Enjoy the weather and get drunk

Being a graduate student has its ups and downs. One great thing is that I've met some really great people and really enjoy spending time with them. The WORST thing about being a graduate student over the summer at CMU is the NINE hours of class on Wednesdays- it's killer. Not only does this mean that I have to send my puppy to doggy day care (oh yes, I got a cute little puppy), but I can't go home (or anywhere really) and am forced to eat my meals on campus. (Although that does give me a good opportunity to explore more restaurants!)


This past Wednesday, a few of us decided to go to Union Grill on Craig Street for lunch (picture of interior above). Well we didn't really DECIDE- we sort of just walked by and were too lazy to walk to Quiznos 100 feet away, so we stopped. I've been to Union Grill a number of times during my undergraduate career, and nothing there really impresses me.

Union Grill is a great place to go if you are looking for a semi-nice restaurant (with a bar of course) that is close by with reasonable prices. The food really isn't spectacular, but isn't awful either... just (as Eric would say) 'meh'.

I usually get their crabcake sandwich (sorry, no pictures today). They took it off their menu recently, but to my surprise they had it on their specials lunch menu this Wednesday! The ones I've had in the past were a lot better as the crabcake that day didn't have a lot of flavor and was smaller than usual. The sandwich was plain and dry and I didn't even feel like I was eating crab- isn't that the whole point of a crabcake sandwich?! I got a side of vegetables with my order (instead of fries- Eric should be proud) and really, the vegetables were my favorite. The vegetables (sugar snap peas, red bell peppers and asparagus) were crisp and was cooked in a light butter sauce. I would have liked it to have less buttery grease so I could have felt better about myself- but it was still delicious nonetheless.

Although I was a bit disappointed by my meal, my friends definitely were happy and satisfied with their $10 bottled wine list. Each were able to get one full glass of wine out of the $10 bottle (aka 4 glasses), which I am sure made them very happy (and ready) to go to our next class.

The common theme around the table were burgers. I've had the burgers myself and what I personally like about them is that you can build your own burger and really put almost anything you want on it. If you want to be healthy like Anupama, you can also order a turkey burger!

I've also tried the french onion soup, caesar salad, fish tacos and cheesesteak from Union Grill. The soup was awful- I think it was the cheese they used- because it smelled like feet. The caesar salad wasn't that great either as the lettuce was soft and lacked that crunch that I love about romaine lettuce. The fish tacos and cheesesteak again was 'meh' but i'd have to say that the fish tacos were very large. That's what she said. (You're welcome, Ryan) My favorite thing I've had at Union Grill has got to be their chicken pot pie. I was looking for it on the menu, but I couldn't find it (sadface). BUT, if you ever do see it on the menu, I highly suggest trying it! It is creamy with huge chunks of chicken and vegetables and the crust is baked until its brown and perfectly flaky! Yummy!

Pragna got the Pittsburgh salad, which is always HUGE (and a common favorite). Although it was a salad- it didn't look quite healthy- but still delicious I'm sure. None of the salads there (or anything on the menu really) is for the health conscious, but aren't you there to get drunk anyway?

In general, Union Grill isn't a place that really prides itself on having gourmet food with excellent quality ingredients. However, I think it IS a great place to grab some lunch with a few friends, enjoy the weather (as it has an outside dining area as well) and get drunk.