Good and bad dining experiences in southwestern PA
Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 10:03 pmWe one bad food-related scenario happen on our road trip to southwestern PA, which I'm happy to say was somewhat of a fluke in an otherwise very enjoyable vacation! The town we stayed in was very small- Confluence, PA, wit a population of 834. My dad was in a chainsaw carving festival in the neighboring town of Addison (pop. 214). If you're in that area, I'd recommend Sister's Cafe for lunch (or an early dinner- restaurants close around 7 there!) They had a very good open-face meatloaf sandwich with gravy- ask for the homemade bread! My slice of oatmeal walnut pie was also delicious. After lunch, walk over to the bike rental shop and head on the bike route toward Ohiopyle (love saying that, lol!) Very serene!!!
After that very positive report, on with the negative... We stayed down the street from a restaurant called The Lucky Dog Cafe. It was open "late," and we'd just missed the 6:30 closing of a barbecue place. We wanted to get something to-go, and Lucky Dog's Facebook page said that was available. So, my mom, aunt, and I walked down to the restaurant. The place was about half full, with the majority of diners out on the patio- many of whom just had drinks. My mom asked for a to-go menu, and she was told they don't fill to-go orders when they're "busy." My mom protested that they were only half full, and she was told that they could fill an order but "we can't tell you how long it will take." To which my mom replied, "So you're saying you won't serve us unless we sit there and order drinks.' She was met with a blank stare.
We left- too bad because the food actually looked pretty good- the Greekster had appealed to me, a hamburger with tomato, cucumber, tzatziki sauce, and feta cheese. My mom makes some really good Greek turkey burgers, and hers are probably better
We got the car and drove to Sisters, but they were closed. We skipped checking Riverside Cafe and Bed & Breakfast, which, from their website, was in the $20-30 range, and, when I called, I got a message that said if I wanted to make reservations at the restaurant to leave a message! No other restaurant was open! So we returned and told our story and ate ham and cheese sandwiches. On principle 
Didn't know if anyone else has experienced something similar!
After that very positive report, on with the negative... We stayed down the street from a restaurant called The Lucky Dog Cafe. It was open "late," and we'd just missed the 6:30 closing of a barbecue place. We wanted to get something to-go, and Lucky Dog's Facebook page said that was available. So, my mom, aunt, and I walked down to the restaurant. The place was about half full, with the majority of diners out on the patio- many of whom just had drinks. My mom asked for a to-go menu, and she was told they don't fill to-go orders when they're "busy." My mom protested that they were only half full, and she was told that they could fill an order but "we can't tell you how long it will take." To which my mom replied, "So you're saying you won't serve us unless we sit there and order drinks.' She was met with a blank stare.
We left- too bad because the food actually looked pretty good- the Greekster had appealed to me, a hamburger with tomato, cucumber, tzatziki sauce, and feta cheese. My mom makes some really good Greek turkey burgers, and hers are probably better
We got the car and drove to Sisters, but they were closed. We skipped checking Riverside Cafe and Bed & Breakfast, which, from their website, was in the $20-30 range, and, when I called, I got a message that said if I wanted to make reservations at the restaurant to leave a message! No other restaurant was open! So we returned and told our story and ate ham and cheese sandwiches. On principle Didn't know if anyone else has experienced something similar!