Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kick-Off Party At The Aviary

Summer Restaurant Week 2013 is just two days away! And what better way to celebrate than with a fabulous food-sampling soiree at Pittsburgh’s own National Aviary. (That’s right, we’re home to not just any old aviary, but THE National Aviary! Think about that for a minute, Cleveland and Philly!)

At the Kick-Off Party, there were fourteen different RW-participating restaurants passing out goodies, in addition to a full selection of wine, beer, and cocktails. DJ Digital Dave spun tunes for the guests, and of course, there was plenty of socializing and chatting about Restaurant Week planning to be done. After you were done enjoying the food and drinks, you could wander through the exhibits at the Aviary and meet the birds (even if, like me, you’re a little terrified of them). With that being said, there are a TON of photos of the evening, so from here on out, this post will be simply a photo post with small captions. Enjoy!!

The large atrium section of the Aviary was home to the bar, DJ, and some of the tables.

The specialty cocktails all had clever bird names.

Our table was next to the penguin display. We found out that all penguins make the same faces as our dog.

Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic reduction from Skinny Pete’s Kitchen in Bellevue.

Chilled green chile soup with black beans, onion, corn, and roast chicken from Skinny Pete’s Kitchen.

Mint melon gazpacho from Pino’s in Point Breeze.

Salmon pate from Pino’s.

Crabmeat endive from River City Grille in the Pittsburgh Marriott North.

Bacon mac & cheese from Hambone’s in Lawrenceville (so excited – this is our Saturday night dinner for RW!).

Tomatoes stuffed with quinoa, black beans, mushrooms, red onion, and corn, & empanadas with olives, pork, and tomatillo salsa from Alma Pan Latin Kitchen in Regent Square.

Watermelon salad from Root174 in Regent Square.

Korean Duck taco with squash aioli and pickled vegetable from Bistro 19 in Mt. Lebanon.

Pineapple salsa sausage sandwiches from Texas de Brazil in Station Square.

Chimichurri vinaigrette braised sirloin from the Capital Grille downtown.

Flourless chocolate torte from the Capital Grille.

Cajun shrimp and grits from James Street Gastropub in the North Side.

Braised rabbit mousse with fennel from Lola Bistro on the North Side.

A triple-feature from Cornerstone in Aspinwall: roasted red pepper on crostini, scallop ceviche with blueberry & watermelon, and duck confit with salsa.

(Why have a fancy SLR wide angle lens if you can’t use it to take a selfie?)

Table of raffle prizes.

After enjoying the food, we took a short trip through the Aviary to check out the birds.

Flamingos, who did not want to have their pictures taken.

Yellow birds with a nice blue wall (seriously, all those birdwatching picture books I read as a child, for naught).

Stern eagle who did not want to have his picture taken.

Penguin who cares, and doesn’t mind having his picture taken, and wants to listen to your thoughts and feelings.

Bitty bashful sweet tiny cute little owls!!!! (Sorry penguins, these guys were my favorite.)

Husband posing with penguin statue.

“Hi there! I am not the grim reaper, and I am not going to poop on you! HAHAHAHA PSYCHED YOUR MIND I AM BOTH,” said this bird.

Brian announcing the raffle winners.

Final treat of the evening: shrimp, kielbasa, smoked pineapple chunk, and curried polenta from Kaleidoscope Cafe in Lawrenceville.

Annnnd it’s not a trip to the Aviary if you don’t pose with the statues outside the building.

So! Hopefully looking over these pictures has given you some ideas of where you’d like to eat, if you’re still trying to plan your schedule for the week. Here’s where we’ll be dining:

Monday: The Carlton
Tuesday: blogger dinner at Sausalido
Wednesday: dinner at the Terrace Room
Thursday: dinner at Up! Modern Italian
Friday: lunch at Stone Neapolitan Pizzeria and late-night tapas at Ibiza
Saturday: late night dinner at Hambone’s
Sunday: dinner at the Capital Grille

It’s an ambitious 8 meals in 7 days, but we’re pumped about supporting our local restaurant scene. Check back late each evening, as I’ll be posting blog entries following the meals. Where are you eating for Restaurant Week? Any challenges or themes you’ve set for yourself? We’d love to hear! And if you’re a fellow food blogger and will be going to the blogger dinner on Tuesday night, we’ll see you there!