Kerry "Handstand" H.'s Profile

I struggled with whether to give this a 3 or 4 star review.  The food was eh, but the service was exceptional.

The Food:
I had salmon tagine, which was strangely runny and flavorless.  I felt the apps were so much better than the entrees...  Except for the hummus, which was only mediocre.  The couscous was good.  The goat cheese cigars, however, were absolutely divine!  They were very simple, but I would have been happier to just eat a platter of those.  .

The Service:
The restaurant is so tiny that it seats less than 20 people.  On a Thursday night, there were only two other couples.  That said, there was only one server and one kitchen worker--the chef--on duty.  They both did a great job of keeping up with the customers' orders.

The Rest:
While the decor was pretty basic, with some Moroccan touches, I really liked where the kitchen was placed.  It's in an elevated corner, so guests can see the chef working from every table, which was pretty cool.

On a funny note, the server and chef made a big deal once they found out it was another customer's birthday.  A desert was brought out with a candle and pictures were taken.  However, it was also my birthday and my date had surprised me with this dinner.  Since the other group had already done the birthday thing and my date had forgotten to mention it with his reservation, he was really disappointed he felt that he couldn't use that on me as it had just been done.  I was glad since I hate that stuff, so it was a somewhat happy ending!

The pizza is good overall--not too much sauce, fantastic crust, okay cheese--and it is great for the price.  A little greasy, but once that's wiped away and a little parm is sprinkled on top, the pizza veers towards excellence.  $12 and change for the large pie.  They also sell 40's and 6-packs of beer, ranging from PBR to Victory and Bell's for somewhat decent prices, around $9 per 6-pack.  You can also pick up some Boone's Farm, which I only mention for the sheer hilarity.

While I'm happy to take-out from here, I'd probably end up dropping a star if I ever stayed inside for longer than 5 minutes--it's fairly filthy.  However, the staff is nice and it never takes longer than 20 minutes for a take-out order to be ready.

The new Madonna's is disappointing.  A co-worker who always gives Madonna's rave reviews picked the new location for a lunch date.  He had talked about the spices, the flavor, the service.  Well, it was one for three.  The service was friendly, even during the lunch rush.

I had the chico chicken quesadilla.  For $4.81 (with tax), it was a pretty big quesadilla.  However, it was just Monterrey jack, chicken, and a soft shell.  No spices, no onions, no peppers.  It was still decent for the price.  But I'm 99.9996% sure that the chicken was from a can.  How would I know?  Because I've cheated and used that same canned chicken in quiches when I was in a rush.  It's good canned chicken, but c'mon!  My lunchmates also complained that their burritos were bland.  I'm giving three stars because I believe Madonna's can (and will) do better.

P.S. CASH ONLY!

Beside the love of books, there's one other thing that Vladimir Nabokov and I have in common: we both adore butterflies.  The Stove Room in Phipps Conservatory has been my favorite place in Pittsburgh since I was a little girl.  Why?  Because it turns into the Butterfly Forest from April to September every year, and I've always been quite the amateur entomologist.  I'd estimate I've toured Phipps over a hundred times, and the Stove Room is always where I spend the most time.  I love the cases with cocoons from which  live butterflies emerge and the displays showing the difference between a monarch and a viceroy.  Tip: Wear bright hot colors (reds, oranges, pinks) and it's more likely the butterflies will land on you.

Between the Summer Flower Show, the fall tulips, the orchid room, and the Chihuly glass displays, there's always something new and fun at Phipps.  In addition to taking out-of-town guests to see the flowers, I've brought little cousins with me.  Around the facility are some very cool exploration tables set-up for kids to do hands-on projects.  Outside, sprawls a big kid-friendly area with things for them to touch and climb on.  My cousins especially like the awesome indoor water fountain (where you can program your own light show!) and the yearly train display.  The Thai forest wowed my cousins and the adults--especially the huge lotus flowers and the waterfall.

My sis got married at Phipps this summer.  (Of course, it was my first suggestion for a venue!).  The day started out overcast, but it cleared up just in time for the ceremony to happen outdoors.  The staff was very good about preparing storm alternatives for the ceremony, and they also made sure that the grandparents had somewhere cool to sit while the guests waited out the bad weather.

Since I work in Oakland, on nice days, I take my lunch break in the public gardens, which--you guessed it--are always free to the people.  Phipps also usually has one day in August where the entire complex is open free of charge.

This ice cream shop might be the single reason I lived in Oakland for so long.  Like Adam C. said, you're bonkers if you don't get the waffle cone.  The cones are so good and there's a M&M at the bottom to prevent dripping.  The chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is the best I've ever had, and I'd consider myself an expert in this arena.  I can't take an out-of-towner on a tour of Pittsburgh without stopping here...Even once when it was only 11 degrees outside.  It's THAT good.

P.S. - Cash only.

As your standard restaurant, Atria's has no personality: the food is blah, the service is eh, and nothing is really all that memorable.  The patio and it's proximity to the ball parks are its saving grace.  

Now, let's talk about when we reserved a room for a bridal shower...  We had a fixed menu for a group of about 50 ladies.  I understand that.  But when the bride asks for no tomatoes, you as a server do not say, "No substitutions!" in your meanest voice.  Lighten up, it's her day.  I ended up just taking the tomatoes off for her--and just chalked it up to another maid of honor duty.  The server also kept clearing the bride's drinks while she mingled.  This was annoying, but at least we had paid a flat fee for drinks, so it wasn't the hugest deal.

Overall, the server for the bride's table was just awful and kept treating us like little children.  Yes, the table was the bridal party and the bride's cousins.  Yes, we are all under 30.  But we are also young professionals and the ones who booked the event.  The servers who waited on the rest of the tables containing the mothers, aunts, great aunts, and grandmothers were polite...even when my near-senile grandmother started yelling about bandits.  Later, another server apologized on behalf of our bad server and mumbled that, "he just must be on his period."

While Atria's is fine for a glass of wine before a Pirate's game if a table is open outside, I certainly would never book it again for a private function.

Spice is easily the best college bar in Oakland.  Twas my favorite dive in college, and I didn't understand why more of my friends weren't into it...Wait, oh yeah, this isn't a big hook-up spot.  But, anyway.

Here's what I loved about Spice when I was a wee student:
-The drinks were CHEAP and there was always a special. Long Island pitchers for $4 or $1 liquor drinks.  For $4 or less, the beer selection ranged from PBR to Blue Moon to Miller Lite to Sunset Wheat.
-They never charged a cover, even when they had live bands, which were generally decent enough local jam bands.
-They had several game machines, and I'm a sucker for round of "Photo Hunt."
-There was dart board AND it hung in a place where it was nearly impossible for drunkies to walk in front of it while playing.  (Take note, Gene's.)
-The karaoke night was always entertaining (and I generally dislike karaoke).  If the singing was bad, the karaokers would dance and bounce around.
-It would be packed with black & yellow during Pens game and there were several TV's.

The only minuses are that the stairs can get super slippy in bad weather and that the crowd is mostly undergrads...so I'm too grown up now for this jam!

Now I'm picky about my hair, but Mane Attractions was so bad that I walked out after about 15 minutes of watching the stylists work on other clients.

I had desperately needed a haircut and walked in for a major trim and re-shaping of my layers.  First, the girl at the counter said my hair might be "difficult" due to the length (it was nearly long enough to sit on at the time) and that I would probably have to stand while it was cut.  Weird, but okay.  Second, no one there knew anything about donating to "Locks of Love," and I feel like salons should be aware of things like that.  I needed a cut so I went for it anyway.

I watched the two stylists while I waited for my turn.  One stylist told the client whose hair she was cutting that she was going to do something other than what they discussed because it "wasn't looking right."  Ummm, okay.  The other stylist was too busy checking her phone every three seconds to notice she was yanking on her client's hair so hard with the comb that she was giving her poor client whiplash.

At that point, I just pretended like I had received an urgent text and said, "I have to leave, so sorry "as I bolted for the door.

I am not exaggerating when I say this joint saved my life.  Picture this:  It's 1:30 am.  My friend is schwasted.  I am not.  I'm starving and my friend needs to sober up.  Enter Boardwalk on Carson.  I had spied it earlier in the evening and had made a mental note.  Drunk friend and sober me both loved our hot dogs, which is the most you can want out of a late-night eatery on Carson St.  To top it all off, the staff was incredibly nice--including the man who had spent the better part of the past three hours dancing outside in 20 degree weather wearing a hot dog suit.  Can't ask for better service than that.

For once, I strayed from my standard order of pad thai to the Kanok specialty, the spicy basil chicken.  As the name implies, it is very spicy, so I'm glad I asked for mild.  That said, it was excellent--the amount of basil was perfect.  The rice comes on the side, which I added immediately to help soak up the spicy sauce.  Bonus: there was so much food that I was able to take home a doggy bag that stretched into two additional meals.

The service was so-so.  The ladies who waited on us were lovely, but they hovered.  Kanok doesn't get very crowded yet since it's only been open since the summer, so they were overstaffed for the large space.  The servers stood behind our table for most of the meal, which was slightly uncomfortable.

The atmosphere is serene and the decor chic.  This is the largest and the most upscale-looking of the Pittsburgh Thai restaurants.  Definitely not claustrophobic like Spice Island.

Finally, it's BYOB.  The corkage fees are $3 for wine, $1 for beer (each), and $1 for liquor set-up.  This was the first time I've seen set-ups offered in Pittsburgh, well, even anywhere outside of the Memphis...a nice surprise.  The beer fee seems a little steep, but you could always bring a growler to get around that.