Welcome!

Twisted from the Sprue is my little corner of the internet. This site started as a simple web presence for the Three Rivers IPMS model club - as in middle-aged guys who never quite out-grew gluing together miniature cars and planes (and not a club of really good looking people who have their pictures taken for underwear ads and the like). The club now has a real web-site, and this blog is a place for me to post stuff I find interesting or just want to ramble on about.

Its reassuring to know you're not the only guy with an obsession for trivia - if you happen across something interesting here, or have a question or something to contribute, please leave a comment or drop me an email at dnschmtz@gmail.com

Don
___________________________________________

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Bacon, Eggs and Styrene

One of the more popular places to have breakfast in Pittsburgh is Pamela's Diner.  Pamela's is known for its pancakes - thin and airy and more like a crepe than a traditional flapjack - but there are lots of other things to love on the menu.  In addition to the usual selection of eggs and bacon and sausage, the homefries are a real treat; they're made with just a bit of a cream sauce that you might think would make for a soggy mess but somehow makes all the wonderful fried potato flavors even more so.

There are 6 Pamela's in Pittsburgh; 5 of them in the trendier parts of town - and then there is Millvale.  If you're not familiar with Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Millvale is one of the many small towns lining the river valleys that a generation ago were home to the steel workers who worked in the neighboring mills and furnaces. Probably thanks to its narrow streets and tiny footprint, the big box stores never came to Millvale, allowing lots of small merchants to survive and remind us how good real main street stores and shopkeepers were in the good-old-days.

Located at 232 North Avenue, this Pamela's is in a building with a sign reading "Lincoln Pharmacy" on the outside, and inside you'll find about 1/2 the floor space actually is a pharmacy; the other half holds a classic lunch counter and a goodly number of small tables and booths.  Be forewarned  Pamela's doesn't take credit cards and can get pretty busy on weekends; get there early if you don't like to wait in line (they open at 8:00).

If you want a classic breakfast, I recommend the "Big Lincoln", which comes with your choice of eggs and breakfast meat, plus the wonderful pancakes and potatoes.  Of if you like spicy food the "Tex Mex Omelet" (which also comes with the wonderful potatoes but no pancakes) is a great change of pace from the more traditional breakfast fare.  Both of these were more than I could eat (and I can put away a lot).

If you go early Saturday morning, Jean-Marc Chatellier’s French Bakery  is just across the street - stop and pick up some pastries or croissants (maybe stop there before you get to Pamela's - they sell out fast on Saturday mornings).

But the reason this is the ultimate modelers breakfast is that right next to the bakery is Esther's Hobby Shop.  Esther's is a classic local hobby shop: the aisles are narrow and the products are piled high. Even though the store is clean, somehow the air smells old.  Although Esther's has a reputation as a model railroad shop, they have a fair selection of model kits (the latest releases are stacked up in the big store window - when was the last time you saw that?). They are well stocked with tools, paint and scratch-building basics, and the staff is helpful but won't joggle your elbow if you just want to browse.


Combined with a stop at Pamela's  I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning. If you're a modeler anywhere close to Pittsburgh you definitely want to check it out.