Franklin Inn has Our Own Zorro!

Brendon (left) at the Holy Grail 2011 Tournament.

You’ve probably met Brendon Beatty during one of your visits to the Franklin Inn.  He’s been with us for several years and can be seen mostly serving and sometimes even cooking (probably because he likes the shiny sharp objects in the kitchen!) This soft spoken server has another side unrelated to food….he’s a master swordsman.  That’s right! He is the Franklin Inn’s very own Zorro!

Brendon is actually a Champion Fencer, Master Swordsman, and USFCA Certified Instructor with years of experience in tournament competition and teaching others.  He is the former coach of the then Championship winning Taylor Allderdice Fencing Team (My Alma mater by the way!). He continues to share his knowledge and history of the sport he loves through his Corsair School of Arms.

Leanne at the Tiger Fencing,
Women's Foil Competition.

Corsair stands for Club of Renaissance Swordsmanship and Interpretive Reenactment.  Corsair provides both Sport Fencing and Historical Fencing (Dueling) with period weapons. I told you he’s our Zorro! I visited one of his practices and was surprised to see that it was multi-generational not just kids and teens.  I should also note that Corsair is not just for the boys. In fact, another Franklin Inner is also involved and receiving accolades: Leanne Woods looks sweet and smiley when she is serving you a margarita but she is a worthy opponent as evidenced by her progress in the sport. In their last competition at the Holy Grail 2011 Tournament the Corsair Team entered with a Mixed Saber Team and won first place. Corsair will be competing again July 30^th at the 2011 Keystone Tournament Games in Hershey, PA. Good Luck Brendon, Leanne and the rest of Team Corsair.

Brendon's dad, Vince (middle)

During my visit to Corsair’s practice, I was warmly welcomed by Brendon’s father, Vince.  He enthusiastically explained what we were observing, the various weapons used and the history of fencing (like why fencers wear white...see http://usfencing.org/resources/fencing-facts for the answer to that and some cool fencing facts). I was hooked and intrigued by the eloquence of this sport and how it reminded me of one of my favorite childhood authors, Dumas, whose stories brought romantic ideals alive for me…the struggle between good and evil, the triumph of truth, forgiveness, noble intentions, honor and true love. Hoping to live vicariously through my children, I just about begged them to be my three little musketeers and give fencing a try.  Alexandre who? The Count of What? They’re in a “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” reading world. My mention of the Princess Bride and Zorro was also met with a blank stare. I switched tactics and told Joey that he would learn to battle like a Jedi with his light saber and reminded the girls of how much they loved the Barbie and the Musketeers movie.  That sparked some interest!

Corsair Saber Team at Holy Grail 2011.

Setting aside the romantic notions of the classics or images of modern pop movie heroes engaged in battle; fencing in reality is a great sport to stay fit mentally and physically.  You’ll also learn hand eye coordination, balance, stamina, agility, and what "En garde" really means.  Consider visiting Brendon to find out more about fencing. You will be fascinated by his and his father's fencing knowledge. Corsair currently meets at Heritage Church just a block south of the Franklin Inn.  Most recently, practices are held on Monday and Thursday nights but the schedule does change occasionally, so contact Brendon for updated days and times. He can be reached at brenjamin@yahoo.com or corsairfencing.info. Feel free to ask Brendon about Corsair next time you visit the Franklin Inn as well.  He's at the restaurant at some point (pun intended) most days of the week.

Happier Waiting at the Inn?

“NoWait” is One New Way We Are Striving
to Improve Our Service to You

We love you and appreciate that you are willing to wait to eat at the Franklin Inn on busy nights, but we want to do better by you if we can. Most of you don’t mind chatting in the bar with a margarita until your table is available. For others who have children (I know....we have three!) or places to go, a wait can be more difficult.  Folks currently seated need time to enjoy their meal from appetizers to dessert without feeling rushed but we also know that you are in our door way waiting to be seated too. Enter “NoWait.”  A cool new ipad tool developed locally to help better manage the seating list resulting in a happier wait.

Now, when you visit the Franklin Inn on a night where a wait list has developed: 
You’ll check in with the host as usual. In addition, she'll ask for your cell phone number to text you when your table is ready. The host will send you a text with your estimated time. This gives you freedom of movement! You can enjoy a margarita at the bar, wait on our patio, read a magazine article in your car, take the kids for a walk along Oakleaf Lane, etc.  You may even have enough time to run a quick errand or return to your nearby home to pick up the teen who was still fixing her hair when you left! You don’t have to worry about missing the host yelling out your name or have the nuisance of holding on to or being out of range with one of those traditional clunky restaurant pagers.  Just keep your cell phone on and handy (and keep in mind the host’s estimated time before you go too far!).  When you get the table-is-ready-text, return to the host to be seated. Or, you can text back and say that you’re not ready to be seated. We'll return you to the list and seat the next group. It's that simple. I'm told that any cell phone or smart phone with texting capabilities should work.

After your meal, you’ll receive another text from us asking you if you'd like to opt into our text message service to receive updates and other special offers.  If you decline, your phone number is wiped out of the system. If you do opt in, however, you may receive additional goodies from us occasionally. (The best deal is to join our email program, the Inn Crowd, where you'll receive the eInnSider Update, birthday certificates and more.)  We will never ever misuse or give your contact information to anyone else.  

What happens if you don't have a phone with texting capability? No problem. Just stay close by and the host will call out your name when your table is ready. Our intent is simply to serve you better.

“NoWait” offers you more freedom of movement with a more pleasant wait. We'll be testing this program for the next six months to see if you are better served through the use of it.  Bear with us as we work through the initial kinks and all hosts are trained. Let us know what you think of it once you’ve had the opportunity to experience “NoWait.”  We appreciate your input.

We'll be at Cocktails & Cuisine Benefit for Crisis Center North Tonite!

What are you doing this weekend? John, Carrie, Cody and I are headed to the Cocktails and Cuisine Benefit for Crisis Center North. If you are attending, stop by the Franklin Inn table and say, "hi." We'll be serving Potato Pepper Soup and Chorizo Bites. It should be a fun night. And, it looks like we are going to have great weather.

Visit their website or check out this video to find out more about the great work that Crisis Center North is doing.



If you aren't attending, join Mari Kay and the rest of the gang at the Inn. We have a great weekend lined up and, of course, your menu favorites are also available.Check out the weekend features here: http://www.franklininn.net/Franklinspecials1.htm.

Congratulations Kristen!

Pictured above (pun intended) is the Inn's own multi-talented, Kristen Thomas. Her photo to the right was selected from a few hundred photographs to be included in Point Park University's Mirrors and Windows exhibit. The caption under the photograph says: " Untitled" a Carbon Pigment Print.

Jalapeño PopCorn Recipe

Many of you have requested the recipe for our Jalapeño PopCorn. John was inspired to create it years ago when a customer raved about a pepper popcorn that he had eaten at a bowling alley. John thought to himself, "with all the fresh ingredients we have around here, we should be able to make a kick-butt spicy popcorn." Karen took over and perfected John's original recipe. I've been trying to get the details from John or Karen on how we make the Jalapeño Popcorn. Both of them give me slightly different versions (John uses fresh garlic and Karen uses garlic powder).

Ingredients:
* Vegetable Oil (amount per instructions on popcorn you use)
* Fresh Garlic thinly diced or garlic powder (if using garlic powder add at end in bowl)
* Jalapeno thinly sliced and diced (Again to taste-Karen uses about a tablespoon per half cup of kernels).
Leave a few thin round slices to impress a guest. Looks pretty but be careful about eating it unless you like it hot.
* A Good Quality Pop Corn
* Butter
* Garlic Powder and Salt to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large deep pot.  If using fresh garlic add now along with diced jalapeño and popcorn kernels.  Mix and sauté until all the flavors are infused in the oil and kernels are well coated.  Kernels should start to pop. Be mindful of the directions on the brand you use. Move the cooked popcorn to a large serving bowl.  If you are using garlic powder like Karen, add it now along with salt and melted butter to taste. Heck...I love garlic so I vote for both fresh and powder in mine!

There you have it: spicy and tasty Jalapeno popcorn. We've been serving it up at the Inn for over a decade to rave reviews. Let me know if you attempt it. Or, just join us for Jalapeño PopCorn Happy Hour in our bar on Wednesdays. You can also use a Jalapeño Salt Topping, but trust me you won't get the same rich deep flavor as using the real stuff.  Enjoy!

Free Fried Ice Cream for Doing a Good Deed?

The Third Annual Race for Joe takes place a couple blocks south of the Franklin Inn (the neighborhood where John grew up) on Saturday, April 23rd.  It's a memorial 5k run/walk in memory of a local young man, Joe Guzzetti. All proceeds will benefit scholarships for graduates of North Allegheny High School.

John, the kids, and I will be participating. And, we thought we'd sweeten the deal if you would like to join us for this event.  Do a good deed, get a little exercise, brush off the winter blues, hang out with others in our community, and get a free fried ice cream.

That's right, a free fried ice cream.  One of our most popular desserts.  Join us for lunch at the Inn after the walk and we'll treat you to a free fried ice cream. Just show your server proof of participation. There will be a coupon in your runner's goodie bag. Visit our website for the full details and rules here: http://www.franklininn.net/specialevents.htm.

To register for the Walk for Joe visit their website. If you register before April 10, you will be guaranteed a t-shirt and a reduced entrance fee. The website is http://www.raceforjoe.org/index.html.

And, by the way, I will be walking not running...but knock yourself out and I'll see you for lunch and fried ice cream at the Inn!

Race for Joe

Saturday, April 23, 2011

www.raceforjoe.org

History Repeats Itself at Fire & Ice Chili Cook Off.

Franklin Inn’s Aztec Chile Wins First Place At Chile Cook Off, Again….Two Decades Later!

Several weeks ago I received a call from Denise, the Director of Development, at Anchor Point Counseling Center.  She explained that the Owners of the Shoppes at Northway had been so kind and hospitable to Anchor Point providing a nice space to store and sort books and a venue for the organization’s upcoming Used Book Sale (June 6-11).  They wanted, in turn, to support the Mall’s efforts, so Anchor Point reserved a table at Northway’s Third Annual Fire and Ice Chili Cook Off.   The problem was Anchor Point is not known for their chili (counseling, parenting workshops and tutoring-yes-but chili,nope). No recipe-confident volunteers amongst the staff stepped forward to make the chili for the competition.  So, Denise asked me if the Franklin Inn would bail them out and donate the Chili for the cook-off.

John and I decided to enter the competition with our Award Winning Aztec Chile.  We knew it would be a strong contender.  No one else has a chili like it. It’s spicy and features special ingredients like the smoky pasilla chile.  Sue Cibula (John’s mom) developed the recipe for the Inn’s popular Aztec Chile in response to an invitation to a local Chile Cook off about 20 years ago. “I thought that we ought to be able to come up with something better than the other submissions since we were a Mexican Restaurant,” she explained.   Sue and then manager, Aunt Noreen, entered the recipe in the Chile Cook off. It won over the taste buds of the judges and took first place.  The Aztec Chile was then added to the Franklin Inn’s menu and customers have been enjoying it ever since.

Denise Patsko & her nephews (L). Wendy, John, Joey, Grace & Julia Cibula (R).
BTW, The event was for the Central Blood Bank...Don't forget to give blood.

Our kitchen manager, Karen, cooked several gallons of this amazing chili for the Fire & Ice Chile Cook Off last Saturday Night and off John and I went.  The event was great fun. We were excited and flattered by the numerous return visitors to the Anchor Point table featuring the Franklin Inn’s Aztec Chile. Taster after Taster told us that our chili was the best.  The event had a better than anticipated turnout. Our Chile actually ran out way before it was over…and history repeated itself! We won the Chile Cook Off. Two decades after its first award the Aztec Chile is still a tasty winner.  Thank you to Anchor Point for choosing the Inn’s Chili to enter into the competition giving us the opportunity to prove once again that the Inn’s approach of simple fresh Mexican food made with good ingredients stands the test of time.  Join us at the Inn today for a bowl of Sue Cibula’s Award Winning Aztec Chile and taste it for yourself.

Strawberry Margarita Pie Recipe

This recipe was inspired by the Inn's Frozen Strawberry Margaritas. John's mom, Sue Cibula, thought that a Strawberry Margarita pie would be a delicious idea. She was already serving her Lime Margarita Pie which was a big hit and thought that the Inn's patrons would enjoy a Strawberry version since the Strawberry Margaritas were so popular. So, Sue and Aunt Noreen put their heads together, researched some recipes and then finally created this incredibly delicious dessert. Don't skip the pretzel crust. It really pulls the whole thing together. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

The Franklin Inn's Strawberry Margarita Pie

Makes 15 square pieces

 
Ingredients
1 large Bag of Pretzels
1/2 cup Softened Butter
2 cups Non Dairy Topping
2 ounces Sauza Blanco Tequila
6 ounces Lime Juice
1/2 cup Sugar
2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 pint Strawberries....Coarse Chopped
2 ounces frozen Strawberry Cocktail




Directions
* Crush pretzels in a food processor (enough to cover bottom of pan)
* Mix pretzels together with butter, place in 1/2 (appr. 10 x12)  size foil pan and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

* With a hand mixer, mix non dairy topping until stiff.

* Mix tequila, lime juice, and sugar, sweetened condensed milk, strawberries, and strawberry cocktail. (Frozen strawberries may be substituted but then the strawberry cocktail is unnecessary unless you want it to be extra berry tasting....its a preference thing!).

* Fold the stiffened non-dairy topping into the other mixed ingredients.
* Pour over the pretzel crust and freeze.

Garnish as you wish with fresh strawberry slice, lime, whipped cream, chocolate sauce etc.

You can also make this in a round pie pan....which we do occasionally.

Dolly Celebrates 28 Years at the Inn...

By Kristen Thomas

Twenty-eight years and countless margaritas later, Elaine “Dolly” Washburn continues to tend bar at the Franklin Inn Mexican Restaurant. The Inn has gone through numerous changes and occasions and Dolly has been present for most of them. She was hired by owner, Sue Cibula, in 1982 and continued working at the Inn when Sue’s son and daughter-in-law, John and Wendy Cibula took over.

First cooking, then serving, Dolly never imagined herself bartending. Then one day Noreen Cibula, John’s aunt, asked Dolly if she would bartend. Dolly said no way, but Noreen made her do it anyway.

The stories that come with Dolly’s 28 years are hilarious, shocking, and some too juicy to mention. The animation that runs across her face when telling the stories adds so much to them.

The Franklin Inn is known for their involvement with the 1999 film, Dogma, staring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Linda Fiorentino. Dolly said the day they filmed the movie at the Franklin Inn was hectic. Towards the end of the filming, Dolly was used in outtakes of the film. “Even three years after the movie was shot, I had customers coming into the bar asking where Affleck sat, what he touched and what he did in the bar.” Women of all ages came into the bar to ask questions and take photographs.

By working at the Inn for such a long time, she has formed long-lasting friendships with many of the regular customers and the owners. “If it wasn’t for Sue, this place wouldn’t be here,” says Dolly, “she built relationships with her employees and made it so you don’t want to leave.”

Dolly has built a few relationships herself over the years.  The owners receive many comment cards with Dolly's accolades. One long time customer says, "Dolly always knows what I like to drink and eat without me needing to be asked or order. Dolly is, well, a Doll." Frequent Facebook posts mention Dolly and her ability to make friends and strangers all feel welcomed at her bar. “She is one of the kindest and most honest people I know. I appreciate her contributions to our Franklin Inn team. I can't say enough about her,” adds Wendy Cibula.


The infamous Chorizo burrito has been Dolly’s favorite menu item ever since the Inn started serving it. She also loves the homemade Jalapeño Vinaigrette and the black bean and corn salad.

When it comes to behind the bar, Dolly’s favorite drink is the Dos Equis draft. The strangest drink that a customer asked for was a Slippery Nipple. Dolly had no idea what it was. According to Drinksmixer.com, a Slippery Nipple is ½ ounce of Bailey’s Irish Cream and ½ ounce of Butterscotch Schnapps. Many of the regulars refer to the margaritas that Dolly makes as, “Dollyritas” because they say she makes the best margaritas around. “Dolly is the Bret Farve of bar tending,” says fellow Franklin Inn bartender, David Summer.

Kristen Thomas is working towards a degree in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Photography at Point Park. When she's not spending time in the dark room or with school assignments, Kristen can be found at the Franklin Inn Mexican Restaurant. A newbie at the Inn compared to Dolly, you'll most often see Kristen serving or hosting. She's also spent some time in the kitchen and occasionally she fills in at the bar where she has learned from the pros how to make one of the Franklin Inn's infamous Mason Jar Margaritas.

Let's Celebrate National Tequila Day Today!

National Tequila Day was Saturday but the Inn is just too packed on Saturdays. You would not have been happy with us. And, we couldn't celebrate it on Monday because we'd be in trouble with the our thirty cent hot wing and dollar taco bar crowd. So, we are celebrating National Tequila Day today and tomorrow at the Inn (that's Tuesday and Wednesday during the hours that our kitchen is open).
And, what better way to celebrate then with the a delicious pair:

Margaritas & Burritos

When you order a full or half mason jar of the most famous tequila-containing drink, the Margarita....
You'll get a free burrito.
There is one catch! 

Here is the catch: You have to give your server a tequila tidbit. A fact, a story, a joke. Keep it clean...We're a family restaurant. Those of you who attended the tequila tastings the last few years are full of tequila knowledge!  If we like your story, we may even include it here on this blog. Write it down and bring it in with your name on. We'll have slips of paper at the Inn just in case you forget! Have fun and Enjoy your Margarita and Burrito!

You can not combine this Margarita and Burrito promotion with any other special offers (no town calendar, inn crowd certificates, etc.)