Lofty Letdowns

I kind of hate to write this post, but I am not about to lie to my readers or lead you astray by not telling you the "whole truth" in a review of places I've been to. Although this blog is to show that Pittsburgh has great things and places to go to and that anyone can have a good time basically anywhere, that is not so much the case in this post.

On Saturday, MJ and I went to The Wine Loft with a group of friends to celebrate the 25th birthday of our dear friend, Gabby. I love seeing this group. They were some of the greatest and most genuine friends that I have met and I'm thankful that their friendship has extended beyond the walls of Seton Hill and even though we've all graduated either two or three years ago, we still can get back together without missing a beat.

Photo credit.

 However, we might have been better off going somewhere else. I had such high hopes for The Wine Loft. I swoon every time I have look at their website. I turn into a lush just thinking about all the different wines (and food) on their menus and was so excited when this was the place Gabby picked. To be fair, the wine was dry like I wanted it to be, the food was as delicious as I thought it'd be, the decor and layout of the place was beautiful, but the service was so sub par that I know I will not be returning anytime soon.

Let's talk about the decor. Since we were seated in the upper level, I felt like we were at some one's super chic apartment. Very VIP and classy. My only problem with the decor/layout is that there is really no understanding of the place when you walk in the door. No one is there to greet you, no hostess table or area where it makes sense to stop and, not only be welcomed, but to be shown where to go or told what spaces are available. Luckily, as per usual, MJ and I (okay really just I) was running fashionably late and we saw our group when we first walked in. However, for the first member of our group that wasn't the case and she had to track someone down to see where our party was supposed to be. She was never greeted at the door or asked if she was waiting for someone or anything. You know, the typical restaurant protocol that you would expect anywhere else.

Also, although not totally her fault because there were only two waitresses running around all night, but our service was terrible. As someone currently working in the service industry, I feel bad saying that but it was just absolutely terrible. To the point where the same friend who wasn't greeted at the door, went to the bar to get a round of waters since we never got them after asking for them to be delivered with our food. Water is the easiest thing to get people. Also, MJ had to track down our waitress to tell her our dessert orders since we hadn't seen her for about 20 minutes and then had to repeatedly tell her what we wanted. I understand that it was not fully her fault and do not blame her, but the management of this place made me cringe. If all of your waitresses call off on a Saturday night, you call in more. Oh, and our waitress kept complaining to us that they had run out of glasses and they were not doing bottle service. Excuse me? This is the Wine Loft. You are known for having wine. Why don't you have enough glasses? It's not like there was an absurdly large number of people there - it was a typical Saturday night crowd.

What makes me the most upset is that, we had a reservation, and our friends knew what they wanted before everyone got there and ordered for everyone, yet still, nothing seemed to go right. Sigh. I won't go on. The plus side of the evening...seeing our friends and catching up with the wonderful women we used to see everyday. I missed each of them so much. And we got to see a wedding proposal, which was cool to be in that special moment of a total stranger's life haha

This post is not to tell you to totally write off The Wine Loft. As always, I encourage my readers to go out and experience anything I review for themselves and to form their own opinions. This is just a warning to hope that you'll have a better experience if you decide to go. Things to keep in mind: make a reservation, know what you want before you get there, and know that, for some odd reason, they might run out of glasses.

Maniac Magazine Blogger Event & Holiday Issue

Spoiler Alert: There are a lot of pictures in this post! 

I have officially gone to my first blogger event. About a week ago, I got the invite from Maniac Magazine to come to their Pittsburgh blogger event in the old Nine West building in SouthSide Works. And of course, I agreed to go! Thankfully, I was actually scheduled not to work either, so it was like destiny. Alright, not destiny, because I rode the bus to get there, but you get the idea.

First, what I wore...
Since we were asked to bring our laptops with us to the event, I knew I would need a big bag to carry mine in, which meant I didn't want to wear a coat...because I'm fussy. So what that meant, was layers. As you can see, I wore my pink skinnies from Target with my black, peep-toe heels, also from Target. And for the top half, a black sequin tank from Express, heather-gray long sleeve shirt from Old Navy and a light gray cardigan from Target, have I mentioned how much I love that store? And of course I belted it with a dark gray belt I forget where I bought and a light pink knitted scarf from Forever 21. I also was wearing pink earrings and a ring from Charlotte Russe and my gray fridge bag is from mark.

No one home to take my picture! Boo!

Me and Gabby from Primped in Pittsburgh!

Now on to the event & most importantly the magazine...
If you have never read Maniac Magazine, you should. To describe it in one word, I'd say: luxurious. The feel of the paper is rich, not glossy, and each page displays quality images and well-edited text. The stories are clever and the pictures are interesting, but the most glorious thing about this magazine is that it features Pittsburgh. Cue the Hallelujah Chorus. I am in love and considering becoming their newest subscriber. This is a magazine you really need to check out. It has anything you'd want in a typical beauty, fashion or lifestyle magazine with the additional elements of Pittsburgh flare. Even all the advertisements were Pittsburgh related. My favorite section though is the Street Style pages, because they reminded me of my own Fashion Forward Fridays...which I know you guys love too! Here's a quick look inside...

Cover of the Maniac Magazine 2012 Holiday Issue.

Great spread of Nikki Reed, just in time for the Twilight release in two days!

Maniac Magazine Fashion - catching up with New York Fashion Week.

Maniac Magazine Beauty - look how great this layout is! Beautiful!

Maniac Magazine Feature - Mark Wahlberg (I added this picture for you, Chaniece!)

Holiday Gift Guide - just so everyone knows, I love Three Rivers Clothing!

Overall, I am so happy that I was able to make it to this event! Along with the other bloggers in attendance, I was able to get a lovely bag of beauty goodies, a free massage, compliments of LaVida Massage in Shadyside and free manicure from Capristo Salon and Wellness Spa, just what I needed after my busy last week and minor cold this weekend. Now, thanks to Maniac Magazine, I met some new blogging friends, got pampered, have a new favorite read and am excited to get back in the swing of blogging. What a great Tuesday night! Be sure to also check out Maniac Magazine, through their blog, Facebook and Twitter, they are sure to please and this issue is sure to impress!