Rock Bottom

This morning, SP took me to a doctor appointment. When we were finally finished with me seeing the doctor and having blood work done, we were very, very hungry and it was almost lunch time. We decided to try somewhere new for lunch: Tin Front Cafe. Unfortunately, it turns out they are closed on Mondays. Oops. Someone didn't do their homework and check the hours of operation! Our stomachs were rumbling, we were a bit tired and cranky from hunger, it was muggy, we were in Homestead next to the Waterfront, and we needed food sooner rather than later (very, very soon, actually - I hadn't eaten at all since I skipped breakfast in anticipation of blood work and SP needed more than some Smarties to bring his sugar back up). We decided to grab lunch at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery. SP had been there before; I had not.

It was not at all crowded at 12:30 pm. We were seated right away and a friendly waitress took our drinks order. Beer and iced tea for SP; iced tea for me. I didn't see much of the interior since we were seated right off to the left of the entrance alongside the windows, but it seemed like a typical bar, lots of wood, booths and tables, big TVs in the bar area.

When the iced tea arrived, I automatically added some sugar, squeezed my lemon in, and then tasted it. Yuck! It tasted like a mix! SP tried his and agreed. When our server returned, I asked her if the iced tea was fresh brewed or from a mix and she said from a mix. I asked her to take it back, take it off the bill, and bring me water.

It was extremely disappointing to discover a second place in Pittsburgh that does not serve fresh brewed iced tea (first was Hop House). Way back when I worked summers at the snack bar at Hills, even our little snack bar brewed fresh iced tea. How hard can it be?

To start off, SP ordered an appetizer of Crispy Peppers & Pickles: 'tempura-battered Anaheim pepper rings and dill pickle chips served with chimichurri ranch for dipping.'I wasn't too excited about these when he ordered them, but I was so hungry that when the fried food was placed in front of me, I couldn't resist. I like pickles, but in moderation, so these were nice for a once a year treat. The peppers were OK, too, but a little hot for me, or maybe it was the dipping sauce that was hot. SP ate most of this and enjoyed it.

SP ordered The Laredo Burger: 'southwest-inspired with Pepper Jack cheese, homemade guacamole, pico de gallo and chipotle mayo.' He ordered the ground turkey burger, not the beef burger. He also chose onion rings for his side (additional charge for onion rings).Wow! Look at the size of those onion rings! They were tasty, salty, and breaded rather than battered, but good. His sandwich was enormous and he enjoyed it but couldn't finish the last few bites.

I ordered Hickory Bacon BBQ with chicken (instead of turkey burger or beef burger): 'mouth-watering favorite topped with Cheddar cheese, hickory bacon and our signature BBQ sauce.' Yes, under that mound of tomato, onions, pickles, and lettuce is a BBQ chicken breast with bacon and cheese.I chose macaroni & cheese as my side, also an additional charge. It was corkscrew pasta:Here's a photo of my sandwich cut in half. I ate half of the sandwich and half of the macaroni & cheese and brought the rest home.It was good. Nothing special, but certainly not bad. We didn't have any room for dessert. Our server was friendly - nothing to complain about there. I'm just really disappointed in the iced tea from a mix -- especially when we saw on the bill that one iced tea (the one SP drank) was $2.60!!! $2.60 for fake iced tea!!! Unbelievable!

After Rock Bottom, on the way home, we passed a Dunkin' Donuts. I really like Dunkin' Donuts. We don't have one near us. And who can resist a giant floating-on-the-roof coffee cup?SP stopped and bought us each a donut for later. Jelly for him; blueberry for me.

Since I was sad about the iced tea at lunch and since I had not yet had any tea, I mentioned that we were close to Te Cafe (well, sort of close, anyway) and that gosh it sure was kind of humid and it was making me thirsty and gosh all I've had to drink is some water. Like a good husband, SP took the hint (not that it's hard to convince him to stop there) and he went in to get us iced teas. Green raspberry for him; Blue Lady for me. Turns out Blue Lady tea is very good cold, too.Ahhh real iced tea! Fresh brewed, loose leaf, special flavor tea for $3!

We'd go back to Rock Bottom if we were in the Waterfront area, but we would not make a special trip to the Waterfront for Rock Bottom, especially when we have Bocktown, Sharp Edge, and Hop House much closer to us and also with tasty food and beer. But it was a good place for lunch today.