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. :)

What {I'm Wearing this Winter!}

Prior to moving here, I used to poke fun of people, especially women, who wear the puffy, ill-fitting, down-filled coats. It was mostly about fashion {...or the lack thereof} and the fact that I've never once seen a Texas winter where the weather required them.

Then, it hit me. The snow, that is. It's cold, albeit beautiful, and you {MUST} to protect yourself! On an outing at a local outlet mall, I found one of these heinous coats, tried it on, and bought it. And let me tell you, I take back EVERYTHING I've said about these coats. {Except the ones that are ill-fitting, but that's a crime in almost every coat.}

All suited up!

The collar can be cinched up to shield your face from the icy wind.

Then, folded down to reveal that face!

Warmer days mean more buttons undone.

See the cinch-strings?

Coat: Guess

Back View. 

What do you think? Have I crossed over to the {other side}? :)

P.S. - I bought this $300+ coat for $45. The deals you can get at outlet malls! {And no, this had NOTHING to do with the ease of this purchase! Not at all.} 

PGH Dining: Habitat

What a better excuse to go out to a fancy restaurant than to celebrate a birthday? Husband took me to Habitat, a restaurant we've been planning to go to since we came for our initial apartment-hunting trip. We didn't have the time to make our reservation, so we had to cancel it.

Not to worry, Ashley had a birthday!

We started our Sunday-evening meal with three {don't judge!} appetizers: house-made naan with three dipping sauces {raita, tomatillo, and hummus}, a creamy roasted butternut squash soup, and a roasted beet salad. Typical offerings, but done really well. 

The naan was shiny with warm oil, and crispy on the edges. Perfect!

The soup seemed to be made out of a squash at it's peak deliciousness. 

The salad left something to be desired. It's was just fine, but nothing over-the top.

For our entrees, Husband ordered the "one cow" burger, made with local Pennsylvania beef, and I ordered their halibut dish.

How could you not order it with white cheddar and bacon?

Sweet potato fries!

Trio of sauces. Can you tell Husband had a taste of the mayonnaise?

My halibut was a show-stopper. It was gorgeous, and it tasted just as good. It sat atop sautéed spinach, and a sauce made from saffron, vanilla and mussels. Next to the fish was a lump of roasted parsnip goodness. When reading the menu, they had me at parsnip. 

Crispy parsnip shavings on top.

For kicks, we also ordered a side of the roasted local mushrooms. {Umami?}

The real kicker for the meal was the accompanying wine. Since Husband and I are such wine snobs {JOKE}, we were pleasantly surprised to see our favorite wine on the wine menu. I decided to order a few glasses of wine rather than the bottle of our favorite so I could have a little variety between red and white.  Our waiter had the manager stop by to discuss the options, and answer my question about 'cheesy, nutty white wines.' Good discussion!

Then, the meal ended with a complimentary dessert {of my choice!}, the mint-infused chocolate oreo torte. 

Before ordering, I asked about a pear dessert, and the waiter said the only dish they had that featured pears was the warm gingerbread dessert. I passed and ordered the torte, but he brought me a small dish of the pears anyway. {This may or may not have been because it was a slow night - the Steelers were playing!} I was thrilled!

Habitat earns a good review, based on their smart use of local ingredients, knowledgeable staff and attentiveness. Plus, it was romantic!

What I Wore {to Birthday Dinner!}

Sunday night {my actual birth date}, Husband took me to a schmancy restaurant in Dahntahn*.  More on that to come, in the form of a PGH Dining post.  For now, let's discuss the outfit. 

Husband did the best he could with the 'romantically dark' restaurant lighting. 

I bought this dress from H&M about 5 months ago for my sister-in-law's 21st birthday shin-dig, but it was  too tight the night of the party, and on top of THAT, I made the mistake of spraying oil-based perfume on it at the last minute. SO, that made up my mind for me. I chose to wear another dress. {However, the Birthday Girl Amanda was gorgeous!!!}

I {Love} the bow detail on the dress!

Dress: H&M | Bracelets: J Crew | Tights: Target | Heels: unlisted

The "New" Profile Picture

This dress is for sure one of my favorites. It's dusty grey color is lovely, and compliments most of my accessories. AND, can you beat H&M's prices!? I believe I bought this dress for around $30. Incredible!

Thank you again to my wonderful Husband for a fantastic birthday!

*Note: "Dahntahn" is Pittsburghese for Downtown, or the Golden triangle. LOVE this!