Day: February 22, 2020

Twistedoughs – Falling Waters, WV – February 2020

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When it was time to leave Pittsburgh and head back to Maryland, I knew where I would be making an extra stop along the way. I had been to Twistedoughs the last time I drove back from Pittsburgh, and really enjoyed it. I ordered the biscuits and gravy (and a pretzel), but had my eye on the cinnamon rolls.

When I got there, I was told it was going to be about a 25 minute wait, since they were in the oven. I decided to check out The Market House and I also walked around for a bit. When they were ready, I decided to sit outside to eat. It may have been in the 20s, but I had a warm cinnamon roll and that was all that I needed. The cinnamon roll was humungous. It almost took up an entire standard sized container. It was still hot, so they gave me the icing on the side.

I have a big hand, so I tried to take this picture to show how big this cinnamon roll was.

I put some icing on it, and then took this picture (before it started to get melty). I think this picture shows off the size better. If you look at the size of the fork in the background, that should give you some perspective as to the size of this cinnamon roll. I was not able to eat this all at once. This was a two and a half meal treat for me. So waiting almost 30 minutes for this – definitely worth it. I would do it again. I would wait an hour for this. From the outer portion to the filling to the icing, this was a truly delicious cinnamon roll. This is definitely something you can share with 1, 2, or 3 other people.

I brought a pretzel home with me and had it later on. While it was not as big as the cinnamon roll, it still was a big pretzel. This is sitting on one of my big plates. The pretzel is also really good. The outer crunch is good, but I really like the inside part of the pretzel. Perfectly baked, nice layers, and tremendous flavor.

Stopping by at Twistedoughs was definitely a perfect way to cap off my week of good eating. And it was an easy way to stay in a positive frame of mind.

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The Colombian Spot – Pittsburgh, PA

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I was thinking about going to The Colombian Spot on Wednesday when I was in Pittsburgh. I was drenched because I had been walking around in the rain, and I decided not to go into the restaurant, since I would have felt bad tracking all that water with all the patrons in there. The next day during a training I was talking with my co-workers and they mentioned that they had eaten there that night. So, I decided to go on Thursday instead. It would have been good to eat with my co-workers, but sometimes things just work out differently.

The place was packed. There were quite a few families there, so it was fun seeing all the smiling faces. I looked over the menu and decided to order two things from the Appetizers section. The entrees looked good, but I knew that I had to monitor my food intake, since it had been a busy week of eating.

The first thing I ordered was Pernil Con Tostones. This was slow cooked pork, black beans, and crispy plantains. The pork was delicious, juicy and very tender. I’m not usually a fan of black beans, but these had really good flavor and texture. The plantains were nice and crispy on the outside, with a slightly soft inside. When the three components were combined together, it was a truly wonderful flavor experience.

Since I was having the pork appetizer, I decided to go with a vegetarian empanada, which was stuffed with rice, black beans, and spinach. These were good empanadas. The filling had nice flavor, but it was the breading that stood out to me. It had a nicely fried texture, was not greasy, and had a nice corn meal consistency to it. And with the other food, it was the perfect portion for my dinner. This is definitely a “Spot” I can see myself visiting again.

Double Wide Grill – Pittsburgh, PA

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Continuing with my week of eating in Pittsburgh, one night I decided to stop by the Double Wide Grill for dinner.

The decor was really cool. I felt like the only thing missing was a car on a rack and some drill sounds.

When it was time to order food, I had quite a few options to choose from. Some items on the menu sounded really good, but I had barbecue pork on my mind, so I ended up ordering the BBQ Pulled Porky with a side of Cole slaw. The Cole slaw was really good. I could have eaten two or three more portions of this and been a happy camper. The pulled pork sandwich was also really good. The bun was a nicely toasted brioche bun, so you got the soft bite with a little bit of a crunch from the toasting. The barbecue sauce was a very vinegary sauce, and it worked really well with the pork and with the sandwich.

If I worked there all the time, I would probably be visiting this place once every week or two. Good variety of food, and if it is all as good as this was, it would keep me coming back for more. A worthwhile, positive experience.

The Pita Pit – Pittsburgh, PA

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During my visit to Pittsburgh last week, I had plenty of opportunities to eat some good food. On the first day of walking around, I noticed The Pita Pit, which was pretty close to my hotel. I made my way there on Wednesday night. The Pita Pit has locations all over the place, but this was the first time I had heard of it, so it was new to me.

While looking at the menu over and over again, I struggled with a decision. I finally decided on the Thai Chicken Pita. They had a double meat for $1 special, so I went with that.

This was a really big pita. You can’t really tell from the picture, but this was pretty much the size of an extra large burrito.

This was a really good sandwich. The double meat was probably too much food for me, but it was worth it. The Thai satay and veggies added some tremendous flavor. By the end of the pita, about half the meat was on the wrapper. I had a fork and ate it all up. There were some really good layers of flavor and the pita itself had nice flavor and texture. If I’m close by, I could see myself trying some of the other items on the menu, but I’d also be just as happy getting this one again!

Crazy Mocha Coffee Company – Pittsburgh, PA

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On one of my previous visits to Pittsburgh, I tried Crazy Mocha Coffee Company and I liked it. When I was going to be there last week, I noticed that there was one really close to the hotel where I was staying, so I knew I would be there at least once.

I went there on a Wednesday morning after a long walk and decided to try a Peppermint Mocha Frappe. The consistency was perfect, and the flavor was great. The peppermint flavor went well with the mocha, and was a nice and refreshing treat.

I decided to go with a chocolate chip muffin for breakfast from there as well. This was a very good muffin. The sugar crystals on top added a nice burst of sweetness. The inside part was nice and light, and this accompanied the frappe nicely.

On Friday morning, the weather was really cold (20 degrees with a wind chill in the single digits), so I didn’t want to venture too far from my hotel. I went back to Crazy Mocha and decided to order a white chocolate mocha frappe. This also had good consistency and a nice flavor.

My original plan was to have two visits to Crazy Mocha, with the second one happening on the day I left (Saturday). Since it was so cold Friday morning, I ended up there. And Saturday morning was no better. The weather was in the teens and felt even colder. I wanted to limit how far I walked, so I stuck with Crazy Mocha for the third time. I got a Peppermint Bark Mocha Frappe this time. The consistency was great once again. The flavor was really good, too. This was different than the peppermint mocha because they had a peppermint bark syrup that they used, so there was the white chocolate base in there.

Three visits, three really good coffee drinks. Definitely has me looking forward to my next visit to the city!

Big Dog Coffee – Pittsburgh, PA

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While I was in Pittsburgh last week, there was a need for me to have some coffee drinks (frappes). There were a couple that were in walking distance of my hotel, including Big Dog Coffee. I walked there the first morning I was there (I had arrived the previous evening).

I decided to go with a Mochaccino. This was a very good coffee drink. It had the perfect consistency, and it had a surprisingly sweet coffee flavor. It worked really well and I was happy to have gone there.

There are some pretty cool decorations all over the place, and there was even a working fireplace that first morning, when it was a bit cold. The atmosphere was very friendly, and it seemed like there were quite a few regulars who were there extra early in the morning.

They had these chocolate chip cookies. These cookies were fantastic. Nice and soft on the inside, not too crunchy on the outside. They were so good that I went back a couple of times just to get a cookie.

I went back on the Thursday morning for a coffee drink and possibly something for breakfast. I ordered a Caramel Mochaccino the second time. It was another good frappe. It had nice flavor and a good consistency. The mochaccino was my favorite, but the caramel mochaccino was also good. The banana bread was a good breakfast treat. It was a thickly sliced piece, so it was a perfect amount for breakfast. The banana flavor was nice. Not overbearing, and not something that you had to struggle to try and get the flavor. It had a heavier consistency, but that worked really well as a balance to the coffee drink.

This may have been a little off the main road, but they do have a big sign outside, just in case you need to find it. Good coffee, good cookies, good treats, and a really nice atmosphere made me happy to have been able to try this place last week.