Restaurant Echo: Take Two (Cranberry Township)

By far, one of the coolest things that happened to me this year is reuniting with a high school friend, Jenn, I hadn't seen for about 16 years. What makes this event incredible is that we went to high school in Canada, yet somehow, after each having called two other U.S. states "home," both of us ended up living within 5 minutes of one another in the Pittsburgh area!

Another cool thing that happened, relatedly, is that one of our high school teachers happened to be passing through town, and so the three of us met up for dinner. Mr. B. was staying at a hotel in Cranberry, and having had a good meal at Restaurant Echo before, I suggested that we dine there.

I arrived right at 6:00 pm sharp; Jenn and Mr. B. were already seated in the dining room. We hugged hello, caught up for a bit, and perused the menu. Mr. B. and I decided to split the Autumn Squash appetizer ("roasted squashes with dates, chicken pâté, housemade clarified apple butter, apple cider crème fraîche").

Autumn Squash ($10)

As the person who recommended the restaurant, I can't help but feel responsible for the quality of the food, so this is often the point in the evening when I start to feel some pressure. Luckily, Mr. B. seemed to enjoy the appetizer, as did I.

For my entrée, I simply couldn't resist the Beef Bourguignon ("beef short ribs braised in red wine and veal stock, fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, carrots"). R. and I had this dish in Paris while on our honeymoon last year and I have been thinking about it since. Restaurant Echo's version did not disappoint; the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce was flavorful.

Beef Bourguignon ($26)

Finally, I could not resist the Ginger Molasses Toffee Cake dessert either, served with roasted pineapple ice cream, since I love ginger and I love toffee even more.

Ginger Molasses Toffee Cake ($8)

We all thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The food was fabulous (phew!); the only thing better was the company. For hours, we talked. We laughed. Mr. B. showed us pictures of his travels and recounted stories of former students he's visited lately. We laughed some more. Mr. B. talked about coming back for a longer visit later in the summer. We stayed until there were no other patrons left at the restaurant, yet the staff never made us feel uncomfortable or dropped hints that it was time to leave. In fact, the service was impeccable.

It was an all-round excellent evening!

Restaurant info:
Restaurant Echo
1740 Route 228, Cranberry Township, PA 16066
(724)779-3246
On the web: http://www.restaurantecho.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restaurantecho
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/RestaurantECHO


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Burgh'ers: Take Two (Harmony)

I have always been a fan of Burgh'ers up in Harmony.  Even though I have only written about them once on my blog, I have actually visited on several occasions.  Recently, I finally made it to their "new" location - actually not that new, as I think it is now close to a year since the move - and it is not that far from the "old" location because it is the space directly next door that used to house an Indian restaurant.

I like the new location.  The atmosphere is completely different - more elegant with its dark orange walls and dim lighting, and less fluorescent-light-and-fast-foody.  Along with being a larger space, there is a bar in the back. The restaurant was packed on this Friday evening, but since I was flying solo I just grabbed a seat at the bar.

Which prompted me to order a drink.  Well, the special of the evening, Apple-Berry Sangria, sounded just about perfect for a fall night, and it was delicious.

Apple-Berry Sangria

I also decided to go with the evening's special burger: the Beet Burger, with cream cheese and beet slaw topping the local grass-fed beef patty.  I love beets, and I like burgers and cream cheese quite a bit as well, so that was a winning combination for me!  It tasted great!

Beet Burger

Aside from being so far north, I love this little neighborhood joint.  Hope to be back again before too long!

Restaurant info:
Burgh'ers
100 Perry Highway, Harmony, PA 16037
(724) 473-0710
On the web: http://www.burghersinc.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Burghers-Restaurant/143287332355378
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Burghersorganic


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Marty's Market (Strip District)...and more Pgh Taco Truck

The Strip District has been undergoing some exciting new developments lately, and if you're in the neighborhood for some food shopping - because what else would you be doing in the Strip?? - you will find a new wonderful option in Marty's Market.

Since the departure of Right By Nature last year, the corner of 23rd and Smallman Streets had remained vacant for months, which gave this part of the Strip District a somewhat desolate feel, in my opinion. But when Marty's Market, named after owner Regina Koetters' father, took over the space, it has brought along a sense of renewal and vibrancy.  With an open design and transparent garage doors that give the shop plenty of natural lighting and a bright and welcoming atmosphere, Marty's Market is dedicated to providing natural, regionally-sourced, ethical, and organic foods to our community.

But Marty's Market is so much more than just a grocery store.

The front of the shop houses a coffee bar with a sidewalk counter.  Inside, you'll find a cafe serving panini, soups, appetizers, and hot dishes, all prepared in the open kitchen in the back, with cafe seating both inside and out.  Sitting prominently between the cafe and the groceries is a modern food theater where cooking demos, classes, and other events are held.  Indeed, Marty's Market is not just a grocery store, but a community-oriented space where you'll want to hang out.  In addition, Marty's Market is so dedicated to the local community that not only is the food sourced locally as much as possible through connections with nearby farms, but even the decor reflects the restaurants and artists of Pittsburgh, like the light fixtures made with colanders donated by local eateries and the pasty domes featuring handles made by local artists.  Every single detail has been thoughtfully put together.

The coffee bar with sidewalk seating at Marty's Market

Inside Marty's Market

Fresh produce at Marty's Market

Fresh produce at Marty's Market

Lamp fixtures in the food theater featuring colanders donated by local Pittsburgh
restaurants

Pastry dome featuring cupcake top made by a local artist

As if the herbicide-, pesticide-free produce and the shop's own butcher counter featuring antibiotic-, hormone-free meat aren't awesome enough, I was especially impressed by the fact that Marty's Market is the only store I'm aware of in Pittsburgh that stocks two very amazing products: Askinosie chocolate, recently named amongst the best chocolate in America by Bon Appetit Magazine, and ice cream sandwiches from Jeni's Ice Creams (in addition to Jeni's ice cream pints, of course - also considered among the best in the country).  Regina Koetters is a woman after my own heart, as Marty's Market is pretty much the kind of market I would open if I were to be in the business.

Askinosie Chocolate at Marty's Market

Jeni's ice cream sandwiches, available only at Marty's Market

I've also had a chance to try out something from Chef Alan's cafe menu: Fresh fiori pasta with perfectly  tender and juicy beef short rib ragout, topped with delicious fresh Burrata cheese and gremolata to round out the dish.

Fiori pasta with beef short rib ragout, fresh Burrata cheese,
and gremolata at Marty's Market ($15)

I mentioned earlier about the food theater at Marty's Market.  Several weeks ago, my friend James whose Pgh Taco Truck will be opening shortly hosted the inaugural demo and tasting event at Marty's Market.  Here are some photos of the demo in action.

Marty's Market's owner Regina Koetters explaining that the food theater is about
people cooking together

James of Pgh Taco Truck makes a salsa with mango,
pineapple, pickled red onion, and dehydrated jalapeno

James explaining the virtue of spicing the pork (to absorb
the juice) and not putting too much meat into the pan
all at once when cooking

Corn tortillas are doubled up and toasted on a crepe grill before serving

The audience gather around the food theater

Regina and James serve up some tacos

Pork taco with mango pineapple salsa

Veggie taco with crumbled portabello, diced zucchini, and salsa with tomato, corn,
black bean, lime juice, and green onion

As always, the tacos were fabulous.  Attending the demo has really given me the opportunity to understand and appreciate the amount of thought and detail that has gone into every seasoning, every cube of meat, and every bite of veggie that make these tacos great.  You can read more about the Pgh Taco Truck in my earlier post here.

Market Info:
Marty's Market
2301 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412)586-7177
On the web: http://www.martysmarket.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Martys-Market-LLC/310946958958179
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartysMarketPGH


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Truck info:
Pgh Taco Truck
(412) 841-9234
On the web: http://www.pghtacotruck.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pghtacotruck
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/PghTacoTruck

Paris 66 (East Liberty)

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a local food bloggers meetup at Paris 66 in East Liberty, organized by Luke, who used to work at Paris 66, and Mike (FoodBurgh), the meetup group organizer.  It was so nice to finally meet in person some folks whose blogs I have been following (Nicole of Yum Yum; Roddy of Rodzilla Reviews; Em of Forked!; and Lauren of Burghilicious) and some new folks whose blogs I am now following (Laurie of Tuesdays With Dorie and French Fridays With Dorie; Erin of Community Cucina; and Janelle of VegOut Pittsburgh).  What a fun group of people!  Lori and Fred, the owners, were sweet to stop by and chat with us, and gave us a little insight about the restaurant as well.  The inside of the restaurant truly has the feel of a cafe in Paris.  The tabletops are decorated with carefully laminated copies of ancient postcards of Paris that had belonged to Fred's great-grandmother.

On to the food.  I had never been to Paris 66 before, and I understand that they had recently changed their menu to move away from serving mostly crepes while expanding their menu options.  Being a fan of crepes, however, I really couldn't resist trying their signature local, organic buckwheat crepes.  I ordered the La Marseillaise, which I am ashamed to say I cannot pronounce despite being Canadian, but it is a "rolled galette stuffed with scallops, shrimp, shallots, saffron bechamel."

La Marseillaise

This was my first ever experience with buckwheat crepes, and I wasn't really sure about it at first, but it grew on me over the course of the meal.  One warning, however, is that the buckwheat flavor is really strong, so someone who doesn't like buckwheat probably wouldn't like this.  I personally didn't mind it too much.  The La Marseillaise ended up being pretty good, but very, very filling.   The buckwheat is really hearty and the saffron bechamel is thick and rich, so if you're looking for a "light" meal option, this isn't it.  Despite being starved because we didn't have dinner until 9 pm, I could not finish my crepe.

But as anyone knows, there is a whole separate stomach for desserts. :)  Half of Paris 66's dessert menu consists of crepes, but at that point I was kind of creped out, so instead I ordered the standard French dessert Creme Brulee:

Creme Brulee

Throughout the meal I had also had tastings of other people's appetizers and desserts.  Most of them were good, but the one thing that really stood out for me was a dessert crepe with banana and chocolate sauce.  Oh my, when that got passed down to my side of the table, I had quite a few more bites of it than I had intended.  I am already itching to go back just for the banana crepe.  And when I do, I will be sure to snap a picture and write an updated post on it.

In the meantime, check out Yum Yum's post on this outing for her take on Paris 66.  I'm sure some of the other bloggers will be posting their thoughts on Paris 66 as well, and I will update this page (below) with links to their blog posts when they are available.

And if you are a food blogger in the Pittsburgh area, join us!

Other food bloggers' posts on our visit to Paris 66: (to be updated as new entries are posted)

Yum Yum (5/11/2012)
Community Cucina (5/13/2012)
Forked! (5/24/2012)

Restaurant Info:

6018 Penn Cir S, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

(412) 404-8166 

On the web: http://www.paris66bistro.com

 

Burgh'ers (Harmony)

Last weekend I had a sudden burger craving (probably fueled by China Millman's Post-Gazette article featuring the new burger bars in town).  I wasn't craving just any burger though - I wanted a big, fat, juicy beef burger.  You see, I hadn't had a beef burger since my first (and last) visit to Five Guys in DC in July 2009.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the burger, but quite literally while my body was still digesting that meal, I went to see the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc. and my life hasn't been the same since.  Without going into too much of the gory detail, I pretty much swore off ground beef right then and there unless I was sure that the restaurant ground their own beef or that the beef was grass-fed instead of grain-fed.

And just like that, no more beef burgers for me.

So you can imagine my excitement a little while ago when I found out about the new burger joint, Burgh'ers, in Harmony through a news article about it having been deemed the best burger in Pittsburgh.  I was excited because Burgh'ers uses ingredients from local farms and their beef is local, organic, and grass-fed.  In other words: ground beef I CAN eat!  So Burgh'ers came to mind immediately when the I felt like my tummy could use a long-overdue beef burger.

I hopped into my car and drove up to Harmony, which is a quaint little area about a 15-minute drive north of Cranberry Township.  The restaurant is located in Creekside Plaza on Perry Highway, although you can't see the restaurant from the road as the strip mall doesn't face the street, so it's good to keep the name of the plaza in mind while searching for the restaurant.  The atmosphere at Burgh'ers is casual and low-key but pleasant at the same time, with its walls painted bright green and its menu scrawled on a gigantic chalkboard behind the cashier.  Most of the burgers are named after Pittsburgh's neighborhoods (like the Shadyside, the Bloomfield, or the Polish Hill), but I decided to go with the Mexican War, which is a fiery burger with roasted green chillies, avocado, tomato, chedder cheese, and cilantro:

The Mexican War ($9.99)

And this thing was hot alright!  But more importantly, tasty.  What an interesting combination of flavors!  Everything was cooked just right.  The patty was juicy but not too greasy, the buns were soft and warm, and even the fries were great.  I cleaned up the entire plate, and if you know how petite I am, you'd know this is quite a lot of food for me.  But I ate it all because it was so good!

The restaurant was pretty busy when I got there, and it was absolutely packed by the time my burger was served.  I was actually hoping to take advantage of Burgh'er's free wifi and get some work done, but decided against it because I didn't want to take up a seat if I wasn't eating.  As I was close to being done with my meal, the little boy sitting at the table behind me came up and asked if I was a reporter, which I thought was so cute.  I got into a conversation with the nice parents and turns out they decided to try Burgh'ers after reading China Millman's article (and Mr. and Mrs. Nice Parents, if you're reading this: Hello!).  I didn't stick around long enough to find out if they liked their burgers, but I'm really glad that this little local joint located way beyond the North Hills is getting so much attention.  It is also BYOB, which is another plus.

I had thought that my visit to Burgh'ers would satisfy my burger craving, but if anything, it seemed to have intensified it!  If they had been open the following day on Sunday, I just might have made a repeat trip up there.  I guess it was probably best for my waistline that they weren't open! :)  I definitely see more burgers/Burgh'ers in my near future, and I'm very happy to have found another restaurant in town that is committed to supporting local agriculture.

Restaurant info:
Burgh'ers
100 Perry Highway, Harmony, PA 16037
(724) 473-0710
On the web: http://www.burghersinc.com

Pittsburgh Marshmallow Factory at the Pittsburgh Public Market

FamJam in Pittsburgh 2011

Stop #4: Pittsburgh Public Market

This is the fifth in a series of posts on my family's first visit to Pittsburgh.  To start from the beginning with Friday's lunch, click here.

After getting my beloved sesame cookies from Sustenance Bakery at the Pittsburgh Public Market, I wandered around for a bit and checked out the Pittsburgh Marshmallow Factory.

I had strolled by their stand on previous trips to the Market, but seeing that I'm not a big marshmallow person, I never really bothered to stop by to see what they had to offer.  On this day, I was drawn by the interesting flavors of marshmallows they had, all homemade!

Turns out I didn't know what I had been missing all this time!  As I said before, I'm not big on marshmallows, but I really liked these!  They're light and fluffy and a little moist, unlike the spongy, dry, and too-chewy variety I had had before.  Now I know why I don't like marshmallows: it's not that I don't like them; I just hadn't had the real deal!  I ended up getting four large pieces to go...

Clockwise from bottom: Coconut, ginger, peppermint, and banana foster marshmallows.

...which I completely devoured in a single sitting.  Once again, the Pittsburgh Public Market won the battle against my self-control.  As an aside, My sister got peppermint, lemon, pina colada, and cookies and cream.  She seemed to have particularly liked the lemon one.


Update:  As of December 18, 2011, the Pittsburgh Marshmallow Factory no longer sells marshmallows at the Pittsburgh Public Market, but they remain available online.

Next up: Saturday's dinner at Silk Elephant in Squirrel Hill

Links of interest:

Pittsburgh Marshmallow Factory on the Web: http://pittsburghmarshmallowfactory.com/

Pittsburgh Public Market on the Web:  http://pittsburghpublicmarket.org/

Sustenance Bakery at the Pittsburgh Public Market

FamJam in Pittsburgh 2011

Stop #4: Pittsburgh Public Market

This is the fourth in a series of posts on my family's first visit to Pittsburgh.  To start from the beginning with Friday's lunch, click here.

After brunch at Pamela's, we took a quick stroll along Penn Ave, then headed to the Pittsburgh Public Market on Smallman St.  Now here's a hidden gem even many Pittsburghers have yet to discover!  Opened just a few months ago, the Pittsburgh Public Market features fresh produce, meats, baked goods, coffee, and more - from local sources.  In other words, it is a locavore's paradise. 

Inside the Pittsburgh Public Market
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, you will find lots of amazing local foods and other goods at the Pittsburgh Public Market.  I really hope they continue to grow and expand.

The Binge! Eating in Pittsburgh blog recently wrote up a nice piece on the Pittsburgh Public Market.  Here, I will focus on the two merchants I visited on this trip.

Just as soon as you walk into the Pittsburgh Public Market, you'll come across a little bakery stand on the right.  That's Sustenance Bakery.

Sustenance Bakery is an all-natural bakery that uses many locally-sourced ingredients in their baked goods.  In the past I've had a couple different kinds of muffins and cookies with creative flavors.  One was a citrusy-grapefruit muffin (forget what it was called) that was very moist; another was a cookie topped with fresh ground peppercorn that was surprisingly good. But the one thing that keeps me coming back to Sustenance again and again is their sesame cookies!

Sesame cookies
Just the slightest bit chewy and chock full of the flavor of sesame seeds.

In fact, I once paid $6 for parking in the Strip District just to go to the Pittsburgh Public Market for these cookies.  They come in little half-dozen packets.   I bought two packets and they were gone within two days.  Too good to resist, and perhaps a little dangerous for one's waistline! ;)

Update:  As of December 18, 2011, Sustenance Bakery no longer sells baked goods at the Pittsburgh Public Market.  Owner Sarah Kelby Lewis' recipe for the Toasted Sesame Cookies was published in the Food & Wine Magazine and can be found here.  Read about my attempt at baking them here.

Next up:  Pittsburgh Marshmallow Factory at the Pittsburgh Public Market

Links of interest:

Sustenance Bakery on the Web:  http://www.sustenancebakery.com/

Pittsburgh Public Market on the Web:  http://pittsburghpublicmarket.org/

Restaurant Echo (Cranberry Township)

FamJam in Pittsburgh 2011

Stop #2 (Friday Dinner): Restaurant Echo in Cranberry Township

This is the second in a series of posts on my family's first visit to Pittsburgh.  To check out our lunch on Friday, click here.

For Friday's dinner, I decided to try out a new restaurant in Cranberry Township, just off of I-79 on Rt. 228.  I had noticed Restaurant Echo when I drove by some weeks before and had then heard some positive buzz online, and a review of their menu suggests a commitment to locally-sourced food, which I thought was nice and would make my treehugger sister really happy.  So that's how Restaurant Echo made it to my FamJam restaurant list.

In stark contrast to our lunch at Primanti Brothers, Restaurant Echo has the feel of a contemporary upscale restaurant.  (How's that for balance, eh?)  I would say this is the kind of place to take a business partner or a date if you are trying to make a good impression.  Trying to decide what to order was difficult as many items on the menu looked fabulous, and our very attentive waitress, Elise, confirmed that there is not an item on the menu that's not good.  Even though I knew it would be way too much food for me, I eventually decided on an appetizer along with an entree.

Mushroom Cigars
The mushroom cigars sounded real interesting.  They come with a sesame dipping sauce and soba noodles.  Very delicious.

Salmon
For my entree, I went with the salmon, with winter squash purée, spinach, and pumpkinseed-dressed farro grain.  The salmon was prepared medium rare which I thought was perfect.

With our meal, we all shared a bottle of merlot.  I also tried a bite of my dad's filet mignon and it was quite amazing, so I would recommend that as well if you're into steaks.  The best part of the evening: Everyone LOVED Restaurant Echo.  Awesome food, and not horribly expensive either (about $20-$30 per entree; I think my salmon was $19).  My dad actually thought the prices were quite low for such a high-caliber restaurant, but then again, his comparison standard is Toronto, so take it for what it's worth.  Still, it's nice to be able to impress Dad.  My parents are the type of people who have no qualms about complaining if they don't like something, so a positive review coming from them really means a lot!

Next up: Saturday's brunch at Pamela's P&G Diner.

Restaurant info:

Restaurant Echo

1740 Route 228, Cranberry Township, PA 16066

(724)779-3246

Website: http://www.restaurantecho.com