Chicken Latino (Strip District)

This is a long belated post on Chicken Latino in the Strip District.  My first visit there was back in December, after receiving positive recommendations from multiple sources.  I recall trying to decide between something with rotisserie chicken and the weekend ceviche special, but given the name of the restaurant I had to go with the Quarter Chicken (dark meat), while R. had the Chicken Quesadilla.  Both were mouthwatering delicious.  In fact, I didn't expect much of the chicken quesadilla, and it turned out to be quite good.  Not pictured is Chicken Latino's special green sauce that's quite spicy but very, very good.

Quarter Peruvian Style Rotisserie Chicken

Chicken Quesadilla

I didn't post about my first trip right away because I had hoped to be back soon for the ceviche and figured I would combine both visits into one post...only "soon" didn't happen until four months later for one reason or another.  In any case, I finally made it, and on this particular weekend the special was a Shrimp and Fish Ceviche, which also didn't disappoint.  The flavor was strong but not overwhelming.

Shrimp and Fish Ceviche

Chicken Latino is a great, casual place to grab a bite during weekend "Stripping" trips, or any other time one happens to be in the Strip.  They are also great about announcing their weekend special on Twitter and Facebook.

Restaurant info:
Chicken Latino
155 21st Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412)246-0974
On the web: http://www.chickenlatino.com
On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chickenlatino
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chicken-Latino/145153807143


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Avocado Salad with Corn, Black Bean, and Tomatillo from Cinco de Mayo Salsas

Avocado Salad with Corn, Black Bean, and Tomatillo 

Arturo of Cinco de Mayo Salsas taught my friend this simple snack by mixing his Corn and Black Bean Salad and Tomatillo sauce and adding an avocado.  She was raving about it afterwards, so I just had to try it myself!

Ingredients:
1 (16-oz) container of Corn and Black Bean salad from Cinco de Mayo Salsas
1 (16-oz) container of Tomatillo sauce from Cinco de Mayo Salsas
1 perfectly ripe avocado, diced 

Directions:
Mix the Corn and Black Bean salad and the Tomatillo sauce together.  Add the avocado.  Enjoy.

Since I liked all of the ingredients in this salad, I quite enjoyed my first bite...but I must admit I wasn't initially sure it was rave-worthy.

And then, it happened.

I got seconds.  And then thirds.  And then fourths.  And next thing you know, I Ate. The. Whole. Thing.

Yep, two large containers of salsa and an avocado. I ate it all. In a single sitting.

I should be ashamed of myself. *blush*

So my advice to you is, try this only if there is other people around to share.  It is that good.

Click here for more recipes using Cinco de Mayo Salsas, available at the Pittsburgh Public Market during the winter and all around town during the farmers market season.

Smiling Banana Leaf (Highland Park)

I've been really impressed by the quality of the Thai food in Pittsburgh.  Not to knock on Columbus, Ohio, because I do love the city, but during the six years I lived there, I never was able to find satisfying Thai food.  Before moving to Pittsburgh, I had assumed that Pittsburgh would be similar to Columbus, but its solid offerings of ethnic foods have been a wonderful and pleasant surprise to me.

One Thai restaurant I had heard plenty of nice things about is Smiling Banana Leaf in Highland Park.  I finally made it out there a couple of weeks ago on an invitation by Burgh Gourmand, who had recently befriended the owner, Tookie.  The six of us in the group came on a Wednesday night and sat out on the patio, thanks to which I was able to get some nice photos of the food.  Since we're not particularly picky eaters, we let the chef choose for us.  The food came fast and furious, and I will just let the photos do the talking, but trust that everything was just absolutely delicious and I'd most definitely come back again in a heartbeat.

Crispy Calamari
"Fried to crispy golden brown perfection served with sweet chili sauce"

Fresh Spring Roll
"In a rice paper hand roll of rice noodles, lettuce, carrot, & basil leaves served with
special brown sauce & crushed peanut"

Thai Samosa
"Lightly fried pastry stuffed with potatoes, carrot & green peas; served with Thai
special cucumber sauce"

Som Tom
"Shredded green papaya mixed with fresh garlic, chili pepper, green bean, tomato,
ground peanut juice"

Steamed Dumplings
"Thai-style pork & shrimp steamed dumpling; served with sweet & sour black soy sauce"

Mango Chicken Salad
"Marinated grilled chicken mixed with mango, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, carrots;
served with spicy chili lime sauce"

Chicken Satay
"Grilled and marinated chicken on skewers; served with peanut sauce & cucumber salad"

Spicy Green Bean with Tilapia

Pumpkin Curry

Pad Kee Mow (Spicy Noodle)
"Wide rice noodles stir-fried with Napa cabbage and choice of meat in a spicy basil sauce"

Curry Fried Rice
Thai curry fried rice mixed with green peas, onion and egg

Sweet Mango with Sticky Rice

Fried Smiling Banana with Ice Cream
The fried bananas had hints of coconut, perfect when paired with coconut ice cream

I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to enjoy Smiling Banana Leaf this way.  Those who have read my previous posts on Thai food may remember that I'm a sucker for curry and that is pretty much all I ever order at a Thai restaurant.  This family-style meal allowed me to sample a wide variety of the menu items at Smiling Banana Leaf, some of which I would not have otherwise ever ordered myself.  Aside from the curry, I was especially pleased with the Pad Kee Mow, but I would highly recommend everything we were served that night.

A couple final observations:  Smiling Banana Leaf occupies a small white building at the northeast corner of Bryant Street and N Euclid Avenue.  There is really not much of a sign out front so it helps to know what you're looking for.  I didn't get a picture of the outside of the restaurant, but here's one provided by the restaurant itself. The interior of the restaurant is quite small, with seating for maybe two dozen or so customers.

Finally, when you go to Smiling Banana Leaf, DO NOT park illegally on N Euclid just north of Bryant where the yellow paint marks the curb - even if you're just popping in to get takeout.  Cars are not allowed there for a reason:  Buses that run along Bryant Street turn onto N Euclid and may ding your car if it's in the way.  Twice during our meal someone parked illegally in that spot to pick up their take-out order, and both times, within a minute, a bus needed to get through.  I'll just say that there were some close calls.

Restaurant info:
Smiling Banana Leaf
5901 Bryant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 362-3200
On the web: http://www.smilingbananaleaf.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smiling-Banana-Leaf/186209418056787
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Smiling_Banana
Bonus: BYOB



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Pittsburgh Farm to Table Conference 2012: Local Food Tasting

Farm to Table Pittsburgh 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the food tasting event sponsored by Edible Allegheny at the Pittsburgh Farm to Table Conference.  More than 40 local vendors offered samples of cheeses, meats, hummus, desserts, wine, beer...you name it!  I love events like this where you get to meet the people behind all these amazing local products and discover new places all in one evening.  I feature in this post, using photos and captions, some of my favorite vendors at the food tasting.  Note, however, that I didn't get to visit every single booth so I'm sure there were many gems that I missed!

Aimee Woods of Embody Natural Health (Facebook,
Twitter) making fresh juice.

Michael Smalis, the Greek Gourmet (Twitter), serving
up some of his 24 mouthwatering flavors of hummus.
My favorites: Curry and horseradish.

Just look at her face! I think she's excited to try Greek
Gourmet (Twitter). :)

Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea Company (Facebook, Twitter) served up some amazing
Cinnamon Cheesecake with Chocolate Chips and Bacon. Mmm-mmmm!

Franktuary (Facebook, Twitter) offering samples of my favorite locavore frank.

The friendly guys at Wild Purveyors (Facebook, Twitter), coming soon to Lawrenceville.

Wild Mushroom Pate Crostini by Quiet Storm (Facebook, Twitter). I must visit the
restaurant soon!

I was really looking forward to trying Pretzel Crazy
(Facebook, Twitter) for the first time and it was SO good!
Follow their social media sites to find out where they're
setting up shop on any given day!

Clarion River Organics (Facebook, Twitter) can be found
on weekends at the Pittsburgh Public Market.

The chef at Restaurant Echo (Facebook, Twitter) putting the finishing touches on
some terrific Chicken Terrine.  I love Restaurant Echo's commitment to local sourcing.

Heather Cramer of Olio Fresca Olive Oil Company (Facebook,
 blog) talking to food tasters about her amazingly tasty olive
oils, which can be found on weekends at the Pittsburgh
Public Market.  Check out this post she wrote recently with
some valuable information about olive oil.

North Country Brewing Company (Facebook) was another vendor I was really looking
forward to, and this steak was plain awesome!

Kate Romane, Chef at E² (Facebook, Twitter), posing for
a photo with the farmer who supplies her eggs.

Great hummus from Freshapeel Hummus! (Facebook, Twitter), coming soon to a
Pittsburgh store near you.

In sum, it was a great event and I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to participate.  As a matter of full disclosure, I received complimentary tickets to this event from Revive Marketing for assisting them with a ticket giveaway.  However, it was explicitly agreed upon that I would not be expected to write a positive review of the event (not to mention that that would be against one of my own rules).  Besides, none of the vendors featured in this post knew that I'd be writing about them, and the only "bribe" I received from them was amazing foods that truly deserve attention. :)  All in all, it was a great event.  I got to try foods from places I've been meaning to check out, and learned about some new vendors as well.  My only regret is that I wasn't able to attend more of the conference because of work, but there is always next year. :)

Mediterrano (Millvale)

Confession: I am not a big fan of lamb.

I have always found lamb to have a distinctively odd taste that's really difficult to describe in words, but whatever that taste is, I find it rather unpalatable.  As such, I typically pay little attention to lamb entrees on a menu since I'd hate to waste good money on something I might not like.

So when Señorita Cibulka and I went to Mediterrano a little while ago, I wasn't planning on ordering lamb.

But the special just sounded soooo good:  Sugar and clove crusted lamb chops from a local farm, served with a fig balsamic glaze and root vegetable medley.  Our waiter talked it up, too, so I was tempted.  Besides, I have had some surprisingly positive experience with lamb recently, and Mediterrano had come highly recommended to me, so I figured it was probably worth the gamble this time.

And that was the story of how I ordered lamb for the first time in my life.

Lamb Special

My entree was good.  Very good, in fact, even though I could still detect a bit of the "odd" taste I dislike in most lamb, but the meat was tender and cooked to absolute perfection.  It was a strange combination of "I don't like this weird taste in the lamb but I really like this dish so I'm going to eat it."  I cleaned my plate.  And could have eaten more.

Señorita Cibulka also ordered a lamb dish: Arni Souvlaki, or grilled lamb skewers with onions and peppers with rice and pita.  I had a bite of this for comparison, and surprisingly it had none of the "odd" lamb taste (and it was delicious).  I'm not sure what the difference is, whether it's in the cooking method, the cut of meat, or the individual lamb, but the lamb in this dish was definitely different from the lamb chops I had.

Arni Souvlaki

In any case, we both agreed that Mediterrano served up a tremendous meal, and the decor is cute and warm as well.  Honestly, Señorita Cibulka and I have never had a bad meal together, and I hope our good fortune (and friendship) continues for years to come.

In the meantime, I will look forward to my return visit to Mediterrano.

Mediterrano

Read Señorita Cibulka's thoughts on Mediterrano here, where she also addresses the unusual parking situation.

Restaurant info:
Mediterrano
2193 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)822-8888
On the web: http://www.mediterranocuisine.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mediterranogreekcuisine


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Mexican Meatballs with Smoky Chipotle Sauce from Cinco de Mayo Salsas

Every time I visit Arturo the "Salsa Guy" (Cinco de Mayo Salsas) at the Pittsburgh Public Market, he asks me if I'm ready for a new recipe.  Duh, of course I'm always game for a new recipe, especially one from Arturo!  So thanks to his instructions, I made meatballs for the very first time a couple of weekends ago!

Mexican Meatballs with Smoky Chipotle Sauce

Mexican Meatballs with Smoky Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, small dice
2 stalks celery, small dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 cup stale bread crumbs*
1 (12 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (8 oz) tub Smoky Chipotle sauce from Cinco de Mayo Salsas

For the sides:
Spanish rice
black beans

* I asked Arturo if it would be OK to use store-bought bread crumb, and he said it's better to make your own stale bread crumb. Just cut a few slices of bread into squares (I used 6 regular slices of whole wheat), leave them out for a couple of days until hard, then grind in food processor.  (UPDATE 4/14/2012: I recently came across this blog post demonstrating that at least some store-bought, commercial bread does not go stale for a long time, so I'd recommend sticking with something from the bakery.)

Directions:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.  Mix together the first six ingredients (from ground beef to bread crumbs).  Form into one-inch balls and bake in a baking dish  (a 9 x 13 dish works well).  Meanwhile, mix together the chipotle sauce and the tomato sauce.  After meatballs have baked for 20-25 minutes, pour sauce over meatballs and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

Serve with spanish rice and whole black beans.

Makes about 16-20 meatballs.

Click here for more recipes using Cinco de Mayo Salsas, available at the Pittsburgh Public Market during the winter and all around town during the farmers market season.

Waffles, INCaffeinated (New Brighton)

R. loves waffles, and I had been meaning to take him to Waffles, INCaffeinated up in New Brighton for a while. New Brighton is a bit out of the way so the trip requires some planning.  The first few times we made plans to go, things just didn't work out: either something came up and we had to cancel our reservation at the last minute, or we couldn't get in on a busy Sunday, or we would have plans to go on a Monday just to realize that they close on Mondays.  But the fourth time was finally the charm!

It was our first ever trip to New Brighton, and I didn't realize its main drag on 3rd Avenue is so cute.  Just up the street from Waffles, INCaffeinated is the First Presbyterian Church, which is pretty in a small historic town sort of way:

First Presbyterian Church in New Brighton

And located just a block down and across the street was the charming little house where we would enjoy brunch:

Waffles, INCaffeinated

Just like the neighborhood, Waffles, INCaffeinated is cute.  There is a small patio that is absolutely lovely, and the inside is modern and comfy:

Interior

View from our seats

A sign on the wall

Since we drove all the way up here for their famous waffles, I focused my menu browsing energy on the few pages that were dedicated to waffles.  It was a tough choice; everything sounded amazing, and there is even the opportunity to create your own waffle using the myriad of topping and mix-in options available.

After waffling a bit (lame pun intended), I chose the Bananas Foster, which has walnuts inside the waffle and topped with sliced bananas, homemade butter rum sauce, and vanilla ice cream.  It was as lovely as the restaurant itself!  Also, the presentation was awesome!

Bananas Foster ($8)

R. picked the Mega Berry, which is also an excellent choice.  It has raspberries and blueberries mixed in, and topped with more raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Mega Berry ($7)

Since it was our first time there, the waitress gave us all three syrups - vanilla, rum, and maple - to try.  I only tried a little bit of the vanilla as my Bananas Foster was already plenty flavorful, which was good, and R. liked that one the best as well.  I asked the waffle fan if he thought Waffles, INCaffeinated was worth the drive, and his response was an enthusiastic "yes"!  Yeah, I'd make the drive here again, too.

Restaurant info:
Waffles, INCaffeinated
1224 3rd Ave, New Brighton, PA 15066
(724)359-4841 weekend reservations highly recommended
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waffles-INCaffienated/119568804770677
On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/waffleINcaffein


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Tin Front Café (Homestead)

Last week, R. and I visited the family-owned, family-run, all-vegetarian Tin Front Café in Homestead for the first time.  I had known of Tin Front Café since last September when I attended the Waterfront Food & Wine Tasting event and tried their delicious award-winning chili.  I was glad to finally have the chance to visit the actual restaurant!

On this night, it had just gotten warm enough to sit out in the courtyard in the back, so we did.  The first thing  that caught my attention was the cute decor on the wall, sculpted by the owner's stepfather, David Lewis:

Tin Front Cafe's Patio

For our meal, we decided to first split the Butternut Bisque, with basil and coconut milk.  We were pleasantly surprised when our bisque came already split for us into two smaller cups. What a nice touch!

Butternut Bisque ($3.75)
Photo shows half of an order

There was also a complimentary salad that accompanied each entree:

Salad

For his entree, R. ordered the Carrot Ginger Risotto that sits in portabello cap and atop some sauteed spinach.

Carrot Ginger Risotto ($12.95)

While R. thought his entree was great (it was - I tried it too), he couldn't stop digging his fork into my Butternut Squash Lasagna, which was served in a basil bechamel sauce.  His rude behavior was completely understandable, however.  This cheesy lasagna was the perfect marriage of sweet and savory; it was decidedly the best lasagna we've both had in our lives!

Butternut Squash Lasagna ($13.95)
Also goes by the name "Pure Heaven"

Beyond the lovingly-prepared food, I also adore the simple, friendly, down-home atmosphere at Tin Front Café.  While owner Daniel Valentine worked in the kitchen, his mother took excellent care of the patrons.  It was a lovely first visit that exceeded all my expectations, and we will be back again for sure.

And next time, I'll need to come a little earlier to check out the attached Annex Cookery, run by mom Judith Tener-Lewis, which sells some interesting art and kitchen gadgets.

Restaurant info:
The Tin Front Café

216 East 8th Ave, Homestead, PA 15120
(412) 461-4615
On the web: http://www.tinfrontcafe.com
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/tinfrontcafe
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinfrontcafe
Bonus: Free Wifi


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