Gypsy Quickie: Father's Day Weekend

June’s really blown by. I keep thinking we’re still in the first few days of it, and instead I find myself shocked to see how scary full-up my July calendar is already!

Father’s Day Weekend
On that note, here’s a little PSA from me. If you haven’t realized it yet, SUNDAY is Father’s Day. Yes, this Sunday. You don’t want to find yourself at Giant Eagle 11PM Saturday night sorting through the picked over cards…if you give Dad a “Grandfather” card with the “grand” scratched out, he’ll notice, trust me!

As always, Gypsy’s here to help with your plans. If you’d like to show up your big sister who never forgets a holiday or birthday and makes pies from scratch, beat her to the punch and take Dad out to dinner Saturday night. We’ve got Jazz with the legendary Don Aliquo starting at 8. Don’s a master Saxophonist who just happens to be pretty hot on the flute, too. As a matter of fact, we saw Don last night here at Gypsy with a nice young man named Jeff Coffin who just happens to play Saxophone with the Dave Matthews Band. We joked that he had come to town for lessons! Don and bassist Mark Perna start at 8! Here’s a clip of Don with a bass solo from Mark also joined by Victor Garzotto and John Schmidtt. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQmGY_gwGoQ Please call for reservations.

Now, if you DO end up buying that card late Saturday night, you can still show up Big Sis by taking Dad out to Brunch long before her special dinner hits the table. Our annual “Famous Fathers” Brunch runs NOON-3. You and Dad can dig in to a big plate of “Homer Fries” or a “Fred Flintstone Frittata” with a side of “Vader Taters” all washed down with a complimentary “Bloody Larry” for Dad!

Gypsy Gets Glossy: Table Magazine!
Be sure to pick up the Summer issue of Table Magazine—Chef Jim and I are the subject of this issue’s “One Passion” feature where we discuss our love of all things Paprika! Many thanks to Charlene Campbell and Christina French for thinking of us! http://www.tablemagazine.com/

Gypsy Calendar
There’s still a bit of June left before we get into already-crazy July, including:

Summer Hours
We’ve started Summer hours here at Gypsy, which mostly means we’ve suspended Tuesday dinner service until Fall. Service Hours are:
Wednesday Dinner 5-9
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Dinner 5-11
Sunday Brunch NOON-3
Sunday Dinner 4-9

Haunted Pittsburgh 6/24
We’re very excited to be working with a new venture called “Haunted Pittsburgh Tours”. Our introduction to these folks happened last Fall when South Side Mover/Shaker Christie Smith (thanks, Christie!) sent her friend Michelle, who was doing research on haunted places in Pittsburgh, our way. We told Michelle all about our own little incorporeal friend (we call him Nick), and at that time she planned to include Gypsy on Haunted Pittsburgh walking tours to come. This year we’ve got even more going on. Haunted Pittsburgh is offering Ghost Story dinners here at Gypsy with the first event happening this Wednesday, June 24th. Tickets are $30 and include three-course prix fixe dinner, soft drinks, and an hour of chilling tales of the murder, mayhem, and the macabre in our midst! Please call Gypsy for reservations!

Friday Closures 6/26 and 7-3:
We’ve got private events scheduled two successive Fridays, June 26th and July 3rd. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, but keep in mind that Gypsy is available for private events, business meetings, showers, rehearsal dinners, and all kinds of other stuff. Give us a call; we’re happy to work with you.

We had a crazy night with The Gypsy Strings last night, so I’m off to the Strip for provisions. Have a tremendous weekend, and DON’T FORGET ABOUT DAD!

Cheers!

Melanie

BONUS: Here’s a quick Father’s Day Gift Idea. Gypsy’s featuring a beer new to the area that seems to be making everyone, girls and boys, very Summer-happy. Pick up a case of “Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Cream Ale” out of California. Brewed with honey and orange peel and added orange extract, it’s light and refreshing, and for some reason hasn’t really angered too many “real” beer drinkers. It’s not a corner store find, so you might want to call around for it. For city kids, I suggest West Liberty Beer (412.561.BEER) or McBroom’s (412.241.2500).



You have received this message because you have been added on to our email list, likely from opting in from a comment card you filled out at the restaurant or from signing our guest book in the restaurant. As always, if you’ve received this message in error or if you don’t want to receive occasional email messages from Gypsy Café, please reply as such and we’ll remove you from our list post-haste, no hard feelings!

The SSLDC Board of Directors Wants You!

I am officially a board member of the South Side Local Development Company. Tonight was the annual meeting, and luckily I had just donned my Royal Order of Water Buffalos hat when the crazy storm that blew through South Side--and is continuing to wreak havoc--hit. Tonight's guest speaker talked about South Side Park. Did you know we had a park? Not a whole lot of people do, I'm afraid, but it's kind of like finding a surprise cream center in your cupcake to realize that my beloved SSide is filled with a magical green space just begging to be discovered. I scribbled down lots of ideas before the Sam Adams Summer Ale started to kick in!

Ghosts and Gulyas.

Get it? GHOUL-ash?

Last night we had an inaugural event with a new organization in Pittsburgh called "Pittsburgh Ghost Tours". I'm excited about working with them, and I think the work we do together has great potential. It went like this.

For last night's event, we started with appetizers at the bar for their guests and then moved on to a family style dinner. After dinner, their storyteller, conveniently also named Melanie, told an hour's worth of stories about the seamier, scarier side of our fair city. She started with stories we had told her about Gypsy Cafe's own ghosty guests and then went on to tell tales from all over the city and out into the tri-state.

It was the first event and kind of a dry run with friends in attendance, but I think this will be great. The cafe is a perfect spot for stuff like this. We've got our little stage and our parlor-like atmosphere and not a bad spot in the room for sight and sound. And, as mentioned, we've got our own ghosts!

We punted with the family-style service--and I really liked the outcome. Family style compels people to make connections in a very human way. You're passing plates and sharing food, and the concept of willingly sharing, in my mind, had to be a pretty big marker in the development of society. The side effect of this is that when sharing, those instant connections you've made with strangers establish instant empathy. Now you find yourself in a room full of people you feel comfortable being scared with!

The next event is coming up quickly, on Wednesday the 24th June at 7:30. This will be a different take on things since the cafe will be open vs closed for a private event. We're offering a special prix fixe menu with appetizer, salad, and choice of entree, so the feel will be much more "dinner and a show". The idea is to see what format works best, closed for an event vs open with entertainment. Tickets are $30 for dinner and show. (Call for reservations! 412.381.4977!)

I'm especially excited about the potentials of the private events. We can bring in Tarot and mediums and really build up the atmosphere. Stay tuned for info on those--they may be invite-only!