madzia.net

Beth and Kevin got things rolling at Zythos, and were soon joined by Ron, and a little while later by Jacques. In our conversations with the friendly barmaid, we learned that zythos is the Greek word for beer, making this perennial stop on the annual South Side Tour a fitting end to the A-to-Z Tour.

The only food served at Zythos is chips with their homemade salsa. We never got motivated to head to another spot for dinner, so we made due with that.

It ended up being one of the longer evenings on the tour in quite a while, with Beth and Kevin almost closing the place around 1:30am, which almost led to an impromptu drive to California. Fortunately, cooler, alcohol-free heads prevailed in the morning.

Ron was there when Kevin arrived at the Y-Not Saloon, and soon afterward Chris, Gina, Kaleigh and Shane showed up. The kids pounded a few beers while Gina hit the poker machines.

We then headed up the street to Raya’s Pizzeria for dinner. While waiting for our pizza and wings to arrive, somebody spotted the hulking form of Jacques going by the window, so we flagged him down and he came in to join us. The bulk of the conversation revolved around choosing a name for the next child on the way for Chris and Gina. She came to be extremely sorry she had asked…the running favorite was Chewbacca.

There was mention of heading up to Sullivan’s Pour House after dinner, but everyone had excuses, so it ended up being an early evening.

To have come so far only to be foiled near the end…

We searched burghbars.com, Yahoo! Yellow pages, and even resorted to (gasp!) paper phone books. If only Xanadu had not shut down! But the only place found to fit the bill was Xi Cheng, an alleged Chinese restaurant located in the wilds of Beaver Falls.

We attempted to call to verify that they fit the criteria (i.e. had a bar). Kevin got a recording; Ron got what sounded like a fax machine. So, for lack of any better ideas, the two of them, joined by Beth, decided to make the trek up north to check it out in person.

Upon parking and exploring the main drag of Beaver Falls, we found the address, occupied now by the all-to-familiar-to-the-area boarded up windows and doors. We took a spin through town on the off chance that there might be some other “X” bar, or at least any place that begins with an “X” that we could stop and down a six-pack in front of, but it was not meant to be.

So, we went back the way we came, and stopped for dinner and a pitcher of Yuengling at Yolanda’s, located in Chippewa. It was a decent Italian place with a family atmosphere. Beth got a Gyro-Zone, which provided enough food for another night’s dinner or two; Kevin tried the chicken parmesan, and Ron got a pizza.

Ron later stopped in at the White Eagle Inn on the South Side, so a “W” and a “Y” averaging out to an “X” is the best we could do.

We’ll continue with another “Y” next week for those that are interested…

In attendance at Wings Suds & Spuds: Chris, Gina, Kaleigh, Kevin, Kristi, Ron, and Shane. Kaleigh and Shane were making that final push to pass up Mop.

The choice of food was, surprisingly enough, chicken wings, beer, and french fries, as well as some provolone sticks. The women and children made a side trip to McDonald’s for dessert.

Beth and Kevin arrived at the Valhalla Microbrewery & Restaurant to find Ron already holding up his end of the bar. After a round of Black Forest or India Pale Ale at reduced happy hour rates, they got a table. Ron indulged in a New York Strip. Kevin and Beth found the jambalaya not bad, but uninspired.

Beth and Ron arrived at the Ugly Dog Saloon on time, getting about an hour head start on Kevin, who got held up at work. The beer was cheap, and wings are free on Thursdays, so it was a good night. The only tense moment was when a cheer arose from the other bar patrons when “Sweet Home Alabama” came on the jukebox.

The original plan was for the Temperanceville Tavern, but we found out where the name comes from–the place closes at 3:00pm for “summer hours”. Tramp’s was a suitable last-minute backup in the same part of town.

April, Beth, Karbo, Kevin, and Ron arrived on schedule, and found Cindy there unexpectedly. She left soon after to go “change clothes”, but did not return within the promised hour.

The Yuengling and Labatt’s were very reasonably priced, and the food was good, including Ron’s cheese steak with steak and cheese only.

Beth, Karbo, Kevin, and Ron showed up at Smokin’ Joe’s Saloon for the observance of the letter S at this perennial South Side establishment. The beer selection was good as usual; the food was so-so. Beth was satisfied with her grilled chicken salad, although a bit overwhelmed by the sheer hugeness of it. Kevin was not impressed with the Buffalo chicken sandwich. Ron’s usual “no extra stuff, just steak and cheese” request for his cheese steak was not fully honored.

Getting down to the home stretch (with eight more bars to go) seems to be helping the turnout. Showing up at Roland’s Seafood Grill tonight were April, Beth, Jacques, Karbo, Kevin, and Ron.

The featured food items were the GIANT cod sandwiches, although others enjoyed lobster roll and various salad concoctions. The beer selection was good, with Guiness, Harp, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale the preferred choices for the evening.

A drawing was held to choose next week’s location. Several cheating attempts by Ron and Jacques were thwarted, but with assistance from the waitress, a seletion was finally made. Ron threatened a filibuster however, so watch this space for updates…

We gave up the quest to find a real Q bar, and inevitably found ourselves at the Quaker Steak & Lube’s North Fayette location. There was a good turnout, with April, Karbo, Kevin, Meredith, Mop, Paige, and Ron.

Everyone except Kevin and Ron opted for sandwiches instead of wings. There were plenty of pitchers of Yuengling going around (that Meredith can really pound).