PA Rt. 30 commuters may be familiar with this Rivertowne location, just inside the Westmoreland County line. The Pub & Grille, one of three Rivertowne locations, has a lot to offer with a wide selection of appetizers and a nice variety of beer on tap and bottled. Some of the best spinach & artichoke dip you will find in the Pittsburgh area can be had here.

Travelling a lot for work can sometimes do some serious damage to your waistline if you’re not careful. When I travel, I prefer to find restaurants that are local and non-chain establishments. Otto’s Pub in State College fits the bill. As an added bonus, they strive to use as much locally grown product as possible.
Otto’s has a bar area with several TVs, outside seating and two main dining areas. They also brew their own beer, with selections changing seasonally. Parking can be a problem on weekends and Tuesday trivia nights, …

Let’s say that you just won a nice little jackpot at the new Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA.  What to do with the winnings?  Here’s an idea – have a delicious, decadent dinner at Emeril’s Chop House restaurant, located right off of the casino floor.
I’ve never been to any of Emeril Lagasse’s other restaurants before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when my significant other’s parents said that we had a reservation there this past weekend.  The décor is very fitting with the rest of the casino, which …

For something different, I decided to stop for dinner at The Hop House located on Babcock Boulevard in the North Hills (they also have a Greentree location on Noblestown Road).  Many Pittsburghers may know of the North Hills location by its former name, the Barking Shark.

I’ve passed Oishii Bento (the yummy lunchbox) hundreds of times and not gone in but I finally managed to find them not crammed full of students and popped in the other day for bento  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento .
Actually something had my mind on bento all day so I had already printed out their menu at http://www.oishiibento.com  so I could get in and out with my Spicy Pork Bulgogi Bento. Additionally, the website is as clean and friendly as the restaurant- something you don’t always experience.
I was delighted to find the restaurant clean …

travel quite a bit for work and when I was in Hershey, PA the other day- a town that smells of heavenly chocolate all the time- I just had to eat at a place called The Chocolate Avenue Grill.
I went in for a late lunch and was seated right away. There is an area out front for outdoor dining, but as thunderstorms were looming, I opted to eat inside. The decor is naturally in chocolate-ish colors: a lot of browns and dark orange. Very reminiscent of a Reese’s Peanut Butter …

tend to be at the hospital for myself or a family member relatively often and we try to have lunch or breakfast out to sweeten the deal by choosing a different place every time. Recently our travels took us to Pamela’s in Oakland (FYI, Pamela’s also has Strip and Squirrel Hill locations) for brunch.
  We ordered a veg omelet with chips (french fries) and the banana chocolate chip pancakes. I had my omelet smothered in melted swiss cheese and I must say, it was savoury, delicious and generously porportioned. …