The St. Malachy Fish Fry

Today, Marilyn and I closed out the Lenten Fish Fry Tour for 2014 by visiting St. Malachy Parish in Kennedy Township.  It was another great set up - HUGE fish sandwich, fried jumbo shrimp, all the sides.  Terrific.  The big attraction at St. Malachy's, we came to understand, is their home made pierogies.  Now, neither Marilyn or I are pierogi eaters, so that didn't appeal to us, but the the kitchen workers at St. Malachy's couldn't make them fast enough to satisfy the demand.

And speaking of those volunteer kitchen workers, we were greeted by none other than this guy slaving away in the St. Malachy kitchen.....

Yep, Southwest Airlines captain, Mr. Season Ticket Holder (Pirates and Penguins), star of the "Blackout Was Only the Beginning" Pirates commercial, and the Mayor of Section 20 himself, Tim Baker, doing his thing to help out his parish.  Well done, Tim, and we're glad we caught you there this evening.

In all we hit six Fish Fries this Lent, and four of them were ones that we had not attended in prior years: Good Samaritan, St. Killian, St. Bonaventure, and St. Malachy.  The two that we returned to were St. Suva (Serbian Club) and St. Alexis.  We also got to visit with friends Carole Kon, Patti Nelson, and the aforementioned Tim Baker at these events as well. 

Fish fries abound throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh every Lent.  If you have never attended one then you are missing out on a chance to eat well at a reasonable price and support great causes.  Think about it come Lent in 2015.

Fish Fry, Absent Friend, and Other Ramblings

A general hodge-podge of Sunday morning ramblings......

Our Fish Fry tour this past Friday took us to the American Serbian Club on Sarah Street on the South Side.  This Fish Fry benefits St. Suva Orthodox Church, home parish of our friends and neighbors, George and Barb Topich.  This is the fourth year in a row we have gone to this Fish Fry, and it is another good one.  One thing that separates this one from other Fish Fries?  There is a bar in the Serbian Club, so I was able to wash down my fish sammich with a cold Iron City Beer.  Hard to imagine being able to get an Iron City on the Sahsside, but there you are.

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To Absent Friends.  Ralph Wilson, owner of the Buffalo Bills passed away this past week at the age of 95.  Wilson's death is noteworthy because he was the last remaining founding owner of the American Football League, which began operations in 1960.  In that sense, Wilson was the last of a pioneering bunch.

RIP Ralph Wilson.

Wilson's death comes in a week when the family of Bills Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly, is experiencing a relapse of cancer, and that the cancer is "aggressive and spreading".

A sad week for football fans in general and Bills fans in particular.

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While I no longer participate in the North Park League of Fantasy Baseball, I do still attend and help out with the annual draft by league members.  It is a way to keep in touch with the guys and have a fun night out.   The Draft was held this past Friday Night, and just for fun, here is how the order in first round of selection went by the ten teams in the NPL:

Mike Trout

Miguel Cabrera

Andrew McCutchen

Clayton Kershaw

Paul Goldschmidt

Hanley Ramirez

Chris Davis

Robinson Cano

Adam Wainwright

Joey Votto

The St. Bonaventure Fish Fry

Last night our Lenten adventures continued as we ventured to the "other side" of McKnight Road and visited the St. Bonaventure Parish Fish Fry in Shaler, PA.

The food was very good, and, on the plus side, clam chowder was on the menu!  The size of the fish on my sandwich was not as large as at some of the other places we've been, but it was more than adequate and was delicious.  Marilyn, as she often does, opted for the fried shrimp and gave them a thumbs up as well.

One thing that struck me last night, as it often does at these events, is that no two parishes conduct their fish fries in exactly the same way.  Each has a different system for placing the orders, seating you at your table, and serving you your dinner, but each different method works like clockwork, no matter where you are.

Last night, for example, St. Bonnie had people approach you while you were standing in line, they would take your order for you right then on a two part slip, which you would then give one part to the cashier and pay, and the other part to someone who would note your table on the slip and deliver the order to the kitchen.  Made it very fast moving.  St. Bonnie's also made excellent use of a prime source of their labor force: the kids from their school. We were especially impressed by two young ladies, probably 2nd or 3rd graders, very fancily dressed, who delivered the desserts.

No games of chance, although they were selling St. Bonnie Bobcats collapsible lawn chairs.  We passed on that.

About the only negative we could come up with was the parking.  Can't imagine what it must be like on Sunday mornings there.

A Fish Fry Shout Out

I have to give a huge thumbs up and shout out for the Fish Fry held every Friday at the American Serbian Club on Sarah Street (between 25th and 26th Streets) on the South Side that benefits Holy Trinity Orthodox Church.  Our friends and neighbors, George and Barbara Topich are major movers and shakers in both Holy Trinity Church and the ASC, so we have always made it a point to hit this fish fry once every Lent, but we would make it a point to go to this one even if we didn't know the the Movers and Shakers.

This fish fry has a lot going for it:

• Terrific food and large portions
• Holy Trinity and the ASC have been running this event for at least the last thousand years or so, so they know how to do it right
• Games of chance:  "Chinese Auction"-type raffles available.  They do need to consider having a 50/50, though.
• Unlike a fish fry in a church building, the Serbian Club has a bar.  So, if you feel inclined to wash down your fish sandwich with an ice cold Iron City, as The Grandstander felt yesterday, you can do so.
• This fish fry starts at 11:30 every Friday, so you can hit it up for lunch or dinner.

There are only two more Fridays left in this Lenten season, so if you are in the South Side area on one of those days, consider hitting up the ASC for their fish fry.  You won't regret it.

Fish Fries and Other Random Thoughts for a Sunday Morning

Yes, we continue to explore the various Church Fish Fries each Friday night during Lent. So far this year we have visited St. Theresa of Avila in Perrysville and St. Alexis in McCandless,  Both parishes have been at the Fish Fry game for years and years and both put on a great event.  Good fish sandwiches and both also serve a mean bowl of clam chowder.   We have three Fridays remaining between now and Good Friday, and we have two "definites" penciled in:  Howard's Tavern in West View (not a Church, true, but owned and operated by fellow St. John Neumann parishioners), and the Serbian Club on the South Side.  This one benefits our neighbors and friends, George and Barb Topich's Serbian Orthodox Church.  That leaves one upcoming Friday in the "TBD" column.

A word of warning.  Our friends Fred and Susan Shugars had a not-so-great experience by opting for take-out at St. Alexis this past Friday, so you may want to consider eating in, which is what we did.  When it comes to take-out, always remember what Joe Pesci said about going through the drive-through (or, take-out window, in this case) in "Lethal Weapon 2".



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Congratulations to the Robert Morris University basketball team for their first place finish in the Northeast Conference this season.  This means home court advantage throughout the NEC Tournament.  It also means that March Madness begins this coming Wednesday night when RMU takes on St. Francis (NY) in the opening round game.  Survive and Advance.  Be there!

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The Pirates now stand at 2-7 in Grapefruit League play.  So, who cares, these are exhibition games.

On the other hand, Starling Marte is now hitting .417 in grapefruit League Play.  Now THAT is something to get excited about. 

This is what is great about Spring Training.  You get to pick-and-choose what's important.

Speaking of the Pirates, their game this past Friday was televised and it was great to watch some Pirates baseball.  Catching for the Bucs that night was Lucas May.  Now, I like to think that I keep close track on my favorite ball club, but I have to tell you, I had NEVER heard of Lucas May.

*****

The stories about the "fractured" Steelers locker room this past season that are now coming out are sort of interesting, but, to be honest, I'm not putting a lot of credence in them, nor am I paying too much attention.  However, one item that did catch my eye was the retired Hines Ward talking about too much "finger pointing" taking place among the team this year, a team, by the way, that, lest we forget, Ward was not a part of.  This is coming from the same Hines Ward who a few years back accused Ben Roethlisberger of dogging it for not playing when he had a concussion.

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It's High School Musical season.  We took in Seneca Valley's production of "Annie" last Friday.  In two weeks, it'll be North Allegheny doing "Footloose", and next month it will be "Legally Blonde" at Montour.  Few things make you feel better than seeing the energy, talent, and just plain fun of these kids - cast, orchestra, and crew - putting on a show.

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So Mayor Luke has decided not to seek re-election as Mayor of Pittsburgh.  In his column today, John Mehno talked about the "frat-boy sensibility" that the Boy Mayor has brought to the office, and that was certainly reinforced when you read Luke's Mayoral "timeline" in the PG the other day, and saw about Luke's Seven Springs birthday party, crashing a party to meet Tiger Woods, attending concerts at Star Lake in city vehicles, airplane rides with Mario Lemieux, appearance in the Batman movie, and you could go on and on..

Davey Lawrence, he wasn't.

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A DVR Alert for tonight, Sunday:  "Annie Hall" is on TCM at 8:00 PM.  One of Woody Allen's very best.  Oscars for Best Picture, Actress (Dianne Keaton), and Director and Screenplay (Allen).  Terrific movie.

Fish Fry Fridays Are Back!!

A little of this and a little of that....

• It's Lent. It's Friday. That means it's time to visit a local Fish Fry. Tonight we take a break from visiting a local Catholic Church and are instead heading to the Serbian Club on the South Side (or, to be more locally precise, the Sahsside). One of our neighbors are involved withe Serbian Club (through their Orthodox Church) and have been touting the Club's Fish Fry, so that's where we're headed tonight!
• I went on Facebook between games of the NCAA double-headers last night and confidently stated that it would be the Duke Blue Devils cutting down the nets in Houston next Monday night. Shows you how smart I am. That beatdown that Arizona put on the Dookies was not something you often see to one of Coach K's squads.
• Is it good to score 30+ points in a game while maintaining a shooting percentage in the low 30% range? Ask Jimmer Fredette and the BYU Cougars.
• My NCAA bracket entry was utterly smashed after the first weekend, so I an watching the games now purely for entertainment purposes. I had called for a final four consisting of Pitt, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Duke, with UNC beating ND for the Championship. This can mean only one thing - bet heavily against the Tar Heels this weekend.
• If you are looking for a local rooting interest in the NCAA games at this point, how about cheering for Arizona and their young head coach, Blackhawk and Pitt alum Sean Miller.
• To tie up one more loose basketball end, I am sorry to report that the Shaler Lady Titans fell to Mt. Lebanon in the PIAA State semi-finals last week. So ends a great season for these young ladies.
• Kevin Correia gets the nod as Opening Day starter for the Pirates. Doesn't exactly fill you with optimism, does it?
• It is also noted that Charlie Morton has earned spot in the Pirates starting rotation. Who would have seen that coming after that train wreck of a season he had last year? Be sure, though, that Morton earned this spot. He has easily been the Bucs best starter in Spring Training. Good for him for overcoming last season's travails. Maybe THAT cold be a feel-good story for 2011.
• The NFL owners who profess to have the interests of "the fans" first and foremost in their hearts are the same group of businessmen who are now asking their season ticket holders to pony up their money for there 2011 tickets. This after they, the owners, have shut down the game putting into question if there will even be NFL games in 2011. And, yes, this includes the altruistic, Sainted Rooney family of Your Pittsburgh Steelers. I guess this is just another example of the "Steelers Way" of doing business.
• That said, I do not believe that there will be a single NFL game lost in 2011 due to a lockout/strike. This could mean that replacement players will once again make their appearance in NFL uniforms as they did back in 1987. At the same ticket prices, of course.