just recently closed, unfortunately). Our experience with the restaurant was extremely positive -- it had an innovative cuisine mixing world elements with home cookin'. Our inexpert opinion was echoed by Post-Gazette food critic China Millman in her recent review. Ms. Millman was apparently thrilled with the food but annoyed by her server. She awarded the restaurant three stars, which is truly a ringing endorsement. Avenue B is BYOB, keep in mind, so if you do go, and want to have a little wine with dinner, be sure to bring your own.