It's Friday, Friends!

Happy Friday, y’all! It’s finally the last day of the week, and I’m ready for it. My days have been jam-packed with school social functions, meetings, classes, trainings and even a fabulous happy hour.

Through the downpours we’ve been having here and there, we’ve been staying dry…miraculously. Our landlord still has not come to view the potential leak (that we know of). Fingers crossed.

This weekend we’ll be getting ready for our first house guest in many moons {or, just two moons actually}. My close friend and prior college roommate is coming to visit us in her last leg of a northeastern tour. She’s taking the train bus from Philadelphia, and staying with us during the first part of next week. Inside jokes will abound.

What are your plans for the weekend?  I hear there are a few food events happening: A Taste of Grow: Pittsburgh on Sunday, Ramen brunch at SALT {also Sunday}, and I definitely want to hit up this new wine bar in my ‘hood soon.

I, on the other hand, will be reading for school and tidying up the house. On another note…

I’ve done it. Given in. I’m finally on Instagram {Find me: ADashOfSpectacular}. I’m definitely treating it like my Twitter account, with random photos of food, Pittsburgh, travels and cats. By the way, are we friends on Facebook, too?

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Weekend Recap

Hi!  Hello.  How's it going?  I'm sitting on my couch, having just finished a phone call chat with my parents.  They took a trip to meet my sister in the Lake Tahoe area last week, and were telling me how beautiful it was.  At this point, other than being super jealous, I'm hoping we can make it a future family trip location {when Husband and I have the time to take off from work}. Planning soon, I hope?

This weekend was packed.  Saturday morning, Husband and I volunteered with Pittsburgh Cares and Lawrenceville United to clean up the 10th ward section of Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

Our new t-shirts, donated by Lawrenceville United.

Tree Pittsburgh came to the event to show us how to clean out the 'tree squares' cut into the city sidewalks for plantings. We cleaned the trash out of the squares, weeded, then spread new mulch around the trees for their health in the soil surrounding it. We met two folks at the event who happened to become a part of our small group:  An older guy named J.P., who is an active professional gardener and from the northeast corner of Oklahoma, in Miami {pronounced Mah-am-ah}; and a University of Oklahoma graduate who is also a Braum's fan. Believe me, we had some conversations! From Ginko tree history to peppermint hot fudge sundaes, we chatted while we improved the neighborhood. It was a good time with people from our neck of the woods!

That night, we went over to the newly engaged {!} Vanna's new apartment for dinner.  Husband and I had Swiss Steak for the first time {homey & delightful}, then listened to some Texas Country while eating my mom's recipe for her bride's cake with raspberry filling. Such a fun night!

Today was spent on having a leisurely morning before heading to the Benedum Theater for Pittsburgh CLO's Fiddler on the Roof. I'd never seen the movie read the script, so it was a new experience for me. It's a story of a family and their struggles {and tradition!}, with a touch of sadness. I could say it is a masterpiece, but I'm pretty sure that's been said before. Afterwards, we made a date out of it and stopped into Braddock's American Brasserie {PGH Dining review} for an early dinner.

This weekend was busy compared to our usual grocery shopping, TV-watching affair. What did you do this weekend?

Hometown Homegrown in Pittsburgh

If you made it out to the Hometown Homegrown event at the Senator John Heinz History Center today, you ate a bunch of good local food. Bottom line. If you didn't, well, you better mark your calendar for next year! To pretend you're living in the moment, reread my tweets of the event.

I got there right at 10:00AM, so the action was just starting...

Questions from 'Burghers

I had a coworker from another section of my department ask me today how long I’d been here. It’s been a little more than three months since I started my new job, and it feels like I started two weeks ago. Time flies!

He also asked where I lived, and I told him in Upper Lawrenceville. This led him to ask what he really meant to ask, which was if I was from here. This was phrased as, “But, you’re not from here, are you?” No, sir, I am not. After I told him I was from the Dallas area, he got really quiet and deadpanly asked, “Are you a die-hard Cowboy fan?”
This seems to be the natural series of questions I always get from ‘Burghers.
However, even after I admit I’m not a Cowboys fan {rest assured}, they are equally appalled that I’m “not really into sports,” either.
Sometimes you just can’t win!

PGH Dining: Pusadee's Garden

We dined at Pusadee's Garden on a night it monsooned in PGH. The rain was coming down so hard that it almost bent my umbrella. Seriously.

Pusadee's has a lovely patio, adorned with plants and cozy seating, but we didn't get to enjoy that {OBVIOUSLY}. Instead, we were seated at one of the white-tableclothed tables near the window in the front of the restaurant, with a view of the monsoon. It seemed so pleasant from the inside looking out. We were pleased with the simple, yet complete, Thai menu. There were spring rolls to curries, and tom yum soup to lighter dishes like eggplant basil stir-fry. 

We started with the garden roll, which was filled with vegetables and served with a chili-carrot sauce. The cilantro and mint combination was refreshing in the roll.

 We then moved on to the tom kar, which is a coconut soup. We ordered it with vegetables only, since we had a curry coming. It was delicious! {But then again, we love anything with that creamy coconut milk inside.}

Mushrooms, broccoli and carrot simmered in a coconut broth.

To finish off out appetizers {haven't we had enough appetizing?!}, we had the grilled shrimp salad with chili lime dressing. This salad was nothing like the description on the menu. We never though it'd come with stewed tomatoes on top, and the lime flavor must have been masked by the tomato mixture. It was good, but NOT what we were expecting to arrive at the table. 

 Finally, we shared the pumpkin curry with chicken, kabocha squash, zucchini and carrots. It was a fabulous dish, but we hardly tasted the pumpkin. There was a hint of squashiness, but it came from the kabocha. I missed the pumpkin!

 The meal ended with my noshing down on a bay leaf:

Isn't that a sign for good luck? If so, I'll take it, especially since it was in the shape of a heart!

Pusadee's Garden was good, but not overwhelmingly. I'm sure that if we were to have sat on the patio for dinner, our view of our meal would have been even more enjoyable. Also, the menu was somewhat misleading, and we missed a few of the majorly advertised flavors in multiple dishes {i.e. lime, chili, and pumpkin}. The waitstaff was excellent, and we'll likely be walking over to give it another shot sometime this summer.

Neighborhood: UpLa, Upper Lawrenceville

Good For: Dates, BYOB, Family Dinners

Gems: Patio Seating, Well-Rounded Menu

Drawbacks: Misleading Menu Items

PGH Dining: Alchemy N' Ale

Lucky you. You get to read yet ANOTHER post about a Lawrenceville restaurant. However, this one features beer and Frito pie. So, can you forgive me?

Alchemy N' Ale is located on Butler Street, and just three blocks away from our doorstep. This can be a bad combination at times, but we've restrained ourselves to only visiting A&A three times. We went with our new friends, an adorable couple that I'll call Vanna for kicks, and began our meal with beer. A&A has a good selection, as they tout themselves as a gastropub. We ordered two Rogue Dead Guys, a Red Stripe and a Lindeman's Framboise.  

The menu was basically the same as it was in December {it is still winter}, so we were able to order a few of the dishes we weren't able to last time.

A green-leafed wall, with table setting. 

We ordered many things on the menu, including the mac and cheese and Alchemy fries {complete with a jus-like gravy and fried herbs.}

Macaroni and Cheese.

"Herbed" Alchemy Fries.

Both appetizers were good, but the fries were taken to the next level with that jus gravy. If this is what the Northeast calls Disco Fries, I'm all over it!
Next, we'll move on to entrees. I ordered the Frito Pie, a dish I'd been queuing up for my next visit to A&A. Husband ordered the Fried Chicken, and Vanna ordered a Frito Pie {too} and Mizalini Pasta.

Frito Pie, complete with a fried egg.

The Frito Pie hit the middle of the score charts for me because of two factors: the meat and the consistency of the Fritos. The meat was similar {if not the same} as the brisket used in the Shepard's pie. Smoky, without tasting smoked, and tender. The Fritos, however, were 90% soggy. I am from the South and grew up eating Frito Pies at home. If the Fritos are soggy, it's over. You have to have that texture, that crunch, in an otherwise piping bowl of magma. The cheese, was the bonus, and set the Frito Pie on the path to redemption.

Husband's Fried Chicken.

As I've said before {as an original Southerner}, I knew not to order the Fried Chicken. Husband went against his gut and ordered the dish, and was served chicken fingers. He ate every bite of the chicken, mashed potatoes and greens, but I took two bites {I had to give a second chance!}, and was done. This chicken was skinless, and boneless, leaving the end product seeming more like something from Kentucky Fried Whatever than from an awesome gastropub. The table differed on the opinion of the chicken, but I'm the one writing this blog...so mine wins out. The greens were delicious though! They still had the tiniest bit of crunch along the stems, and had a good amount of heat.

Vanna went with a pasta dish, which tasted of summer. The pasta was flecked with basil, and the tomato sauce was not overpowering in the least. Great dish!

As we were finishing our dinner, we noticed some drinks being served at the table next to us in what looked to be a mule mug. Sure enough, they were Ginger Mules {a vodka and ginger beer cocktail}. I'm not a big fan of any drink made with ginger beer, so Vanna and Husband each ordered one. I was coerced  into a sip, and it wasn't bad! Both the vodka and ginger beer were toned-down, and it turned out to be a relaxed but refreshing drink.

Vanna enjoying their Ginger Mule.

We ended the meal with desserts, which Husband and I had never ordered at A&A before. {We were always too full!} We ordered the Berry Torte, and Vanna ordered the Chocolate Sorbet. Our server told us that these desserts were made by the pastry chef at La Gourmandine. Those are some big shoes to fill!

Berry Torte

I should have known that the berries of choice in this dish would have been blackberries. Crunchy, seedy sweet goo. The custard was layered well, and had a good thickness. I was fifty-fifty on this one.

Our friends' dessert was a sight to behold. They claimed it looked like a dinosaur's... dropping. I can't blame them. The server made sure to let them know not to eat the shell.

The sorbet had rich chocolate flavor, yet was too icy for me. Husband said it had a similarity to the beloved Blue Bell Ice Cream. 

If these were La Gourmandine desserts, I'm not sure I want to have any of their non-pastry offerings again. 

Alchemy N' Ale has its ups and downs. We like their beer selection and hearty food selection, but some dishes fall short for us. We enjoy the atmosphere and jovial attitudes of the manager and servers. A little tweaking of the food output will put A&A over the top!

PGH Dining: Smiling Banana Leaf

Last Friday night Husband and I were wanting to celebrate my success with all of the interviews I've been having {answers should be coming soon!}, but we've been going out A LOT lately. We decided on Smiling Banana Leaf, because of it's great reviews on Urban Spoon, it's close-by, and it's affordability. AND, it's Thai. Can't go wrong with that combination.

Located in Highland Park/Morningside, which is a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from us in UpLa, Smiling Banana Leaf is somewhat hidden in a residential area. After eating there, I might consider moving! 

We parked alongside the restaurant, and walked in to notice it's a TINY place. There's probably only room for 20 people to have dinner. We were asked by the hostess if we had a reservation {No?}, then were seated almost immediately in the only open table available. The one waitress came over shortly, and handed us one page, front-and-back menus. We proceeded to order two appetizers: Wonton Soup and Thai-Style Samosas.

Wonton Soup

The soup was filled with good-sized pork-filled wontons. They were cooked perfectly, and were complimented by the meaty broth. The mushrooms in the soup were particularly good, and weren't super normal or of the expected type. 

Look at that goodness!

The Thai-style samosas were MUCH smaller than I expected, as I was used to the pea and potato variety that are the size of your palm. These, however, were dainty and small. Their flavor was much more subdued, without the heavy spices of the normal samosa. These were still filled with potato, but were lighter. They were served with a sweet cucumber sauce, but were great with or without it. I wish there were a few more on the plate, because of the price {$5}.

For our main dishes, we ordered the massaman curry and the pad ped talay {Stir-fried mixed seafood with garlic, chili paste, onion, Kaffir lime leaves and green beans}.

Massaman Curry

The curry was "the best I've ever had," according to Husband. He's had a few curries in his time, and this one is his favorite, mainly because of the creaminess and the richness of the spices used. We could detect cinnamon, star anise and clove. Outstanding dish.

I took charge of the seafood dish, and ordered it very spicy. The plate was overwhelmed with tons of calamari, scallops, shrimp,  and fish fillets. Everything was cooked well, and nothing was hard and rubbery. The sauce itself was the essence of what Thai food tastes like to me: spicy and complex. You might only be able to pick out 3 of the blended ingredients, but you know it takes many to make it delicious. The green beans were such a nice surprise, too!

The portions were large, as expected, and we had enough for a lunch the next day. I cooked a generous portion of sushi rice, and poured the containers over top. 

Smiling Banana Leaf is one of our new favorites, and we can't wait to go back for more. One word of caution - for those that like to eat their Thai food with chop sticks, you have to ask for them! The tables are outfitted with forks only. {*Update: I've been privy to some information about chop stick availability...It's not typical for Thai cuisine to be served with chop sticks. I just prefer it!} Take your next date to have Thai food, and dine in a cozy restaurant!

PGH Dining: Burgatory Bar

 I'm warning you now, readers, that this will be a somewhat lackluster post. While I loved the greasy goodness of Burgatory, there were several features of the event that weren't stellar.
First, Husband and I had tried to go eat at Burgatory Bar, a spankin' new restaurant in the Waterworks Mall in Aspinwall {across the river from us in UpLa*}, but were unsuccessful because of the TWO HOUR WAIT {in December}. So, this time, we came prepared. We walked in on a Thursday evening, threw our name on the reservations list, and was told it would take about 45 minutes to an hour before we could get any table {they have tall boys as well as booths or chairs}. Fine. Great. Will do. We then proceeded to shop at T.J. Maxx and other smaller stores nearby. After about 50 minutes, Burgatory texted my phone to let me know I had less than 10 minutes to rush my buns over to the restaurant, or I would lose my table. We BOOKED it over, and made it in time to be seated at a two-person table near these puppies:

Flame Sculptures! {Or maybe some sort of space heater?}

Another one.

After taking a breather from our jog to the restaurant, we looked over the menu, which held a bevy of delicious options from chicken chili to salads to custom burgers. Husband didn't end up getting a "Custom Creation," but he HAD filled out the form.

He noticed lettuce wasn't an option. Weird. It IS a burger place, after all. 

We continued to look over the menu {and took in the cutesy posters on the wall, below} before deciding on sharing a burger and a salad, which would follow our appetizer of all appetizers... 

We couldn't pass up the truffled Gorgonzola fries. Could you?

Bucket O' Fries.

 The Gorgonzola stayed mostly in clumps, and stuck to the oiled fries delightfully as you snagged a few for your bite. The green onions added a nice bite to cut through the richness of the cheese and white truffle oil. 

 After eating 85% of that bucket of absolutely delicious fries, we were thankful that we were sharing our entrees. I ordered the Farm House salad, which featured "Baby Lettuces and Arugula tossed with Sunflower Seeds, Shaved Parmesan, Roasted Roma Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Haystack Onions and Balsamic Vinaigrette".

My portion of the salad.

 I wish I could say I loved this salad. I do. It has every typical item I love to sprinkle onto the salads I make at a salad bar or at home for a light dinner. This salad, however, was RUINED by the incredibly acidic balsamic vinaigrette. Biting. Seriously. Additionally, the 'roasted' roma tomatoes resembled jarred sun-dried leathery bits. The corn was basically nonexistent. Neither of us found more than four kernels. The only redeeming factors of this salad was the crispy onion rings, being super thin and perfectly crunchy, and the pieces of shaved Parmesan for their salty taste.

The salad, as I began to pick through to unsuccessfully find tasty bits.

We were so ashamed at how little of the salad we ate, that we took the rest home to cover our tracks.

On to the burger. That lovely, meaty dish that won our hearts for Burgatory. The meat was cooked well, and the vegetables and condiments were fresh. The bun was a winner, too. It was buttery and airy, without falling apart as soon as we dove into our respected halves. 

Can you tell I was super pleased with the bun?

 Finally, we had some room left in our stomachs, so we indulged in a Campfire S'Mores shake. The shakes, at $6 for a classic and $8 for a hard boozy one, are thankfully served with any extra shake liquid that won't fit in the frosty glass. 

Our shake was a chocolate base with graham crackers blended in. The grainy texture might sound terrible to some {and I thought I'd agree!}, but it went so well with the whipped cream and toasted marshmallow on top for the overall S'More effect. Check plus from these ice cream lovers on that!
Getting into Burgatory was an exhausting feat, but I think it was worth it. I'd give them a solid B+, considering the dishes we ordered, and how typical they'd be for burgers and fries fare. With some extra credit work on the wait time and salad, they'd bring themselves up almost a letter.

*Note: I've deemed our neighborghood, Upper Lawrenceville, as UpLa. I mean, if Lower Lawrenceville gets called LoLa, then we should have something fun, too, right?!