Sunday, February 23, 2014

Tapeworms

Sometimes I like to pretend that calories don't exist on the weekend.  Apparently, my friends K and J live by this same rule because this weekend was a display of some of the most shameful but satisfying binge eating that I've ever experienced... Well, at least in recent years.

I have been friends with K and J since seventh grade and we've grown up together creating a lot of memories.  We've been there through high school boyfriends, college woes, and K and I were excited to be part of J's wedding this past fall.  This weekend, we planned to get together for some shopping, ceramics at Color Me Mine and dining.  

K recently moved to Oakmont, PA, a quaint little town outside of Pittsburgh with charming shops and reputable eateries within walking distance to homes lined with cobblestone streets.  Upon my arrival to K's apartment, we all agreed that lunch needed to be the first order of the day.  We ventured to What's Cooking at Casey's, a small family-run diner featuring Italian fare with some classic American items, such as burgers and fries.  

K had been dreaming of the coconut chicken salad drizzled in raspberry vinaigrette dressing for 15 years (she REALLY meant a few weeks, but K likes to embellish), so both she and J ordered that.  As salad and I aren't friends, I opted for a cup of wedding soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.  K and J enjoyed their salads immensely and my soup was good; however, the sandwich was a bit lackluster.  I like a grilled cheese to have several cheeses and excellent bread, but Casey's was merely a slab of American between two sad slices of wheat bread. I wasn't impressed.

The day started out innocently, but upon finishing our lunches and proclaiming our inability to eat another bite, we meandered immediately to the famed Oakmont Bakery.  The Oakmont Bakery has been around since 1988 and offers gourmet pastries, intricately designed cakes, fresh breads and mouth-watering doughnuts.  Standing room was hard to come by, but we squeezed our ways in and each selected a cupcake.  I assumed these would be snacks for later, but when I saw K grabbing a tray with plates and forks, my appetitive bounded back and I was prepared to attack the innocent baked good.  I ordered a Pretty Woman, an almond cupcake filled with strawberry filling and topped with white buttercream frosting and pink ganache, then capped with a chocolate-covered strawberry. It made me want to treat it like a whore, fall in love with it, then climb its fire escape to win its strawberry-filled heart.  


K's cupcake was a white chocolate and raspberry-filled beauty, while J got a dessert that was essentially a brownie on top of a cheesecake.  After we all destroyed any trace of our desserts and stopped moaning at the deliciousness, we trekked to Squirrel Hill for afternoon ceramics at Color Me Mine.  While we painted, we casually discussed what we'd have for dinner, although we all pretended that we were still full from lunch and dessert, but I knew the truth.  

Squirrel Hill, while possessing a predominantly Jewish population,  also possesses a cultural melting pot of cuisine.  Chinese, Japanese, Italian, American... Heck, there's even a restaurant serving only Belgium waffles!  As we finished our pottery, a couple walked into the building eating the most curiously appealing dessert that we'd ever seen.  It looked like a bright Granny Smith apple on top of pastry.  Thoughts of actual dinner vanished while we creepily watched the girl eat her treat and contemplated where to find it.  We walked only a few feet before stumbling upon Gaby et Jules, a Parisian bakery located on Forbes Avenue.  We bounded inside and were greeted by "bonjour!" K, J and I took three years of French in high school, but none if us recall any phrases more than "may I go to my locker?" Even so, the evident gloriousness of Gaby et Jules seems universal and did not require knowledge of the language.  Cases of brightly colored macaroons and petit fours lined the bakery and we immediately found the apple dessert seen earlier. 


I suggested the purchase of croissants for breakfast the following day and while we paid, I noticed K also ordering a an apple dessert with a guilty (excited) smile.  We vowed that this treat would be delicately split three ways and enjoyed later.  We researched Gaby et Jules and found the backstory  of the patisserie interesting, with the head chef coming from Paris at the request of his friends and owners of Paris66.  

After leaving Gaby et Jules, we decided that viewing so many delicious items had refueled our appetites, so we made outer way to Minneo's Pizza.  Minneo's is a Pittsburgh staple and I've only known of one person who did not enjoy it (he's from Philadelphia, so is obviously a fool). J had never experienced Minneo's before and I assured her that she was in for a treat.  We ordered a small plain pizza (eight slices) and took our seats.  

Minneo's serves food on paper plates with plastic utensils.  Minneo's is a cash-only establishment.  Minneo's doesn't even have napkins on the tables, but Minneo's creates my favorite pizza in Pittsburgh, hands-down.  The crust is chewy and thin, the sauce is smooth and evenly distributed, and the cheese is plentiful.  So what if you need a stack of three paper plates to keep the grease from one slice off of the table?  It doesn't matter because Minneo's has produced pizza heaven continuously since 1958 and does so with speedy, friendly service.



K, J and I devoured two slices each and boxed up the remaining two pieces.  We headed back to Oakmont and before I could even remove my coat, K was slicing the Gaby et Jules apple dessert.  As if by miracle, my stomach said "feed me again!" and made room for dessert.  We all resumed our groans of "mmmmm" as we explored each layer of the dessert.  The "apple" was a green gel covered mound of custard resting upon a flaky cake filled with chunks of real apple.  It was delicious and we tried to pretend that the apples made it healthy.  The poor dessert didn't last long and we all sat back to digest our day of eating.  

Soon, we relocated ourselves to Oakmont's Carnivores, a sports bar and restaurant featuring a fairly impressive draft list.  I ordered an Atwater Vanilla Java Porter... Then another and another.  Clearly, I wanted to cap off my day of sugar, grease and goodness with the heaviest beer on the menu.  

The phrase is go big or go home, but we went even bigger when we got home and buried our faces in popcorn.  It was the kind of weekend that you don't want to admit to your significant other for fear of immediate repulsion.  It was the kind of weekend that horrifies your sister when you tell her everything that you ate.  It was the kind of weekend that makes you happy that you have great friends who enjoy the same things that you do and who will never judge you for always saving room for dessert.  

I also find it important to note that J, K and I are NOT giant wildebeests. We are normal sized girls who like to eat larger than normal sized portions.  As I said, go big or go home.




Saturday, February 15, 2014

LUV


Valentine's Day.

A day when the love that you share with your significant other throughout the year is exemplified and promoted.  A day when bouquets of flowers are so much more fragrant and boxes of chocolates taste so much sweeter. A day to celebrate true and undying love. Like so many others, Boyfriend and I also celebrated our true love... Our true love of melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon and a lovely restaurant called Bistro 19.

   Photo courtesy of Bistro 19's website

In four years of dating, Boyfriend and I have never really celebrated Valentine's Day. It has always fallen on inconvenient days of the week and we old souls tend to eat at home on school nights.  Since V-Day occurred on Friday this year, Boyfriend and I decided that it was time to celebrate, so we made reservations at Mount Lebanon's Bistro 19.  

We wound up at Bistro 19 for dinner a year ago when our favorite Italian restaurant had an extraordinarily lengthy wait duration for a table and we were too famished to delay.  On our first trip, I ordered the filet mignon with a rosemary demi glaze and Boursin crust.  With my first bite, I closed my eyes, moaned and immediately fell in love with the most tender piece of meat that I'd ever consumed.  After it was gone, I missed it.

This time around, I wanted to try something different.  Our reservation was at 8 p.m. and upon entering the restaurant, the hostess immediately guided us to our table for two.  We were pleased with the readiness of the table, as the restaurant was crowded with couples.  The restaurant is small and tables are close together, but aside from a rather noisy gentleman beside us, neither Boyfriend nor I felt overly confined.  

To start, we ordered an appetizer of lamb meatballs served over a bed of greens, farro salad, and covered in a feta sauce.  While we waited, Boyfriend and I nibbled on some hard Italian bread with a chive butter.  The bread was slightly warm, but not fantastic. I did enjoy the chive butter as a change from standard butter, but Boyfriend prefers it plain and disgustingly plentiful.

Our appetizer arrived just when we were reeling for some real food.  The dish was not at all what we were anticipating, based upon the menu description.  If there was feta involved, I didn't taste it.  The lamb meatballs were of an odd consistency, but not unappetizing.  The farro, a grain similar to risotto, was chewy and different.  I seemed to enjoy the farro more as I continued to eat it, but I became slightly bored of the meatballs.  It was okay, but I would not order it again.

After a seemingly lengthy wait, our entrees were brought to the table.  Boyfriend ordered the beloved filet mignon and just as I remembered, it looked like perfection.  The Boursin crusted cut of heaven was served alongside chive mashed potatoes and green beans. 


Boyfriend's first bite and involuntary moan of "mmmmmmm" was identical to my first bite a year ago.  He loved the tender medium-cooked meat and said that he hardly even required the accompanying steak knife.  Boyfriend also enjoyed the mashed potatoes, but said that the green beans were plain and underwhelming.  He graciously granted me two bites of filet, which I enjoyed more than a normal person should enjoy red meat.

To mix things up, I ordered the rack of lamb with a blackberry demi glaze, chive mashed potatoes and asparagus.  At some point between the appetizer and receiving my entree, I realized that I had no clue how to eat a rack of lamb.  I scolded myself internally for failing to google it before dinner, but decided that it would be completely inappropriate to do so at the dinner table.  I'd have to wing it.


The lamb was cooked medium and was very tender.  The glaze, while not obviously made of blackberry, was a nice subtly fruity contrast to the meat.  It was easy to cut the meat from the rib, since it was so tender and I didn't have to gnaw on the bone like a Valentine heathen.  The mashed potatoes were delicious and we all know that I didn't touch the asparagus.  Boyfriend tried it and said that the asparagus was boring and blandly seasoned.  

After practically licking our plates clean (except vegetables), Boyfriend and I couldn't even think about dessert, but our server brought our bill with two Nutella strawberry cookies, courtesy of the chef for Valentine's Day.  Boyfriend didn't care for his, but mine became a mere memory while waiting for our receipt.  

Bistro 19 did not disappoint for our first celebrated Valentine's Day.  The crowds were handled well, although the service was a bit slow.  Our server was pleasant and my water glass was never less than half-full.  The appetizer and the vegetables were nothing special, but the lamb was great and the filet... Oh, the filet.  The meat made the meal and it's why we will return again to Bistro 19. 

If loving red meat is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

Bistro 19 on Urbanspoon




Sunday, February 9, 2014

Cafe io

Now that my disgustingly debilitating illness has moved on to its next victim, I've abandoned my Jello diet and have begun eating solids again. The chewing motion was foreign at first, but now I'm chewing food all on my own and have been preparing meals, as well. Near pneumonia, you cannot defeat me!

Craving some socialization, I spent yesterday afternoon dining with AA and Stemstar, two of my favorite friends, at Mount Lebanon's Cafe io.  This was my first time there, but I had been dying to try it for awhile.

I met AA in seventh grade and still can't fathom how the quiet, timid scholar I met back then has developed into the tattooed wild child of present day. She is bright, holds a great job and works hard; however, AA has a social life that makes me laugh and shake my head simultaneously. I can't keep up with her and prefer to have her over to my house for dinner before she ventures out on the weekend evenings like the 21-year-old she thinks that she is.

Stemstar and I have been acting as one person since freshman year of college. We met during our first semester and ended up having several classes together, eventually moving in together, and confusing people on campus since day one. People were never quite sure if we were dating, friends, or the same person split between two cranky bodies.  Our professors tended to refer to us as one entity and one of my favorite quotes from senior year was that of a classmate who upon seeing us on campus after a night out at the bar together exclaimed "oh my god.... You're STILL together?!" 

AA and Stemstar were introduced while we were all in school and luckily for me, two of my favorite people clicked instantly and a lovely little threesome was born.  So, as I said, the three of us went to Cafe io for Saturday lunch. 

   Photo courtesy of Cafe io's Facebook page

Cafe io is located on Beverly Road in Mount Lebanon, a busy little shopping center with multiple eateries and coffee shops.  Parking is sparse, but luckily, a spot was vacated just as AA and I pulled up in front of the restaurant. At noon on Saturday, the restaurant was completely empty, so the waitstaff seemed eager to assist us quickly. The dining room is comfortable, has several seating options and a lot of natural light brought in by large window fronts.



I ordered ice water and a Bloody Mary while we waited for Stemstar to arrive.  The Bloody Mary was good and garnished with a single celery stalk and a skewer of olives. I enjoyed the drink, although I do prefer my Bloody Mary to be a bit spicier.  

Once Stemstar arrived, our server took our orders and was great with describing menu options with detail.  I ordered the ham and cheese pretzelwich, sliced ham piled on a pretzel bun and topped with Gouda, with honey mustard dipping sauce,  I have a sick adoration of pretzels and was in no position to choose anything else on the menu.  Pretzel buns always win, especially those featuring Gouda.  AA ordered tomato cream fettuccini sans shrimp and Stemstar ordered the roasted turkey sandwich (also featuring Gouda) and a bowl of loaded brisket soup, which was served over fried polenta.  

Stemstar's soup arrived first and looked pretty fantastic.  Stemstar agreed that it was great and happily  ate the entire serving.  Our meals came and everything looked good.  Our server was attentive in ensuring that we had everything that we needed and that our food was satisfactory.  

My ham and Gouda sandwich was good and the pretzel bun was filling, but not overly heavy.  The Gouda paired with freshly sliced ham was delicious and sadly, I couldn't finish it all.  I will admit that I abandoned some of the ham and devoured the remaining pretzel bun with melted Gouda.  The side of fries was okay.  They were not the best fries that I have ever had, but they were decent.  Both AA and Stemstar enjoyed their meals as well, and Stemstar even took half of his sandwich home for later.   He informed me that it made a fantastic snack after he retuned home from the bar later that night.  

Our server failed to separate our bills, but assured us that he could do so easily by taking each of our debit cards and splitting the check at the register.  There was some mild confusion over my and AA's checks, as we both have names beginning and ending in "A," and I later checked my online banking statement to find that I had been incorrectly charged.  Just be sure that you request separate checks before being brought the final bill. 

Overall, Cafe io is a good lunch spot and I would be willing to go back.  The prices are a little high for what you get, but the eatery is a nice alternative to the many chain restaurants in this limited area.  Next time that I'm in the mood for a pretzel and Gouda, I'll know where to go.

Cafe io on Urbanspoon