Bar Louie opens North Shore location, free appetizers

After doing the Race to Anyplace at Heinz Field on Saturday, my team of faithful spinners decided to refuel nearby at the freshly opened Bar Louie next to Burgatory in North Shore Place developments. 

After six hours on a spin bike, we appreciated that we could walk right in and sit on a chair more comfortable than the bike seat. A round of beer in, the bartender informs us of a special free appetizer. Simply check in on Facebook and show your server and get a free appetizer. I’m sure this is for a limited time, so visit soon to get that offer.

  
I got the Chicken Nachos thinking they would be a good small recovery size, but boy was I wrong. This could have fed the entire team. I was happy with them. Very happy in fact, while I quenched my dehydrated body with an ice cold beer. 

I was happy I couldn’t finish the plate, especially when I went to log the nachos into MyFitnessPal. 1,532 calories. Ouch!

Good news for the upcoming baseball season that the nachos are a SHAREABLE appetizer that pleased my palate. Hopefully Pirates fans enjoy the the offseason additions of Bar Louie, Burgatory and soon North Park Lounge to their pre- and post-game hangout options.

Soho before Challenge Nation Race

Club Sandwich at Soho
A pre-race lunch before the Pittsburgh TasteBuds competed in the Challenge Nation Urban Scavenger Hunt.

On June 17, 2012, the Pittsburgh TasteBuds competed in the Challenge Nation Urban Scavenger Hunt. The race was a ton of fun solving riddles and snapping pictures, but what got us through the race was a pre-race meal. With the starting line at Jerome Bettis Grille 36 on the Northshore (and knowing the place would be packed) we opted for a Soho lunch. Soho is located on the corner of W. General Robinson and Federal streets.

Despite being warned of its size by the waitress, I ordered the Turkey Club Sandwich. Though it was really just a well-made sandwich served with spicy fries, she was right. I could only down 3/4 of the sandwich. Though I enjoyed my sandwich, TasteBudA ordered a different sandwich and found it to be bland. Being polite and pressed for time, he simply requested more condiments and powered through the sandwich.

So, how did we fair in the race? 42 out of 268 teams. It wasn’t our running speed that placed us so high, it was out strategic minds and sense of direction around the city.