Pittsburgh Foodies Thread (Lebanon, Millvale, Homestead: salons, university, stores)

[ca2pitt]

Originally Posted by sskink

Like I said, they do a good job with street food (tacos and the like). There are a couple of places in SD I go to specifically for fish tacos. I like taco trucks. I'll eat an occasional burrito as well, although burritos have almost nothing to do with "Mexican" and are a Tex-Mex invention.

My best friend has lived in Encinitas for 20+ years and I visit when I can. I've worked numerous conventions in Staples Ctr and San Diego and been to about two dozen different sit-down "Mexican" restaurants between SD and LA.

And not a one of them serves fresh fish or seafood. Other than fish tacos.

Again, to suggest someplace has "the best Mexican food" because of freaking carne asada is like comparing a place that serves a good meatloaf and saying "it has the best American food". You wouldn't do that. You'd say, "I love the meatloaf there."

As you're not familiar with me, limiting one's definition of Mexican food to tacos or carne asada is a sore spot and has been for years because unlike you, I lived and worked in Mexico for awhile, have been invited to eat at people's homes in addition to 100+ places in Central/South Mexico. I've shopped at Mexican supermarkets and farmers markets. I've learned to cook a lot of regional specialties and am pretty proficient at it - including being taught some dishes by Mexican home cooks. Thus, I find the general US viewpoint on Mexican cuisine xenophobic, ill-informed and insulting to Mexicans.

That's not going to change regardless of how much I bore people here on the same points over and over. I fully recognize I'm probably as (or more) annoying on this topic as any d-bag from Chicago who claims they make the best pizza and everything else sucks.

But I'll be happy to have a conversation with someone who's interested in learning about the different regional cuisines. There are quite a few and almost none involve refried beans or sour cream.

If you really want to see me go off, tell me you mix mayo or yogurt with your avocados and still call it guacamole :-)

My Appologies,you obviously know more about Mexican food than I do. I will never mention the word Taco on this forum again

[HarryRSpooner]

Try Marty's Market in the Strip District. It's nearly brand new. Lots of natural light. Excellent selection. Extremely friendly and cool people work there. Most items are reasonably priced. Some items are highly overpriced. I wouldn't do all of my shopping there but you could get some amazingly good cheese and meat there. Lots of vegetarian and vegan products. Oh, and you can eat at their cafe.

[Evergrey]

Penn Avenue restaurant planned Downtown Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penn Avenue restaurant planned Downtown Pittsburgh

...


The owners of Nicholas Coffee and Sienna Sulla Piazza, both in Market Square, are joining forces to open a three-story restaurant at the former Trombino Piano Gallerie at 942 Penn Ave., perhaps as early as this fall.

...

The passion we have for providing quality food and drink in an urban-chic environment will be evident in all aspects of Sienna Mercato.

...

[Stijl Council]

Cool beans: Trevett Hooper of Legume is a semifinalist for the James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. Only PGH chef/restauranteur/etc. nominated this year.

JBF Announces 2013 Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists - Awards Season - Eater National

[Moby Hick]

The passion we have for providing quality food and drink in an urban-chic environment will be evident in all aspects of Sienna Mercato.

That's an stunningly specific passion. I'm just glad they didn't have a passion for providing quality food and drink in a derelict Quonset hut environment, because there's no market for that.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Hmmm...I hate Verde. I tried it three times, but every single thing on the menu is HOTHOTHOT, even the rice and beans. After five bites of each, I lose my ability to taste, and I'm simply aware of overly hot, savory stuff going in my mouth and being chewed and swallowed. It is especially disappointing because it is so close to home. I wish Cinco were there instead.

The yuca fries I ate there were one of the most unpalatable things I've ever been served in a restaurant. Barely salted, and cut in such large slices only the outer third or so of them seemed fried, with the interior a bland, starchy mass.

That said, I didn't like how they made them at Alma much better, so I just might not like yuca fries.

[Evergrey]

Verde was my only experience with yuca fries... and I HATED them.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Hmmm...I hate Verde. I tried it three times, but every single thing on the menu is HOTHOTHOT, even the rice and beans.

I have an update on this. I e-mailed the chef at Verde and got a response saying that her food is "not HOTHOTHOT" and that there's no heat at all in the rice and beans. Obviously her sense of HOTHOTHOT is different from mine, and if it's true that there's no heat in the beans or the rice, then the food I ate is actually HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT.

She says she hasn't changed anything since I last ate there, nor is she going to change anything.

[Stijl Council]

Originally Posted by eschaton

That said, I didn't like how they made them at Alma much better, so I just might not like yuca fries.

Try one of the Peruvian places (Chicken Latino or AJ's -- I prefer the former, personally) before you write yuca off entirely .

[fleetiebelle]

Yet another old school "old person" restaurant bites the dust: Tambellini restaurant Downtown says arrivederci! - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The new concept that's going to replace it sounds interesting, though.