Monday Rant: Feels Like Progress

It wasn't that long ago in Pennsylvania that I couldn't have solved my predicament on Sunday prior to heading downtown for the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers game. There were times that some local beer distributors weren't open at all nor could you get beer at a place that wasn't a six pack shop or a distributor.

I know this state isn't yet at where we all wish it was in terms of liquor laws, but it certainly feels like progress. It was my responsibility to grab a small pack of beer to enable our tailgate to have a beer or two each before heading into the stadium.

My predicament was that I was planning on being on my way downtown by around 9:30 a.m. This would be before most distributors and six pack shops are open in the morning. At least, the ones to my knowledge wouldn't have been open for business by that time. Thankfully, we now sell an assortment of beers in select Giant Eagles throughout state.

I'm not sure Pennsylvania will ever me on par with many other states in the union in the distant future, but this is certainly a few steps forward from what it used to be.

The Beer Snob Visits Jim's Drive In

An original Jim's Dog.

On Skyline Drive in West Mifflin rests a building that isn't out of the ordinary at all, except for the big red letters that read "Jim's." I'm sure if you didn't know what could be found from behind its service windows, you'd never know just like I didn't towards my final years in high school.

They say that some of the best food is in the most obscure of places. Well, the best hot dog I've ever had comes from this building in West Mifflin with the big red letters.

If you get an original Jim's Dog, you get a hot dog with cheese, onions and the homemade special sauce. In my opinion it's this special sauce that makes Jim's unique. Nobody knows what is concocted together to make this sauce except for the people that actually make it. It's kind of like Kentucky Fried Chicken's and Long John Silver's secret recipes.

You can buy jars of the sauce in select Giant Eagles in the area, but a source tells me that the the sauce you buy in stores still isn't exact compared to the sauce used at the shop. So, get to Jim's Drive In when you get a chance. You wont be disappointed.


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