Liz "da lizza" T.'s Profile

i must admit that i'm shocked at the poor reviews for this coffee tree roasters location.  though i don't spend time in the store, i always grab an espresso or latte whenever i'm in shadyside.  i absolutely love their beans.  i even buy their whole beans to brew at home.

was treated for my bday.  and man, oh man... was it a treat.  

started it with the heirloom tomato salad.  wowza.  and a serious portion too.  the duck salad was great too.  it was like duck bacon.  what more can you ask for?  went on to the seafood tasting and the halibut.  both delicious.

but the real shocker was dessert.  three words for you... fried. peach. pie.

i must have had an exceptional experience here, because i'm surprised at all the 3 + 4 star reviews.

they have a few locations to eat (patio, lounge, bar, dining room or at the kitchen)  since it was just two of us, we decided to sit at the kitchen.  which is a tiny little kitchen kind of setup like a sushi counter.  

we ordered a few appetizers, a few rolls and a bunch of grill skewers.  all of it was quite delicious.  maybe it's because of our up-close-and-personal proximity to the chefs cooking our food or maybe they were just having a great night, but i must admit, i really was impressed with tamari.  and the best part was that it's 'relatively' inexpensive.  

will update when i get a chance to go back.

one of these things is not like the others,
one of these things just doesn't belong,
can you tell me which giant eagle is not like the others
before I finish my song?

did you guess which giant eagle is not like the others?
did you guess with all your might?
If you guessed that this giant eagle is not like the others,
you know what... you're right
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ok, i'm done reverting back to my childhood now (thanks cookie monster).  honestly, i was nervous to go here after two horrible experiences at other giant eagles in the area.  they were dumps.  but, this one, the giant eagle market district is a breed apart. fresh, local, organic, freshly baked goodness everywhere you look.  the store is huge, the staff helpful, and the food is fresh.  my only complaint... the parking.

ooooooohhh-bama had the right idea by ordering the pancakes.  they're unbelievable...  strawberries wrapped in thin rolls of buttery goodness swimming in cream.  eff yeah!  decadent and down-right delicious.  

my breakfast date raved about the corned beef hash, stating that it was quite possibly the best she's ever had (and she orders it every time we go out for breakfast).

if i'm going to put pamela's into the regular rotation, i going to have to seriously start running more.

a month in pittsburgh and i'm still getting used to not being able to walk into my local grocery store to pick up the essentials... beer and wine.  

4 weeks.  4 weeks!  i was down on my luck, desperate... i was wineless.   as i was wandering through the strip district i felt a little chill go up my spine.  i just knew i was close to something special.  i whipped my head around and saw a beautiful sign, "We Sell Wine".

inside 'the enrico biscotti cafe' is carlo's garage winery, the first of it's kind in pittsburgh.  an urban winery.  we did a wine tasting of their three blends.  i'm usually a red kinda girl, but man oh man, their white blend was yummy!

the real treat though is the owner, larry.  we ended up chatting with him for at least 20 min as we did our tasting.  he was just a dear and reason enough to go back.  very charming guy... and he knows his wines ;)

the best "ethnic" food i've had in pittsburgh is... ___________.
(fill in the blank)

a) polish
b) italian
c) belgian

ok, so the polish and italian food is great too, but the standout so far... point brugge.  they're serving up some serious belgian bistro bites.  

the moules and frites are a do not miss. words cannot describe.
the steak frites was perfectly seasoned and cooked.... the best steak i've had in a long time.
the dry rub pork chop was juicy and delicious.
the beer.... ooooh, the beer.  everything is so good, just close your eyes and point to one.

i love good food and good beer, but by no means am an authority on belgian cuisine.  of our group of three, i was the polish/italian/hungarian third.  veronica d. was representing the cuban third.  and lastly, we brought along our friend :::drum roll:::: who lived in belgium until she was 18 (figure that gives her opinion some serious weight).  and now you're probably wondering what our belgian friend thought of point brugge.  well, she loved it.

i've been living in pittsburgh now for almost a week and have had dinner out a few times.  and sadly, i haven't been terribly impressed with the food scene thus far.  so i head over to yelp to see what gets good reviews and stumble across penn ave fish co.  

**disclosure**  after living in miami for the past 9 years and living in various other cities on the east coast before that, i was troubled by the idea of fish in pittsburgh.  there should be a term for this... coastal fish elitist?  

so, i have to admit that i was a bit reluctant to try penn ave fish company.  but man, oh man i'm soooo glad we went.  we've even been back twice already. once for sushi and crabcake sliders.  the sushi was ridiculously fresh and crabcake sliders on pretzel buns were to die for.  on trip #2... the grilled tuna club was a seriously scrumptious sandwich, uber fresh and a healthy size.

penn ave fish has been the highlight of our eating excursions so far.  even if you're a visiting 'coastal fish elitist', give it a go... i would be shocked if you're disappointed.

bless me, yelp, for i have sinned.  it has been far too long since my last confession...

i confess that i wasn't that impressed with church brew works.  oh how i wanted to love it.  i mean, it's a brewery. in a catholic church. their brilliant and creative adaptive reuse of the building should earn them at least four stars (and you thought i was going to make some comment about my jaded catholic upbringing and how awesome it is to throw down in a church) ;)

so then, why the three stars? the service was less than... eh.   i listened to our waiter mumble out the description of the beers and specials like he was reading the sunday obituaries.  not a great start to the meal.  and the food was just... eh.  it's trying to be 'nice restaurant food', but all it is is glorified bar food at restaurant pricing.  and not necessarily good bar food at that.  

so given the lack luster review, why would i ever go back... 1) it's close to my house, so i can bike home sloshed if need be  2) the beers are pretty tasty (especially the pious monk dunkel and the millennium trippel 3) like the good catholic i was raised, everyone deserves a second chance and lastly, 4) the real reason... i can now tell my mom and grandma that i went to church this week without a guilty conscience

east village gallery "yelp-ku"
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grand opening
cool location at midtown
loved the patio

stratum was awesome
shie's paintings were amazing
a def must see