PTC Buckeroos To Saddle-Up,
Ride West for Grub at Rosa’s Cantina
The Porsche Touring Crew compadres are on the move again, this time in search of a new Western-style bar and restaurant in Sewickley called The Hotel and Rosa’s Cantina (the hotelandrosascantina.com)
The restaurant is dedicated to the Old West, complete with memories of – and even a bit of education about, both the Cowboy and Native American ways of life. The back wall of the restaurant, for instance, is dedicated to the great chiefs, the Buffalo Soldiers and the Trail of Tears, and features native American headdresses, saddles and lariats. A number of original watercolors commemorating Western traditions by Don Weller, an octogenarian cowboy from Utah, are scattered throughout the dining room.
The PTC is slated to dine in a private patio area adjacent to the Hotel (weather permitting), where Rosa’s chuck wagon serves up both Southwest/Mexican and American lunch specialties. You’ll see an assortment of burgers and sandwiches, but the more adventurous PTCr’s will want to try the Navajo fry bread, the lime shrimp quesadillas or the braised chicken or beef chicken bowl. The beet and goat cheese and Manny’s Airstream (don’t ask!) salads will tempt any cowpokes with willpower.
The Beaver Street building was erected in the 1880’s as The Sewickley Hotel, first as a respite for weary river travelers, later transitioning into a gathering place for a number of Pittsburgh’s industrial titans who kept Summer homes in Sewickley and in the surrounding hills. Eventually it morphed into, and remained, an extremely popular eatery and watering hole on Sewickley’s main drag.
However, The Cantina’s owner, Robin Fernandez – no stranger to risk — took over the property near the leading edge of the 2019 pandemic, and used the downtime to usher-in a completely new restaurant concept. (If the Donora native’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the creative “branding iron” behind much of Pittsburgh’s nightlife for more than 20 years: Metropol, Rosebud, Heaven and Bossa Nova – the home of PVGP’s Wednesday night gathering for years – were all Robin’s concepts.) Live performances at these venues ranged from the Black Crowes, to Eminem, to David Crosby, to Los Lobos! Continuing in the cowboy spirit, Robin jokingly calls The Hotel and Rosa’s Cantina his “last roundup!”
Parking: There will be plenty of metered spaces available, both on the street and in two closeby municipal lots. Additional information targeting a common area for our cars will be emailed to those registering for the event. The Touring Crew will gather between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27 – then move on to lunch on the patio or dining room just before noon.
The Porsche Touring Crew is a social group within ARPCA, and all PCA members and their guests are welcome to join in its events. Registration for this event is limited and can be completed at Motorsportreg.com. For more information, contact Tom Mueller (ermtcm@verizon.net), or Mark Frumkin (frumkin@ptd.net).
