Friday Night Dinner at The Fat Squirrel!

Friday morning, my aunt reached out to me about meeting her for dinner. It was this place in Jennerstown that she liked, called the Fat Squirrel. We decided to meet at 4:30, and we got a table outside. The menu had some interesting choices for appetizers. We all agreed that the Sweet Potato Fries was the best choice. This would be my first time trying brisket and it was good. We took our time ordering because all the choices looked good. The menu reminded me of a few times when Mr. Clougherty and I ate dinner at Sun Dawg (before the owners opened the new restaurant). At first I was going to try the cheesesteak Mac and cheese, and then it was either going to be a sandwich or a panini. I ended up choosing the brisket panini with pimento cheese and fried green tomatoes. Actually it was half brisket and half smoked chicken. My side was the garlic parmesan cauliflower.

The Fat Squirrel lets you BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle), and my cousin did just that by bringing three little bottles of Prosecco. The food was great and it was a nice night for outdoor dining, albeit a little windy. I wonder what business is like in the cooler months. Does this place close for the season? That would be important to know. We all enjoyed ourselves and my aunt had a nice birthday dinner. We left around 6:30 and I made my way back down the mountain to Greensburg.

Overall grade: 5 out of 5.

In our family, we are looking forward to the Gaffron Family Picnic on October 12. But first, my mom and aunt enjoyed a nice morning at Laurel Hill and mom sent this pic of a new fire pit near where they met yesterday morning. This is located next to our luxe lakefront indoor pavilion where we’ll have our reunion.

Friday afternoon before I set sail on my adventure, I got a group message from my cousin about the picnic. I’m currently on the fence about either bringing food or making something to take to the picnic. If I decide to buy something, I’m trending towards cookies from the Giant Eagle bakery (I’ll go that Friday). If I decide to make something I’m thinking a carrot cake or a pumpkin spice cake. No matter what I bring and no matter what the weather will be, I’m looking forward to having a great time and enjoying the early days of my vacation.

There’s five weeks between now and then, so I’ll enjoy September and all that it has to offer. Last night, I watched the first episode of the new season of the Great British Baking Show. I returned from Jennerstown around 7:30. After taking some time to decompress, I got to enjoy the show with Mom.

I won’t give a thorough recap of the show so that I can avoid posting spoilers. I loved the intro to the show and the cakes were very neat. It’s time to change things up in my television viewing habits. After enjoying the Halloween Baking Championship the last four years on Food Network, I’m moving on this year. The jury is out even on Holiday Baking Championship, but if there’s a new season I’m most certainly in.

Before I met my aunt and cousin at the Fat Squirrel for our Friday night dinner, I stopped at Cutie’s and had the Caramel Waffle Latte. It was either go to Cutie’s or break up the trip and stop in Ligonier. As fun as that would have been, I’m glad I had my Cutie’s fix on Friday. Two for two on the new Fall menu with more trips to come. I’ll be there Monday night for Bible Study and the weather is looking perfect.