Pittsburgh Favorites

Last weekend, I made a pilgrimage back to my Alma Mater to join in the 2010 Spring Carnival festivities. Basically, it's four solid days of seeing old friends and eating good food. After being away from Pittsburgh for several years, I had grown nostalgic for my collegiate cravings. Thus, I opted to revisit some old favorite hang out / eat out spots. Here's what I was able to check off given amount of time:

Oyster Lovers Meet Up

Last Wednesday I decided to meet up with some fellow New York oyster lovers for an oyster feast at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. It was the first meet up for this group (and my first-ever meet up), and the turn out was surprisingly large. The group was as diverse as the NYC; there were other food bloggers, folks from the food industry, lawyers, artists and entrepreneurs there. Nellie, our fearless bivalve-loving leader is actually an oyster distributor for W&T Seafood. That was probably how she was able to hook us up with this sweet deal: 10 oysters (5 West Coast, 5 East Coast) and a glass of champagne for $20.

Boqueria SoHo

My friend CT and I love to treat ourselves well, so it only felt appropriate to have dinner at Boqueria SoHo. We were about to be escorted to a two-person table sandwiched between other parties, but I suggested to sit at the kitchen bar (good call). While we looked on at the chefs working their magic, we tried the Pink Grapefruit sangria, Leonora cheese, Jamón ibérico (a.k.a. pata negra), marinated octopus on crostini, and special seafood paella. Everything was amazing, but I seriously have daydreams about the pata negra.

Isabella's

Every weekend, there's always a line outside of Isabella's on 77th and Columbus. The outside seating is usually packed with people chowing down on pancakes and sipping mimosas. On Sunday, B and I decided to see what the commotion was all about. Our wait was a substantial 35 minutes long (we were told that it would be closer to 20 minutes), but ultimately proved to be worth it. We were given homemade banana bread and sweet olive/raisin bread to start. I ordered the Crab Benedict that came with a side of salad, a slice of cantaloupe and also a bellini. B ordered a burger that came with spicy fries, pickles, and a bloody mary. Our total bill came to $30, which we found to be quite awesome. My Crab Benedict tasted fantastic: the eggs were perfectly poached and the came at just the right temperature. Also at $15 per person, I will definitely be returning.

Bouchon Bakery Macarons

As a reward for completing a two-day Hunter Education course (prerequisite for a hunting license), I bought myself a trio of heavenly macarons from Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle. After being stuck in a room with over 70 macho guys in the middle of the Bronx for many, many hours, I was in desperate need of some girly comfort. I purchased two chocolate macarons and a pistachio one at $3 each. I quite enjoyed the chocolate ones, but the pistachio was the showstopper. Unlike most macarons, which are delicately petite in size, Bouchon blows theirs up to triple the size. Each bite was a duet of crisp chewiness and luscious cream; also well-balanced in sweetness and texture. If you're willing to share, each would make a good snack for two.

Click for more pics!

Hudson Terrace Craft Beer Festival

Want to trade in old-fashioned love for liquid romance instead? The Hudson Terrace Craft Beer Festival would have been your ultimate speed date. There were over 50 types of beer and just two hours to discover your next summer fling. As part of an ongoing  Cocktail Series, which I received free tickets to attend from them, the festival attracted a mix of established beer-lovers and curious newbies. From fruit-tinted summer ales to toasty IPA's, there was a flavor for everyone. B and I both found some new favorites and re-encountered some old friends (e.g., The Pourhouse Bomb).

Slice: The Perfect Food

On a gorgeous Tuesday, I took a stroll up Hudson Street to a restaurant called Slice. I met up with A (a.k.a. @RavenousPanda) for lunch, a fellow tweeter who shared the same love for food and pandas. A currently works with Slice, so she was able to tell me about how the organic pizza company came to be. The concept of making healthy and delectable comfort food was initially aimed to satisfy the cravings of two ultra athletic women: Miki and Radha. They are sisters, the co-owners of Slice, and extreme sport enthusiasts. They wanted to create a speedy and simple hunger quencher that tasted great and was also good for you.

Morakote Siam

M and I have walked passed Morakote Siam on Carmine countless times and we've never thought to try it... that is, until now. Their lunch menu had a variety of Thai classics, including my favorite: Pad See Ew. While it wasn't as good as my go-to Pad See Ew source (Land Thai Kitchen), it wasn't bad! The salad and spring rolls included in the lunch special were also tasty. For $8 or so, it was a pretty solid working lunch find.

Sake & Cheese Tasting

Ever since B and I attended the Sake & Cheese tasting class at New York Vintners last fall, I've been wanting to recreate a similar event in my own home. So last week, I made up my mind to host a series of "Peek & Eat" events, with the first being for sake and cheese. I opened the invite to a handful of friends, but wanted to limit it to eight attendees in order to keep it orderly and intimate. To my surprise, all of the spots filled up really quickly. (Sorry to those who didn't see the Facebook invite until it was too late! I promise to make it more accessible next time!)

L'Ecole

L'Ecole is the official restaurant of the French Culinary Institute, but the name literally translates to "the school." As far as I can tell, the only way that you would know that students are actually the ones preparing the food is to peek into the kitchen. While only FCI students who are nearing the end of the curriculum cook at L'Ecole, the rest of the students study in the same building.