Tag Archives: dinner

Cabaret Theater Gets Extensive Remodel, Expansion

Uncategorized, , ,

The 250-seat Greer Cabaret Theater and Backstage Bar is one of the Cultural District’s great hidden gems , your personal hidaway right across the street from your home at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com

Not many know about it, yet!

It is tucked away well behind its Penn Avenue entrance. The Cultural Trust is embarking upon a comprehensive redesign of this important theatrical space, creating a more inviting experience.

“The Greer Cabaret Theater, the Backstage Bar, and the Theater Square lobbies will be undergoing extensive renovations over the next year to make these spaces shine,” says Nick Gigante, Senior Vice President of Development and Real Estate for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “The Theater will transform from the black box you see now into an intimate cabaret on par with New York venues like Joe’s Pub and 54 Below. The Backstage Bar will be expanded, and the lobbies for the box office and restaurant will become one grand space, streamlining, and elevating the patron experience.” Mr. Gigante adds, “This project is made possible in large part by the generous support of the Eden Hall Foundation, whose chairman and president, George C. Greer, has been a long-time Trustee of the Cultural Trust and whose name graces the Theater.”

See you at the Backstage bar, Ciao, Janet and Charlie

http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com

Luke Wholey’s Wild Alaskan Grille

Dining Out near Www.starloftspgh.com, Food, , , , ,

A Predominately seafood restaurant that has several fish based dishes on the menu. The restaurant has a separate section for children along with a bar menu that offers seasonal cocktails, a wine list and a special Draft list for beer. All of the beverages in the menu go well with the seafood on offer, but each can be ordered by the glass as well. Luke Wholey’s Alaskan Grille also boasts a separate sushi menu which is divided into a full 3 course meal. Traditional favorites include shrimp, eel, salmon, scallops, flying fish roe along with a variety of seafood rolls that range from shrimp and salmon to veggie and crab. The signature rolls on the menu include the Spider Roll which is filled with soft shell crab, fresh vegetables and sauces.

Its a 7 minute scooter or bike ride on the bike lane. Just leave your door at http://www.skyloftpgh.com and bike over to Luke Wholey’s this weekend. Buon appetito, Janet & Charlie

Dinner tonight, at your starloftpgh home: Peperonata (bell pepper stew) With Cuttlefish and Oregano

Uncategorized, ,

Simple, yet tasty!

A southern Italian summertime regular, saucy peperonata (stewed peppers, onions and tomatoes) with tender cuttlefish and oregano is extremely delicious. Have plenty of bread on the ready to mop up the silky juices.

LIST OF INGREDIENTS

  • 2 LBS. of cuttlefish, Wholeys fish market
  • 1 1/2 LBS. of bell peppers, Pennsylvania Macaroni
  • 2 of vine tomatoes, Pennsylvania Macaroni
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • fresh oregano, or dry
  • Bertolli extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt

METHOD

1

Clean cuttlefish and cut into strips. Trim bell peppers and cut into strips similar in size to the cuttlefish. Chop the tomatoes. 2

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a pan with a crushed unpeeled garlic clove. Add bell peppers and sauté for 2 minutes, then add chopped tomatoes. Remove garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes, then cover and cook for another 6-7 minutes.3

Remove everything from the pan and add the cuttlefish. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add bell peppers and tomatoes back into the pan and mix allowing flavors to meld for 1 minute. Top with a bit of chopped fresh oregano and serve.

Cuttlefish with bell pepper an oregano.

Have a great dinner.

Janet, owner of www.starloftspgh.com

Seafood Pasta & Bean Soup

Cook at home, Food, , , ,

This is a great recipe to make at your home in the http://www.starloftspgh.com

4 Servings:


10 ounces Bartolotti beans, drained and cooked with a pinch of bicarhonate
8 oz. cleaned tiny mollusks; baby Octopus, baby squid, curled octopus, mussels and tartufo (warty venus)
3-1/2-5 oz. lobster bisque
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 oz. smoked pancetta bacon
Salt and chilli pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
5 0z. tomato pulp
Aromatic herbs: parsley, etc.

7 oz. fettuccine-type pasta cut in small, irregular pieces
Cook the beans. Sauté in oil the cloves or garlic, onion, chilli pepper and smoked bacon. Remove the garlic when brown. Add the tomato pulp and
the mollusks, which have been previously cleaned and prepared. When the cooking is completed, mix beans, mollusks (plus the cooking liquid) and pasta (which may be cooked separately or together with the rest).
Add the lobster bisque, which will provide a good base and mix
all the ingredients together. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Penne with Tuna “Puttanesca” | Share the Pasta

Cook at home, Food, ,

Penne with Tuna “Puttanesca” Penne shares the award for being one of the most popular pasta shapes in the world with spaghetti. In Italian, “penne” is the plural of the word “penna,”which means “quill.” But let’s switch to the deliciously edible variety of penne: Penne pasta! The recipe that Chef Rosario is featuring this […]

Penne with Tuna “Puttanesca” | Share the Pasta

Spaghetti with Clam Sauce

Cook at home, Food, , , , , ,

This is a simple, but delicious dish you can make at your home here at the http://www.starloftspgh.com

1 dozen littleneck clams

1 lbs of thin spaghetti

1/2 bunch of parsley

2 of garlic clove

extra-virgin olive oil

salt to taste

In a large bowl or pan, soak the clams in lightly salted water for at least 2 hours; every 30 minutes, use your hands to gently drain them without stirring up any sand that has filtered out; transfer them to a plate, change the water, which will have become cloudy, and add a pinch of salt. Be careful not to break the shells during this process.

Trim the parsley, removing only the leaves; wash and dry with a paper towel and finely chop. Crush and mince 1 garlic clove. 

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Season with salt; add spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. 

Meanwhile, in a pan large enough to hold the clams and spaghetti, sauté the garlic with 4 Tbsp. oil for 30 seconds, then add the parsley.

After a few seconds, add the drained clams: cook them for 1-2 minutes until they start to open, then add 3 small ladlefuls of pasta cooking water.

Drain the spaghetti and transfer to the pan with the clams. Cook together for 1 minute, adding extra water pasta cooking water if needed. Cook until the pasta is al dente and a dense sauce forms due to the starch being released from the clams. Top with chopped parsley to taste and serve. 

Www.starloftspgh.com

Have you ever just come home and opened the fridge andjust stared into it?

Cook at home, Food,

Or maybe opened the fridge and wondered what to eat?
Or maybe you see plenty of food, but there’s nothing to eat.
I used to think these were just kid habits.I’m not so sure anymore. Because I find myself doing itmore and more. If it’s a kid thing, I haven’t outgrown it yet.
If you did any of these recently, or even TODAY. I’ve got a solutionfor you. We call it “Only in the Alley.”
It a big brown bag full of perfectly prepared, delicious foodthat you can stare into and wonder
“What should I eat FIRST???”

Traditional roasted lamb called “abbacchio”

Uncategorized, ,

The cuisine of Rome, Italy is authentic, earthy, simple and substantial. One of the most popular dishes is roasted abbacchio – a hearty, and rustic dish, that make you look great, without having to waste too much time in the kitchen.

Usually ‘abbacchio’ in Lazio and in many areas of Central-South Italy is popular — with the Easter holidays. In fact, in Rome and its surrounding areas, sheep meat is also eaten for Christmas, because the agricultural tradition is strongly rooted in Lazio and especially Agro Pontino.

This traditional dish is very easy to prepare. All you have to do is put all the ingredients in the oven – and it practically cooks itself. Success is guaranteed: Your family will love it and you won’t have to stay in the kitchen to ‘spignattare’ (turn the roast), while everyone else enjoys good food, wine and company. It’s up to you whether you want to use chopped lamb meat or a more elegant leg of lamb, however. (In the second case, make sure to extend the cooking time by about 20-30 minutes).

Just make sure to serve it with potatoes, which must be cooked in the same pan as the meat, so as to absorb its juices and flavor. And then, abbacchio meat should be eaten hot, very hot, almost hot enough to burn your fingers. That’s why this dish is also called ‘alla scottadito,’ which means ‘finger-burning’ in Italian.

Ingredients

3 lb lamb in pieces (or a leg of lamb of the same weight)

2 garlic cloves

4 sprigs of rosemary

1 bay leaf

1 glass of white wine

2 lb potatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

How to make roasted abbachio

Spread the lamb with the peeled and chopped garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs and bay leaf in a pan. Sprinkle the meat with white wine and season it with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake the meat at 355°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes (30-40 minutes if you use the leg of lamb). In the meantime, peel the potatoes and dice them into cubes (or larger pieces depending on personal preference).

After 20 minutes, add the potatoes, and stir the contents of the pan. Continue cooking for another 40 minutes. Serve very hot.

This was a tradition to eat this great dinner on Easter Sunday. You can make this simple, but hearty meal at your home, at the http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com

Regards, Charlie

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Chili Pepper

Cook at home, ,

LIST OF INGREDIENTS

  • 2 LBS 10 OZ of shrimp
  • 12 OZ. of spaghetti
  • 1 of celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 of carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • bay leaf
  • tomato paste
  • 1 BUNCH of cilantro, chopped
  • fresh chili pepper, chopped
  • dry white wine
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt

METHOD

Shell and devein the shrimp; remove and clean the heads well and set aside with the shells for the broth. 

Heat 2-3 Tbsp. oil in a saucepan over high heat, brown the heads and shells for around 5 minutes on high heat, mixing and crushing them with a spoon. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add 1 Tbsp. tomato paste and stir. Add 1 cup wine and let it evaporate, then add 1.8 quarts water and 1 bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 50 minutes.

When the broth is ready, turn off the heat and drain, extracting the broth.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat and toast the uncooked spaghetti, stirring them in the pan, for a couple of minutes. Add three ladles of shrimp broth to the pan, then continue to cook the spaghetti like risotto for around 10-12 minutes, adding broth in in 1/4 cup increments and adding salt. Continue until the pasta is al dente and the broth has evaporated, so as not to need to drain the pasta.

In the meantime, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a skillet and cook the shrimp for 3 minutes. Set aside. Heat a thin layer of oil in another pan. When the spaghetti is cooked to al dente, transfer it to the pan and cook for 1 minute making the spaghetti crispy; add the just warmed shrimp and a handful of chopped cilantro. Serve with more cilantro and fresh chili pepper. 

This great dish in your home at http://www.Starloftspgh.com

Stuffed Squid with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Cook at home,


Ingredients:
1 medium (or two small) zucchini
8 oz crimini mushrooms, diced
1/2 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 oz pine nuts
2 lb. squid tubes
10 oz roasted red peppers
1/2 cup half and half
Pinch salt and pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parsley


Method:
Slice zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until moisture is drawn out of
the slices. Dry off the zucchini slices with paper towel, removing most of the salt. Flip the
zucchini and repeat this process. Dice the sweated zucchini.
Saute zucchini, mushrooms, shallots, garlic and pine nuts until fragrant and toasty. Stuff squid
tubes with the vegetable and nut mixture.
Place each stuffed squid tube, in a lightly greased pan over medium heat. Cook for about 4
minutes, rolling the tubes over every minute so that each side is exposed to the pan’s heat.
When the Squid is opaque white, remove from heat.
In a food processor, puree red pepper, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour
into a small saucepan and add half and half. Bring to a simmer. Drizzle red pepper sauce over
squid and serve.

Dine at your starloft. Www.starloftspgh.com