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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
On the first day that I arrived in Pittsburgh last week, I asked for recommendations. Nadine’s was one of the places that was recommended. I was warned that it was not a fancy restaurant, and I was okay with that. The main road that I have been used to in Pittsburgh is Carson Street. Nadine’s is about a block and a half off the main road, and further East than most other places, so I think it’s one of the places that is more for the locals.
When I walked in, there was a very small area. It was pretty much a small diner/bar. This was apparently on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, which I think is pretty cool.
I was looking at the menu and trying to decide on what I would be eating for dinner. There was chicken fried steak, which sounded really good, but I decided to go with a fried bologna sandwich. It was not expensive at all, so I decided to also order some tater tots, which were also pretty cheap.
I got my money’s worth and then some! There were a lot of tater tots. I wasn’t going to be taking leftovers, and I wouldn’t want to be rude, so of course I ate them all. Every last one. It meant that I had to do a lot of walking the next day, but it was worth it.
The fried bologna comes on fresh sliced bread, with peppers, pepper jack cheese and mustard. The first thing that grabbed my attention when my dinner was being made was that a loaf of bread was taken out and then sliced. This was not just a plain old sliced bread, it was fresh sliced, which was not expected. I watched as the bread stayed on one part of the grill, the bologna was on one part and the peppers were on one part. Once the sandwich was completely built, I was more than ready to chomp down.
The bread was nice and soft, almost delicate. It had a nicely crisped outside due to sitting on the grill, but very soft and light on the inside. Biting into this sandwich, the flavors all came together really well. The part that really took this over the top was the mustard. It was not a standard yellow mustard, and it enhanced this sandwich.
I wanted to go back for a breakfast sandwich, but never made my way there. This is a place that I plan on heading back to when I’m on that side of town. Good price, great portions, great food!
During my visit to Pittsburgh last week, my hotel was a about a three minute walk from Batram House Bakery. As a result, I ended up going there a few times throughout the week.
My first visit was on the night I arrived. I had a very big lunch/dinner at Hofbrauhaus, and waited a few hours before venturing out for dessert.
When I arrived, I started looking at the goodies. So many nice looking items to choose from, but I was leaning towards a cupcake. Then I saw a sign that indicated that the pastries were on sale (if you purchased two). So, I decided instead to go with the pastries.
I started with a chocolate croissant, which was my dessert for the night. This was a really good dessert. The bites that had the chocolate on the inside were truly delicious. The crust was nice and flaky. It was easy to bite into, and the soft bites of chocolate added a perfect amount of sweet. I was happy with this choice.
The other pastry I went with was the croissant. I saved this for the morning. Even though it sat overnight, it still had a really nice crunch to it. The inside was very flaky and had a really smooth flavor. This was a really good croissant and was a nice breakfast treat.
The next night, I went back to the bakery again for dessert. Fortunately, they still had the cupcakes, and I went with chocolate, although the vanilla was also looking quite good. The cake part had a nicely baked outside, and the inside part was very light and fluffy. The flavor was very good. The frosting was almost like a mousse and was also delicious. The bites with both the cake and the frosting were exactly what I would want from a cupcake. So I was a happy camper.
On my last night, I went back to Bartram House one last time. This time, I went with the S’Mores bar. It looked too good to turn down. There are three main components to a S’mores bar, and they did a great job on two of the three. The marshmallow topping was perfect. Nice and gooey, but not so much that was hard to bite through or would stick to part of your face. The chocolate layer was incredible. Probably the best chocolate layer I’ve had in any store bought S’mores bar. The graham cracker crust was the only part that missed the mark. Not on flavor. It had really good flavor. My only problem with it was that it broke apart too easily. There were some bites that the crust fell before I got it into my mouth, which was disappointing. It is a shame, because it had good flavor. And when all three were together in one bite, it was a great S’mores bar.
I would be happy to go back to Bartram House the next time I’m back in town. I would easily order any of these items again, or try something new. Knowing that there is a good place for some tasty sweet treats is an easy way for me to stay positive.
On my first day back in Pittsburgh, I had to decide where I was going to eat. It was just after 2:00 PM, I hadn’t had lunch, and I was pretty hungry. I did a little walking around to see if there was anything that stood out, but I decided on Hofbrauhaus. I think it was already in my head, since I had checked it out online before I left, but at least I got some walking done first. This was right next to the hotel where I was staying, so the walk home wouldn’t be bad (even though I would walk around town even more after I had my lunch/dinner).
This is a beer hall, but I don’t drink beer. I think that this would be a really cool experience for people who enjoy beer and want to get a little taste of a German beer hall.
When I sat down, there was an accordion player making some music. Some people were getting into it more than others, clapping along to the music. I thought it added a really nice touch and gave the feeling of being in a different place.
There were long wooden tables with benches, so you could be seated next to complete strangers, depending on the time of day. I got there in between lunch and dinner, so I had some space to myself. As I was looking through the menu, the tough part was deciding on one thing. If I was there with other people, I probably would have been happy to get a couple of appetizers and maybe split one or two things. But since it was just me, I had to think about what I could eat without leftovers. I have a completely different mindset at home, but when I’m on the road, I am not thinking about leftovers. I didn’t order a beer, but did order a root beer. 🙂
When it came time to order my food, I decided on a Schnitzel sandwich, and I replaced the French fries with Potato soup. The soup was really good. It was a creamy soup with some really good flavor. There were chunks of potato and bits of bacon in there as well, so it was a good way to start the meal. The schnitzel sandwich had a fried pork cutlet on a brioche bun with lettuce, onions, and their signature Bier Cheese (I asked for it without tomatoes or pickles). The schnitzel itself was really good. Nice and crispy on the outside, and juicy and full of flavor on the inside. Easy to bite through as well. The brioche held up well, but there was a lot more schnitzel than bread, which made me quite happy. The bier cheese made this extra special. It had good flavor, and it worked really well with the schnitzel sandwich. It is probably really good with pretzels, but maybe I’ll get to try that some other time.
As far as a start to the week, it doesn’t get much better than this. Good food and a good environment make it easy to stay positive!
Last week was a week of training for me. That meant another trip to Pittsburgh, which I was looking forward to. I was able to go to some training sessions provided by my new employer, so I consider myself fortunate to have been provided that opportunity. Being in Pittsburgh for a week meant that there would be a lot of opportunities to eat, and I did just that. I’ll be writing quite a few short postings about the different food places in the next few days or so, so I will apologize in advance for all of the emails some of you will be getting.
My week started with me heading to the Wawa’s near me. I ordered a Salted Caramel Mocha Frozen Cappuccino. Try and say that five times fast. It was another good frappe from Wawa’s. The consistency was perfect. The flavor was really nice. The combination of the salted caramel and the mocha worked quite nicely. The fact that it was topped with chocolate whipped cream and chocolate chips made it even better. When I leave early on a Sunday for a 4+ hour drive, I need some sugar and caffeine to get my day started, and this helped kick-start my morning.
The trainings were going to be in the Hyatt House, so I decided to stay there this time instead of the Holiday Inn Express. The Hyatt House is a really nice hotel, and it is in a fancy part of town called SouthSide Works. I arrived around 2PM and hadn’t had any lunch, so I was hungry. I got a couple of recommendations, and decided on Hofbrauhaus, which I will write about separately. I did some walking around and picked up some treats from Bartram House Bakery afterward.
Since the trainings were running from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (plus extra time if needed), I knew that I would need to get some walking done in the mornings. Monday morning was a bit rainy, but I was able to get in a good 30 minutes of walking. I went to a place called Big Dog Coffee for my morning coffee drink. The first day of training was for Google Analytics 101. Very good training. I learned a lot of new things. A lot of information was going into my brain, but it was good and it was an enjoyable session. Lunch was catered, so we were able to have an hour break. I ate quickly and then took the stairs up to my room. This gave me an opportunity to get in some walking, including going up four flights of stairs. This was something I repeated every day that I had trainings, and it was good to get in the little bits of exercise. I decided to go to dinner at Nadine’s, which was one of the places that was recommended to me. I went back to Bartram House Bakery for dessert and called it a night.
Tuesday morning was a really nice one. I walked for about 45 minutes. Part of the reason I needed to do some more walking was because I ate a lot of food at Nadine’s, and felt like I needed the exercise. I got a coffee drink at Cup-Ka-Joe and then took a half slice of a breakfast loaf at the hotel. I wasn’t hungry, so it was a nice, light breakfast. Day two of training was Google Analytics 201. A lot more data going into my brain. All new things to me. The training was done really well and I felt good about learning so many new things. Some co-workers were going to be meeting up for dinner, but by the time they needed to set the reservations, I was still feeling full from my previous night of overeating. When the training was done, I decided to get in a lot of walking. I made my way to a Record/DVD/Video Game store and was able to procure a DVD that I had been trying to find for a long time. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper. I decided on trying another recommendation for dinner, the Double Wide Grill. I finished the evening with a chocolate chip cookie from Big Dog Coffee (I had gotten one the first time I went and really liked it).
Wednesday morning arrived and I was feeling pretty good. I went on a 50 minute walk. I went to Crazy Mocha Coffee Company for a coffee drink and a chocolate chip muffin. Training on that day was for Data Studio. That was a lot more data going into my brain and I was struggling to keep up in the beginning. Nothing to do with the training, just with my brain being on overload. But after I had time to clear my head after lunch, it all went smoothly. I was able to connect the dots from earlier in the day, so things really started to come together and it made a lot more sense. I learned a lot of cool things about Data Visualization that I never knew before. That night, the temperature dropped a little and there was some snow, and then some light rain. I walked quite a bit, trying to decide what to eat. I almost went to a place called The Columbian Spot, but I was drenched and didn’t want to walk in a restaurant like that. I ended up going to The Pita Pit, which turned out to be a very good meal.
Thursday morning came and there was a little rain, but I was still able to get in a 50 minute walk. I went back to Big Dog Coffee for a coffee drink and some banana bread. Training on that day was Search 101. My comfort zone is on the Display side with Campaign Manager and Display and Video 360, but Search is not something I’ve had much experience with regarding the platforms. It was nice to have this training, since this is part of the team I’m on. I was talking with the trainer and one of my co-workers, and they apparently went to The Colombian Spot the previous night. I might have seen them if I went in, instead of walking past because I was drenched. The training went really well and I was happy to learn and see the Google Ads interface. Much more of a hands on experience than I’ve had, so it was good to get a better understanding of how it all works. I decided to go to The Colombian Spot for dinner, and it was good. I got a milkshake at Fudge Farm to finish the night.
Friday morning was cold. And I mean COLD. There was no training that day, so I was going to be walking over to the office, which was about 1 mile away. I still wanted to get in some early morning walking, though. I only walked for about 20 minutes. It was just under 20 degrees outside, but the wind chill made it feel like the single digits. I can usually go without gloves once it’s 30 degrees and up, but my fingers were struggling even with gloves on. I went to Crazy Mocha Coffee for a coffee drink (it was the closest in proximity). and then had breakfast at Hyatt House.
They had an omelet bar, so I asked if they could make me a small one with ham and cheese. It went perfectly with the toasted English muffin, and then I added a side of potatoes. This was a really good breakfast. I was definitely happy with this, and I felt I needed something hearty since I would have to brave the cold for a one mile walk to work. Being in the office was great. I got to see my teammates in person, as well as the other people I interact with during a usual week. Lunch was catered by work, and there was a get together/new employee celebration at the end of the day. I made my way back, and decided to head over to Hello Bistro for dinner. I stopped at Bartram House Bakery for a final dessert and then called it a night (it was getting colder as it got dark).
Saturday, it was time for me to head back. Since I would be driving quite a bit, I knew I wanted to get a little walking in. When I got outside, it was only 10 degrees out and felt a lot colder. So I went to the closest place for a coffee drink, which was Crazy Mocha.
When I was heading back to the hotel, I saw the Planters Nut-mobile. This is not something that I have seen before, so I had to take a picture. I thought it was really cool. I made my way back to the hotel and picked up a couple of cinnamon mini-donuts for breakfast. I wanted something light, since I had plans for food on the way home. I made it over to Twistedoughs in West Virginia and wanted to have a cinnamon roll. They were still cooking, so I had to choose between waiting for 25 minutes, or picking something else. I decided to wait and it was worth it. I walked around the inside Market House for awhile, walked around the outside for awhile, and then got my food. It was a great way to round out my trip to Pittsburgh.
It was a busy week for me. I learned a lot, I walked a lot, I ate a lot. But I got to see a different part of town than the last time, so I had a lot of new experiences. This was a great week and I am happy that I had the opportunity. I hope that I will be able to lead some trainings of my own down the road, but time will tell. I also look forward to the next time I’ll be in town and will be able to try some new things. Definitely a positive stay in Pittsburgh!
When I first saw that Dandelion Bakery was going to be opening in Downtown Sykesville, I was pretty excited. When it was finally scheduled to open, I was getting ready to go on my Disney Cruise. So, I knew it would be awhile before I got to actually try it out.
I first made my way over there a few weeks ago. I got a chocolate chip cookie, but the other items they had looked really good.
I wanted to start with a chocolate chip cookie because I wanted to see if they were able to do it justice. This was a really good chocolate chip cookie. It tasted fresh, not generic at all. The nice crunch on the outside and the chewiness on the inside went well with the melty chocolate chips. Knowing that they could make a good chocolate chip cookie made me want to try more of their items.
They had some really good offerings, but it took me until this weekend to make my way back. I decided on two things: Flourless Torte slice and Oreo Mousse Cake.
I decided to start with the Oreo Mousse Cake. The mousse was nice and smooth, not grainy at all. There were plenty of Oreo pieces in there, and they had a soft consistency. The cookie crust also had a really good consistency. This was a delicious piece of cake. Sweet, but not too sweet. A nice balance of chocolate and the mousse. I was a fan of this one and will order it again.
The flourless torte was the next one I tried. This was all different types of chocolatey goodness. The torte was thick, and had very rich flavor. The icing on the top was a nice addition to these bites. The flavor of the cake was really good. This is an indulgent treat, but well worth it. The toughest thing for me was to decide which of these two treats were my favorite. To be honest, I don’t really know. They each had a lot of positives without any negatives. I’ll probably just have to buy them both again and try to make a choice again. 🙂
When you eat this well, you can’t help but stay positive!
Noninsightfulness 