Wine Tastings Continue into the Fall

Summer Wine Tastings Extended Into the Fall at The Grand Hall

Our summer wine tastings have been such a success that we are extending them into the fall and into the winter next year.

Our next wine tasting will be on Thursday, October 22, and will likely be inside at the Grand Hall, given the change in the weather. The starting time will change from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in response to requests from some of our guests from across the rivers who said that it was hard to get across town in time for a 6:00 p.m. start. As always, we will be pairing the wines with hors d'oeuvres prepared by our chefs Mike Henney and Pete Phillipy. Price is $45.00 per person.

We will also be hosting a tasting on November 19 in time to get you tuned up for Thanksgiving.

Our October wine host will be Joe Barsotti, from Barsotti Wines. Joe was our wine host at our inaugural event in May, when he showed off some really amazing wines from Southern Italy and Sicily.

This time, Joe will be showcasing wines "from around the world." They are -

Vina La Rosa La Palma Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Cachapoal Valley, Chile

X Winery Chardonnay 2007, Carneros

Vigneti VillaBella Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore Classico 2005, Verona (Not Pa)

Bodegas Finca Valpiedra Canto de Valpiedra Rioja 2005, Spain

Food pairings TBA.

We will be experimenting with some new sets in the Grand Hall to make the larger space a little more cozy - I think you'll all like it. Hope you can make it!

KDKA Story on Hotel Occupancy During G-20

This is a story from KDKA television, our local CBS affiliate, on hotel occupancy and special requests from international guests. The Priory is prominently featured. FYI.

Shout Out for The Priory from the Nation's Capital

With the G-20 upcoming, the Washington Post in its Sunday, September 20 Travel Section, ran an article focusing on three Pittsburgh neighborhoods worth a look - the North Shore, Lawrenceville/Strip District and Oakland. In a box entitled "Where to Stay," The Priory was mentioned as one of three area hotels worth a try (thought the Post refers to The Priory as a former "convent," when it was, in fact, a monastery (i.e., it housed brothers, not sisters). It's always nice to get a little recognition from the national media!

Good Reviews for Two New Pittsburgh Restaurants

Paris 66 and Yo Rita

China Millman, dining critic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, recently gave exceptionally good reviews to two new casual restaurants in Pittsburgh, Yo Rita, which serves a Mexican cuisine, and Paris 66, which serves a French bistro-type cuisine. Yo Rita's is located on the South Side and Paris 66 is located in East Liberty. Both restaurants are new to the Pittsburgh dining scene. I have not had a chance to go to either, but they have been generating a lot of buzz. Here is China Millman's piece about Paris 66 and Yo Rita's. Here is China Millman's Twitter site.

G-20 Security Update

Here is the latest news on the G-20 Security perimeter in downtown Pittsburgh next week from the official Pittsburgh G-20 Website.

Crazy Mocha comes to the North Side

Crazy Mocha, the funky local coffee house chain, is opening its first North Side store, at the corner of Federal Street and North Avenue, about 1 block to the West from Allegheny General Hospital. It's a convenient location in a corridor which is booming with new construction, from a massive townhouse project to the new Carnegie Library. With the Federal North project on the way, which will include the rehabilitation of the old Garden Theater and other landmark buildings, this promises to be a neighborhood which will take off. We'll keep you posted.

New Library

The Federal Street Corridor is host to a new shining North Side jewel, the newly constructed North Side Carnegie Library. The old library, housed in a landmark building in Allegheny Center, was closed when its steeple was hit by a bolt of lightning, causing the steeple to cascade into the building proper. The new library is airy with state of the art data services, and will now be a community icon for years to come. It opened at the end of August, and is well worth a look.