A Dash of Spectacular: Over the Weekend: Tacos, Target {+ Neiman Marcus} & Tours

After a long week of getting back into the swing of things after a fantastic 4+ day holiday break, I was ready for a cocktail. A coworker and I planned a happy hour for Friday evening at a favorite of mine in Lawrenceville. It was a merry group!

Festive wall paper/ceiling.

Saturday morning Husband and I woke up early with out sights set on one thing - the Neiman Marcus + Target collaboration. We were second and third in line at the Target off 279, and we made pleasant conversation with the security guard and executive on duty. We were able to get everything we wanted {not all pictured here, as several purchases are gifts for a reader or two of this blog!}, including these incredible travel bags by Carolina Herrera.

She is my birthday twin, people.

I was not impressed with the clothing selections, but the items for the home were outstanding. What are your thoughts on the collection? Did you buy anything?

- - -

We left the north suburbs to head out to the Lawrenceville Cookie Tour in our 'hood. Our first stop {after going home for a coffee} as Jay Design Soaps & Gifts.

AKA, the soap and cat store.

Sleepy Cat.

I woke up the greeter cat and continued to annoy her with petting and photo-taking. He also has a grey {and very sassy} cat that roams the store constantly. We stopped next door to grab a croissant at La G, then moved on down Butler Street.

We thankfully stopped into 720 Records, because I found a fantastic 50s-style cropped jacket. In magenta. Lovely. We also sampled two of their cookies, surrounded by LPs. They're such nice people at 720, and how can you beat buying music, clothing and books while having something from their cafe?

We stopped into a few more boutiques, galleries and shops before reliving a memory by stopping for a late lunch at Coca Cafe. It's a shame that I didn't write a review on it the first time; We'd just moved to Pittsburgh the day before, and I hadn't explored my food writing hobby yet. Thus, we'll talk about it now.

Coca Cafe is a perfect stop for hungry Butler Street shoppers. It's got breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, with a nice dessert menu to follow. We've been for both brunch and lunch, and our selections this time were similar. I ordered the mushroom omelet which included many different types of mushrooms {shitake, portabella and crimini}, spinach, caramelized onions and Gruyere. So good, you guys. The crispy potatoes along side were just a bonus.

I could only eat half of the huge omelet, so I had a mean toasty sandwich later.

Husband went for the black bean burger, served with a mustardy potato salad with pickled red onions. His burger was good, but that potato salad was outstanding. It doesn't help that I love mustard and potatoes. {Usually separately.}

Great portions!

Appetizer-wise, we also ordered the lobster bisque, which was creamy and cheesy somehow, but delicious. Husband got a plate of the white bean and rosemary hummus crostini {topped with tomatoes, pancetta and broccoli rabe}, which sounds delightfully healthy, but were unimpressed with the lack of flavor-mingling.

Last Cookie Tour, we ordered a grilled local chicken sandwich with Brie, green apple and fig spread, which again I had to take home and finish. Husband ordered a romaine and grilled shrimp salad, which was devoured in minutes.

Coca Cafe is a high-traffic place to eat, and there's a reason why - their food is simply what you expect from a good cafe. One word of advice, though: stick to the main dishes, as the appetizers are hit-or-miss.

Neighborhood: Lower Lawrenceville
Good For: Busy Shoppers, Brunch
Gems: Omelets
Drawbacks: Appetizers, Potential Wait Times {Call ahead!}