{PGH Dining} Alexander's Italian Bistro

This might sound odd {or alcoholic to some}, but every once in a while I get a craving for red wine and pasta covered in red sauce. 

Each time I get that craving, I know the place I'll be having my dinner - Alexander's Italian Bistro on Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield. Again, I wax nostalgic about this place because it was out first 'real Italian' experience when we rolled into Pittsburgh last December. And, was it a good one.

PGH Dining: Del's Bar & Ristorante DelPizzo

Today, the Lunch Bunch headed over to Del's Bar & Ristorante DelPizzo, otherwise known as Del's {or that place that was on Restaurant Impossible.} Screaming ladies aside, we had a good time.
The four of us each ordered off the lunch menu, where most items were priced at $7.95 {and came with a side dish}.  We sat down at a table near the large windows and ordered caffeinated drinks. It was a must. It's only Tuesday after all! We munched on room-temperature bread while chatting. There's nothing wrong with room-temperature bread, I just thought it was a detail worth mentioning.

Obliterated bread basket.

PGH Dining: Rita's Italian Ice

Sweets are a must for Husband and I, and we knew we wanted to try Rita's Italian Ice as soon as possible. The weather has turned spring-like, so this want is now a need! We drove to the nearest Rita's, which is in Millvale.  

RIGHT before the line got LONG.

 Rita's features Italian ices, frozen custard and gelati's {which is a mix of the two}.

 This location was hopping on a Tuesday night, and had many types of folks in line. 

 Husband opted for the gelati, in oreo. He loved having the option of eating both the icey part and the thick custard. 

 I chose to get the frozen custard {my favorite} in the chocolate and vanilla combination. 

 Covered in hot fudge, of course.

Glamour shot in the car.

We both got small sizes {a small and a kid's size}, and they were more than enough for a dessert. The prices was on-point for custard, too. We liked the variety of flavors, especially for the ices. We'll be frequenting this local favorite often this summer.

Neighborhood: Millvale {And other locations!}

Good For: Dates, Quick Desserts

Gems: Flavor Choices, Inventive Options

Drawbacks:  - 

PGH Dining: The Naked Grape Enoteca

I'm going a bit out of order, and I'm skipping other reviews to write one on the Naked Grape Enoteca. It's worth it. 

We received several recommendations from Husband's coworkers that live in or near Sewickley to try the Naked Grape while we were there on our stay-cation this weekend. We walked in at 5:00PM on Saturday evening, and were immediately seated at our table of choice...outside. The weather was lovely. The tables were not fully extended because the restaurant had just opened for the evening, but the tables could seat up to 5 or 6 people. 

But before we get to the wine and food, take a look at the decor on the inside:

Gift sets and wine accoutrement. 

We sat at the table close to the door, and enjoyed the sunset while looking over their order form menu. The Naked Grape works differently than other wine bars/bistros. They are a wine tasting room, with the availability to order bottles or cases of wine. In PA, that's a beautiful thing. {The laws/regulations here are super strict.}

Our sommelier/owner/waitress/lady friend, Ryta, explained that they serve guests wine flights, which feature the wines they frequently order. Great! Sounds like a plan for dinner to me. Pour me a glass, let me hold my Husband's hand, and I'll take in the air while watching the pedestrians, bicyclists and baby strollers go by. 

Our first wine selection was a Sauvignon Blanc from Chafen Vineyards from California. This was one of our favorites, and so much so that we ordered a bottle to take home. {A white wine that Husband actually likes?! Unheard of!}

$24.79/bottle

We then dove into ordering light bites, starting with the biggest thing on their menu: the cheese and meat plate. And, WAS this a PLATE! Salami, Capicola, salted grapes {how rustic Italian!}, artichokes, three cheese wedges {one cow, one sheep and I think another cow}, almonds, walnuts, apricots, olives, and caper berries. Absolutely worth the price {$14}, and perfect with the white wine. 

We then had the Latah Creek Chardonnay {$15.79/bottle}, followed by the Gold Ring Vineyards' Cabernet Sauvignon {16.49/bottle}.

Ryta, one of the owners, was there each step of the flight, sharing her knowledge with us. She was easy-going, and I enjoyed having her to guide us through our hour and a half dinner.

Ryta with the Gold Ring Vineyard's Cab Sav.

I stopped to snap a photo of their plates. Look at that color!

We finished the meal with a plate of hummus, and the bonus pour they were serving for the evening. It was a Chilean wine, which rank among my top picks. {The Consul Chileno Carmenere to be exact. $15.89/bottle.}

Hummus, served with cracked black pepper crackers and olive oiled toasts.

You can view their wine menu here, which while from December 2011, it still features many of the wines we had on Saturday. 

We are so pleased to have made it to the Naked Grape Enoteca and tasted a few of their wines and bites. From the great prices to the detailed selection of the wines they offered, I'm sure we'll continue to order wines from Ryta and her husband, and visit each time we're in Sewickley. Thanks for a lovely meal!

Neighborhood: Sewickley

Good For: Dates, Happy Hour, Group Dinners, Weekend Activity

Gems: Owners, Wine Quality

Drawbacks: Waiting for your ordered wine to come in!

PGH Dining: Piccolo Forno

As soon as we arrived to Pittsburgh and found a place to rent in Lawrenceville, we ate dinner at a little spot that looked lively. It was Piccolo Forno. We had a decent dinner, but left thinking it was "just okay." {Truth be told, we ordered 'healthy' dishes like salads and a light pasta because we were shocked at what I'll call our "PGH 15."} 

We moved on, and ate our way through other fabulous places in our new neighborhood. Still, we kept hearing about how incredible Piccolo Forno was from folks who live all over the Pittsburgh Metro Area. In fact, when we told people we were living in Lawrenceville, 85% of people would say, "Oh yeah, that's where Piccolo  Forno is!"

Last weekend Husband and I were out shopping for the final items for our guest room, and what better place to do it than in the self-named Design District of Lawrenceville? We stopped around 1:00pm to take a lunch break, and we were a block away from Piccolo Forno. It was about time we gave it a second chance.

 The place was {of course} packed, and we had to wait for 15 minutes to be seated at the next available table. Fine with us, because we were seated at a table close to the kitchen {Where the lady in the pink shirt is}, which is always a bonus for me. {I like to see how the food is made.} 

Interior of Piccolo Forno.

We ordered iced tea and Pellegrino, which was offered in the large size. Nice. Love me some bubbly water.

 We shared one of their soups of the day, minestrone with kale, to start. 

 The soup had a slow-simmered taste, and the kale was not overcooked. Good appetizer!

 We then moved on to the arugula pizza, with prosciutto and mozzarella hidden underneath. Lovely option for those that still want to eat some greens with their bready pizza. The quality of the prosciutto was excellent and was sliced appropriately. 

 Our waitress told us they offered scoops of imported Italian gelato for dessert, which wasn't too unheard of. The flavors were meyer lemon, coffee/espresso and cinnamon. Husband opted for the meyer lemon, and I asked for the cinnamon. 

Meyer Lemon and Cinnamon Gelatos.

My flavor won, and by a long shot. I was surprised by the complexity of the gelato, because it tasted like many more spices were present besides cinnamon. It's a must-get!

I'm glad we gave Piccolo Forno another try. We were pleased with the pizza, and the cinnamon gelato was a great finish.

Saturday in the Strip!

The last time Husband and I adventured to The Strip District here in Pittsburgh, aka the Strip, it was a mess. Too many people, too much pre-game hype and nowhere to walk but in the street. Saturday, we decided to go back, mainly because we felt we needed xiaoxing wine, and knew we could get it there. {Backstory: We'd recently watched a show on the Cooking Channel called Easy Chinese: San Francisco, and the host, Ching-He Huang, uses this rice wine in most recipes she makes.} After gathering a list of things we needed for the week, we decided to do our grocery shopping there, too. You can get everything in the Strip!

Our first stop was to Wing Fat Hong, at the eastern end of the Strip. 

Bags of rice in the window, stacked high.

We walked in and stared at all they had to offer. Tons and tons of asian ingredients, spices, oils, sauces, vinegars, fresh vegetables, fish, candies, etc. We went crazy! A few of the staff spoke English, and were nice enough to answer our questions.  I felt a little odd trying to take photos inside, so just I snapped a quick one of the fresh persimmons near the checkout counter. 

Someone I know bakes the {BEST} cookies from these beauties.

Husband holding our box of spoils from WFH.

We then ambled down Penn Ave. towards S&D Polish Deli for a pierogi pitstop. On his first visit out here, Husband had tried a 'pierogi' from a chain grocer. His resulting report wasn't good, and I told him we'd have a do-over with a homemade one from a cart or in the Strip. We ordered the potato and cheddar ones, served with buttery onions on top. YUM!

We also ordered  potato pancakes {can you tell we like potatoes?}, and two small candies. 

These pancakes were served with granulated sugar and sour cream. I chose the sour cream and my sweet tooth Husband had a few bites with the sugar.

Hazelnut for him, cherry for me.

Despite his face, he liked the chocolate. Mine was filled with cherry liquor, and I was surprised when I bit into it. Hello, alcohol!

Before leaving S&D, I spied my favorite mustard, and snapped one up. You could find this mustard in Dallas at the European Market on Forest Lane next to Asian Mint. I was thrilled to find this cute barrel of mustard here, too! {Warning, it's a bit too spicy for some.}

We looked around the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, Wholey's, Stan's Market, Reyna Foods, and other shops before heading home with our haul. Take a look!

Box from Wing Fat.

WFH items laid out nicely. All of this for $30!

Look at the prices!

Husband {HAD} to have candy and Pocky. Also, some MSG.

Stan's Market items, all for less than $6!

Items from the Penn Macaroni Company, including fresh rosemary pasta!

Finally, Husband bought a piece of kitchen equipment from In The Kitchen he's been wanting for what seems like our whole marriage: a food mill. Not a potato ricer, but a food mill. Usually these cost somewhere between $60-$150, depending on quality and size. We scored this one that was used in a demo for $20! It's smaller than those massive restaurant-sized ones, so it's perfect for our two-person family. 

 That night, we had a delicious meal of rosemary pasta dressed with olive oil and parmesan shavings, spinach salad, this go-to garlic herb bread and grilled lemon chicken. All from the Strip! It was a definite win this time around.

I hope you had a great weekend, too! 

P.S. - Don't forget to vote in the poll! Vote for your favorite types of posts before the poll closes on January 31.


P.P.S. - Have you liked {A Dash of Spectacular} on Facebook yet? You can get all the updates on posts and new photos while checking in on your friends & family! I did not say stalking. :)