Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A Night in Budapest Press Release 9-12-09

A NIGHT IN BUDAPEST
An evening with the rare Hungarian Cimbalom at Gypsy Café.

On Saturday, September 12, 2009, South Side’s Gypsy Café will host “A Night in Budapest”, an evening of Hungarian music and food featuring the seldom-seen Cimbalom. Pittsburgh’s George Batyi and Bob Sestili of The Gypsy Strings and special guests will join Chicago Cimbalist Alex Udvary for an intimate dinner and private concert.

Few people can define “cimbalom” let alone describe one. This uncommon musical instrument is of the Dulcimer family, a kind of piano-xylophone hybrid, stringed, but struck with hammers. Although smaller traveling versions of the cimbalom exist, Mr. Udvary’s nearly full-size cimbalom is a rarity outside of Eastern European concert halls.

Centuries ago, the Cimbalom was adopted by Romani (Gypsy) musicians, and the instruments traveled with them throughout Europe. Cimbalom (tsimbal) is also an important instrument in Klezmer orchestras.

The musicians will play “European Style” through the dinner courses, starting with sets on the stage and continuing to individual tables to solicit requests. It is customary to tip the orchestra, especially for playing requests.

Reservations are necessary and seating is limited. $35 per person includes the three-hour show and a three-course Hungarian meal including dessert, soft drinks, and coffee. Tax and tip are not included. For more information, visit www.gypsycafe.net or contact Gypsy Café at 412.381.GYPSY (4977).

Composers noted for their use of the cimbalom include Zoltan Kodaly, Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Peter Eotvos, Gyorgy Kurtag, Louis Andriessen, Henri Dutilleux, and even Elvis Costello.

Gypsy Café is an intimate neighborhood café featuring the cuisines of the Mediterranean and beyond. Full bar; non-smoking. Reservations necessary. A second show may be added Friday, September 11, 2009
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For more information, or to schedule an interview with George Batyi, violinist, contact:
Melanie Evankovich George Batyi
Gypsy Café Gypsy Violinist
412.381.4977 412.853.3569
gypsy@gypsycafe.net gbatyi@aol.com


Melanie EvankovichJim DietzGypsy Cafe1330 Bingham Streetcorner of Bingham and 14th StreetsPittsburgh, PA 15203412.381.GYPSY (4977)www.gypsycafe.net

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Gypsy Update 9-4-09: September (does not) Slow Down!

Hey fans, friends and family of Gypsy! Chef Jim here at the very precipice of seasons as we prepare to tumble into fall and reflect on the summer we’ve had. We’ll start by forgiving what turned out to be not such a good summer for tomatoes* and focus on what a great summer it was for peppers of all kinds. Once that run is done, we’ll focus on squash and pumpkin and the bounty of late harvest as the minions here in the Gypsy kitchens work feverishly to get a Fall Menu together worthy of last year’s.

*A notable exception to this summer’s tomato tragedy is our South Side neighbor Farmer Jody of Lab8 and BYS Yoga fame, who, in a garden plot the size of a kiddie pool, brought forth a gargantuan 2 lb, 14oz tomato, respectfully dubbed “Urban Warrior”! (Now on to the backyard hop harvest!)

We here at Gypsy have a few items of note to pass on to you…

From the Patting-Ourselves-on-the-Back Department:
Seems we have been the center of a little attention storm here at the café. China Millman of the Post-Gazette was kind enough to mention us in a feature about restaurants that offer vegetarian fare (8/20 http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/09232/991956-34.stm) and we decided since the spotlight was on our meatless dishes that we should bring a veggie dish to the Sprout Fund’s Hot House event last Saturday. This paid off as our “Morocco Tacos”, flour tortillas filed with a black-eyed pea, caramelized onion, kale and toasted cumin rice pilaf mixture and topped with tahini/eggplant sauce, garnered us another teeny mention in the PG, this time in the Seen column (9/1) coverage of Hot House. Considering our advertising budget only exists in theory, two mentions in the paper are huge for us. Thanks for the exposure!

In shiny paper news, Pittsburgh Magazine named us “Best Tarot Readings While You Eat.” Although this is kind of like Melanie’s Dad declaring her his “favorite daughter” when she’s the only daughter, we appreciate our eclectic little place being presented with a fittingly eclectic award. Thank you Pittsburgh Magazine, for noticing. Thanks also to our dear resident Tarot reader Rebecca for being a part of Gypsy, and Kudos for her recognition. We and all the folks who visit with her think she’s great, and now PM gives a nod as well. Rebecca is available most Friday and Sunday nights to our dinner guests for readings, but her time does fill quickly, so be sure to make an appointment for a 15- or 30-minute reading when you make your dinner reservation. http://www.wqed.org/

From the Cool Stuff Coming Up Category
Y’know up until the first performance here at Gypsy, I had no idea what a “Cimbalom” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbalom was, but this unique Hungarian instrument has a resonance and sound all its own that is worth seeking. Imagine a member of the dulcimer family crossed with the sounding board of a wind instrument and the fluidity of a harp. That puts you in the same neighborhood as a Cimbalom, but doesn’t quite do it justice. Outside of Europe, this rare and venerable instrument has only a few living masters, and one of them, Alex Udvary, will be performing with The Gypsy Strings’ George Batyi, Bob Sestili, and Jerry Grcevich in our third annual “A Night in Budapest” celebration. Please call to make reservations now for Saturday September 12th (a second night, Friday, September 11th may be added according to demand) to enjoy this rare music and a 3 course Hungarian menu for only $35. The menu will be listed on our website shortly. Another PG mention! http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09246/995023-484.stm

Gypsy will be in two places September 12th as we will also be participating in WYEP’s annual Rock the Block event just down the street in South Side’s Bedford Square. Rock the Block is a terrific fundraising event for WYEP and has in a very short time become on the best events of summer. http://www.wyep.org/

What am I excited about this fall, other than the fall vegetables and fall menu looming large on the near horizon? Why Pittsburgh Comicon, natch, as anyone who knows me knows I am as big a comic book geek as I am a foodie. In order for me and my Geek Brunch staff to make it out to the Con this year (or as I like to call it, the “Nerd Prom”) and to allow us to recover from a weekend full of the events above, we will unfortunately be closed for brunch on Sunday, Sept 13th. We will be back the following Sunday at our regular time and hours for brunch, geekier and brunchier than ever, and we apologize in advance for the inconvenience. My comic book podcast Legion of Dudes (http://www.legionofdudes.com/) will be at the Con when I can’t, so if you see them there give them a wave and a hello. They are mostly harmless if properly medicated…

Classic Literature Brunch—and Birthday Celebration--this Sunday, September 6 NOON-3
One of our dear Gypsy pals and rabid brunch fan, Chad Shannon, wanted to celebrate his birthday with Brunch at Gypsy, but wanted to make it mean something to everyone who came in for brunch, so we came up with a plan. We’ve chosen a brunch theme near and dear to Chad, and in return to dedicating the Brunch to his love of Classic Literature, he has pledged to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation for every one of his “pet” brunch dishes sold. Classic Lit fan; classy guy! Celebrate with Chad this Sunday and feed your belly for a good cause!

BOOOO! Ghosty Stuff!
The Haunted Pittsburgh crew continues to haunt Gypsy Café and we are eerily delighted to partner with them, offering a special 3-course prix fixe menu to fill you and an hour or so of storytelling to thrill you here at Gypsy Wednesdays September 9, 16, 30, and tentatively, 23 (G-20 et al might be scarier on the 23rd!)

We’ve also got some really cool special events coming up with the Haunted Pittsburgh to be announced, and they’re just about to launch their Walking Tours here in South Side! For more info: http://hauntedpgh.blogspot.com/ and a discussion about HP http://pittsblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/ghosts-in-pittsburgh.html!

Mark Your Calendars! Saturday, September 19th—Two Great Events!
Next on our upcoming events list, on Saturday afternoon at 1PM on the 19th, Gypsy is proud to welcome Sherrie Flick, (http://www.sherrieflick.com/) South Side Slopes farmer, Literary Innovator (founder of Gist Street Reading Series and sponsor of ISReads) former pastry chef, and most importantly AUTHOR, as she introduces her newly published novel, Reconsidering Happiness at a luncheon event here at Gypsy in her honor. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently reviewed her newest work:

Fiction: "Reconsidering Happiness," by Sherrie Flick. Pittsburgh novelist finds right recipe for life's lovely moments Sunday, August 30, 2009By Sherri Hallgren
and you can read about it here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09242/993906-148.stm

The event is $20 per person and includes lunch and time with Sherrie in our intimate café. Please call for Reservations!

Jazz with Don Aliquo and Mark Perna!
Saturday night the 19th, join us for dinner with the sweet sounds of Jazz with saxophonist Don Aliquo and bassist Mark Perna starting at 7:30! Please call for Reservations!


As always, thank you for your interest in our little café.

Chef Jim

Call: 412.381.4977Email: gypsy@gypsycafe.netFax: 412.381.4979
Gypsy Café1330 Bingham Street, South Side!http://www.gypsycafe.net/