double wide

After the Pedal Pittsburgh event two weekends ago, on which I took my *brand new* Jamis bicycle out on Pittsburgh's rainy streets for a 46-mile ride, the family decided to go out for brunch and, desiring an outdoor place where we hadn't been before, hit the Double Wide Grill on Carson for brunch. I hoped that it wasn't a chain, but I'm not sure about that. A friend of mine assures me that it's owned by the same folks who own a bunch of other Carson Street establishments, but this one sure is trying to feel like it's a national chain--a Joe's Crab Shack kind of place. Still, we wanted to sit on Carson and watch the people go by, so we went.

It's about what you'd expect: disappointing, chain-y, with clearly much more thought put into the image than into the food. The service was meh, but hey, it's Pittsburgh, so at least it wasn't actively disdainful or incompetent. There's no reason to go back unless I just wanted a burger (which wasn't terrible) and a beer and to sit outside.

We did go back to Kaya this weekend and it was as good as ever--the Cuban sandwich may be the best I've had, and I've had my share. Unfortunately, there was some "Kayafest" going on, with ersatz reggae/ska going on in the street, and so the service was abysmal. I think it took 80 minutes to get our sandwiches, which is a long time to keep a 3 1/2 year old and an 11 month old occupied.

Off to Portland this weekend. Excited to be going to Andina.