Avenue B-Gourmet Comfort

Food is a popular topic when amongst good company. Many of our friends share similar passions of eating, dining out, and cooking. Since the inception of our blog, Michelle and I have received several recommendations for future reviews. One particular restaurant that has been mentioned on numerous occasions is Avenue B in Shadyside. On Saturday, Michelle and I ventured to Avenue B with hopeful hearts and critical stomachs. Our expectations were high and we were hoping to not be disappointed.

Avenue B is a BYOB establishment, so we arrived at the restaurant with a bottle of wine in hand. Since this was our first time at the restaurant, I selected one of my favorite yet conservative red wines, Gnarly Head Authentic Red. The restaurant is small yet intimate with minimal décor that allow you to concentrate on your company and food. The bare red brick walls give the restaurant warmth and are accented by the chalkboards that display the specials.

We began our meal with the P.E.I. mussels served with Thai coconut broth. The mussels were…just that, mussels. It is something that we order regularly when dining out and we should have opted for the crispy oysters with watercress pesto and blood orange marmalade. The preparation was very unorthodox (to us) and it would have been nice to entertain our pallets with something new. Our server “Sam” was very knowledgeable and assisted us in selecting our entrées. I order their signature dish, the meatloaf and Michelle ordered the smoked pork shank.

The kobe meatloaf was served on a bed of whipped potatoes with goat cheese and chives topped with tomato jam and fried onions. In short, this dish is not your mother’s meatloaf.  I have never had a more succulent and flavorful meatloaf in my life. My favorite element of the dish was the tomato jam hidden under the fried onions. Combining the tomato, meatloaf, and potatoes in one bite eradicates all your beliefs, misguidance, and fears about meatloaf. The only critique I have for my meal is that there were too many crispy onions which detracted from the simple elegance of the dish. 

Michelle was very skeptical of her dish as the pork shank was served with collard greens and cheddar grits. From growing up in the south and having a mother that can cook, Michelle is an expert on grits and especially collard greens. The pork was prepared in a bold and tangy mustard barbeque sauce. The grits were rich and creamy with a subtle flavor that helped balance the pork. The greens had a crunchy texture but were not undercooked. Michelle and I both enjoyed our entrées but we enjoyed each other’s entrées more. Throughout dinner we traded forks with bites of our meals across the table.

We concluded our meal with a rich and velvety caramel blondie torte layered with pretzel buttercream and served with slices of apple. This was fancier (and better) than your average carnival candy apple. For us, nothing satisfies our tastes more than a sweet and salty treat. Many restaurants outsource their desserts or fail miserable at producing a dessert worth mentioning but this was not the case at Avenue B. The dessert was the icing on the cake for our well prepared meal.

Michelle and I agree that Avenue B is now one of our favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh. We will go back again but with a six pack or a growler of a seasonal craft beer instead of wine, we will order an appetizer other than mussels, and we will order the brussel sprouts that everyone keeps raving about.

-Mark

Smiling Banana Leaf-Fast, Spicy, and Cheap

Michelle and I truly enjoy eating different ethnic cuisines.  We love to experiment with bold and spicy flavors both dining out and when cooking at home.  We are lucky that we live close to my parents who have supplied us with home grown jalapenos and Thai chili peppers that offer more heat and flavor then what you could find in your local supermarket.  The ironic part about my parents growing such daring peppers is that they tend to shy away from “spicy” dishes.  Since starting the blog my parents and sister have been avid readers and have wanted to be involved in Michelle’s and my culinary adventures.  So on Saturday per my sister’s request, we took them to Smiling Banana Leaf, one of our favorite Thai restaurants located in Highland Park.

Because seating is limited, you should ALWAYS make reservations. On several occasions Michelle and I have witnessed patrons walk-in with no reservations only to be turned away. The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and inviting with an eclectic music selection, plush throw pillows and a decorative walls and ceiling. The waitresses are some of the friendliest in the city and you are guaranteed to receive a “khob-kun-Ka” and a wai. A downside is that the tables are close together and in the winter there’s always a draft throughout the restaurant. Be sure to bring a bottle (or two) of wine. Smiling Banana Leaf is BYOB and there is not corking fee.

When dining at Smiling Banana Leaf you will be shocked at the speed in which the food is prepared and served though the eminence of the food is not diminished.  I had the Pad Kee Mow or Spicy Noodle with Tofu (yes I love tofu) at a spicy level of 8.  Now, at this time it is important to note that if you like your food spicy, anything over a 5 at Smiling Banana Leaf will meet your expectations.  The dish has wide rice noodles which I find hold more flavor and offer better texture then the conventional rice noodles.  By ordering the dish with tofu, more of the flavor and spice can be absorbed in the bean curd and is nicely complimented with the crunch of the napa cabbage.

 

Michelle and my sister ordered the spicy fried rice (one with beef and the other with chicken respectively).  Michelle went with a 7 on the spicy scale while my sister opted for a 5.  They both thoroughly enjoyed the dish and found the spicy flavor to be impacting but not deterring from the delightful taste and preparedness of their meats.  It is a modest version of fried rice with only bell peppers, basil, and egg but the simplicity of the ingredients does not minimize the quality of the dish.

My mom ordered the traditional Pad Thai at a spicy level of 3. It was a safe choice for my mom since she isn’t very familiar with Thai cuisine. She was satisfied with the preparation and taste of the food and even admitted that she could have ordered her meal at a spicier level.

My dad had what I have now concluded as one of my favorite entrees on the menu, the Roast Duck Curry.  The waitress stated with great pride that the duck was a staple meal.  When asked how his meal was, my dad replied with the vague statement of “Just ducky.”  As a result, I took the liberty of sampling his dish and offering a more thorough analysis. When I took a bite I could instantly taste the ginger, pineapple and green onion.  I really enjoyed this dish but I would recommend at least a spicy level of 5 in order to get a balance of sweet and spicy coupled with the roasted duck.

The portion sizes of our dishes were generous enough for each of us to enjoy our meals yet share with one another. When the bill arrived I was in awe by the amount. For a dinner with three appetizers, five entrees, and wine, our bill was under $75. The food will attract you but the overall experience and affordability will keep you coming back. Smiling Banana Leaf offers a memorable dining experience that I would highly recommend.     

-Mark

Legume-Best of the Best

When choosing a new restaurant, Mark and I often reference Pittsburgh Magazines “25 Best Restaurants” list. We have disagreed with this list on more than one occasion but after dining at Legume, we believe it has earned its rightful place as one of the top 25.

Mark and I make an effort to have a date night at least once a week on Friday or Saturday evening. We both love to eat and drink, so our date always includes dinner at a new (to us) and trendy restaurant in Pittsburgh. On Saturday we dined at Legume at its fairly new location in Oakland. The menu changes daily but on Friday and Saturday the best of the best for the week is featured.

We started our dinner with the pork, pistachio, and duck pate. It was served with crusty, buttered bread and whole grain Dijon mustard and cornichon pickles. The pate was good but most of the flavor came from the mustard. We ran out of the crusty bread almost immediately and the table bread didn’t do the pate much justice.

I am an adventurous drinker, which can be both good and bad, and I usually select something unique from the cocktail menu. That evening I ordered the rum and apple shrub from ButterJoint, their cocktail bar. The drink was smooth and not overly sweet with a hint of nutmeg. The bar service was a bit slow as it serves both the bar and restaurant patrons.

I had Maine scallops from Maine served with an anchovy vinaigrette sauce and roasted sweet potatoes. I am very apprehensive about ordering scallops because if cooked too long, they can become a rubbery disaster. Because the scallops were so fresh, they were seared on each side until golden brown. The scallops were PERFECT and the sauce was a great compliment and didn’t take away from the fresh scallop flavor. We overheard a woman at a neighboring table insist that her scallops be cooked through. In my opinion, when the wait staff informs you of how your meal should be prepared, that is how your meal should be prepared.  

Mark had the Jamison lamb duo with roasted leg and sausage served with lentils, a cauliflower puree, and napa cabbage. What Mark enjoyed most about his meal was that it was purchased from a local farmer in Latrobe, PA. The lamb was cooked to medium rare and he was able to enjoy the full flavor and tender texture of the meat. He really enjoyed the cauliflower puree and believes that it is superior over a more traditional mashed potato side that is normally served with a lamb dish. The homemade lamb sausage was truly the highlight of his meal. The sausage was extremely juicy with a spicy kick. The crisp cabbage helped provide an additional texture to the sausage and balance the flavor.  

For dessert we had caramel pot de Crème with whipped cream. It resembled toffee custard and was too sweet for our tastes. It wasn’t the worst dessert but we were a little disappointed that we ended our dinner on that note.

Legume has a spacious dining area and can accommodate a large number of patrons. The ambience is very romantic with low lighting, linen table cloths, and a candle adorning each table. What we found surprising was the age of many of the patrons that were dining that evening. Many of the people were our parents’ age or older and we were the youngest couple there. This provoked the discussion of why Legume moved from Regent Square to Oakland and why they opened ButterJoint. We concluded it was to attract a younger clientele but from our observations, it wasn’t working that well.

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at Legume and would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a romantic setting with a fresh menu and a unique cocktail selection. You won't be disappointed. 

-Michelle

A tale of two appetites

Our professions are not in the food or hospitality industries. We have never attended a culinary school or have received professional training in the art of cooking. We do however love to eat; dining out and cooking at home regularly. Our mouths are experienced in the art of eating. Because we love to eat, we are always seeking out good restaurants and ways to improve the dishes we create. We’re not sure what credentials deem you a respectable food critic but we believe our qualifications are good enough.

This blog is not meant for the “fake foodie". A fake foodie is someone that goes to restaurants to have conversations with the chef about their knife work, comments on how one can't claim to know Italian food without having had calamari in Palermo, and corrects everyone else’s pronunciation of French dishes because they spent a semester abroad. No, this is food blog from a city known for its blue color work ethic, sports fanatics, and putting French Fries on a sandwich.

In this blog Michelle and I will go to new, trendy, classic, and hole-in-the wall restaurants this great city has to offer. Our goal is to enjoy wonderfully prepared dishes and drinks that are set in a warm inviting space filled with charismatic people. We want to avoid restaurants where the food is overly complicated, servers are pretentious, and customers are all dreaded “foodie” know-it-alls. We hope to talk about the food we love and the places we enjoy for date nights, drinks or just a casual meal.  In short, this is an uncomplicated blog written by two people out to have a great meal at a great price in a great city. 

-Mark