2002 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh PA 15222
412-281-0809
21streetcoffee.com

1711 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15222
412-391-3737
contact: Robert Wholey
www.yahoo.com/wholey





Penzeys Spice Company: AN ENTIRE STORE DEDICATED TO SPICES!! I like spices because, even though I can't cook, spices make my cooking mostly edible. I picked up some garlic, sandwich sprinkle, pasta sprinkle and crystalized ginger. Mmmm.

1729 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15222
412-434-0570
www.penzeys.com







Little Bangkok: We had been snacking a bit, but when it was time for lunch, we settled in at Little Bangkok. There were a number of thai dishes, but I wanted to try the pad thai because the only other I've ever had was in Morgantown. Spoiler alert: I actually liked Morgantown's better, but the drunken noodles were delicious. I'll definitely have to get those if I go back.

1906 Penn Ave

The Chop House is arguably one of the nicest restaurants in Charleston - with competition from maybe Laury's. The restaurant had always been on my radar - and recently rose to the top with them being named to this list, but I needed an occasion to celebrate. This isn't your typical Tuesday evening dinner spot.



My recent visit to Charleston for the awards ceremony seemed like the perfect time. I recruited two of my closest friends, Tony and Maggie, to dress up and pretend to be fancy for the night.

The Chop House is located in the Charleston mall, which is a bit odd for a fancy steakhouse. It looked pretty similar to what you would expect from a steakhouse, but maybe with some corners cut. Our table was made of this cheap white tattered foam top, just covered up with a tablecloth. Regardless, the presentation was still very nice.

Our menus were via ipad, which I'm not totally a fan of. It's easier to have everything laid out right in front of you instead of having to flip between screens and only being able to see that one screen at a time. BUT, I know it's trendy and probably impressive.

Also, can anyone, um, explain their logo to me? I ... don't get it.

The waitress brought our first taste. The bread basket had a few different pieces of bread. Nothing especially of note, but nothing terrible, either.



For my main entree, I actually went with their special, which was a filet mignon, served with a whipped goat cheese, mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli. My filet was cooked to a nice medium, and the potatoes were pretty flavorful with garlic and cream. But, the steak wasn't super flavorful to me. And with the goat cheese, it pretty much dominated the flavor. It was tender, yes, but I do wish I had more flavor from the meat itself instead of just the goat cheese.

Granted, I wouldn't be as picky if I didn't just pay $50 for a steak. Alas. It's a nice place, and the food is good. But great? Jury is still out on that one.

Grade: B

I was in Charleston for an award ceremony recently, and it just so happened to correspond with the reopening of Best of Crete.

Best of Crete was a beloved Greek restaurant in the mall when I had first moved to Charleston. It closed before I had a chance to try it, and many people were very upset at the news. Well, those same people are probably rejoicing, as it has reopened on the West Side.

The owner had used this location for catering for the last decade or so, but it hadn't been open to the public. It's right in the middle of a residential area - pretty unexpected. The inside has only three two-person tables, and not a ton of space otherwise.

Tony and I placed our orders for gyros and luckily snagged the last open table.

There are gyros, salads, meatball subs, pizza bread, pita pizza and hummus.

As we were waiting for our food, Kennie Bass (WCHS reporter) came in and decided the owner was going to give an interview on the spot. After the owner refused about a half-dozen times, it was a little awkward inside.

I was happy when my gyro came out - though they were still waiting on my side of spinach pie. These gyros are so good. The meat, the fluffy pita, the sauce, the fresh veggies. It's all very tasty. My side salad was also delicious - a nice helping of feta cheese is a quick way to make me happy.

WV Gazette - http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150319/GZ01/150318929

                                                    I finished up my plate and went up to pay and get a to-go order of some baklava to take to the Daily Mail. I forgot all about my spinach pie, so I didn't get to taste it. Probably my fault. As we were leaving, I saw the Gazette photographer taking photos of the outside of the building. Who knew a restaurant reopening is such a hot topic? And guess who made the photo they ran? Yep.

A little bit of an odd experience - not due to the owners - but the food, at least, was great. As for the baklava, you'll have to ask the Daily Mail staff.


Grade: A

Cajun food in the middle of West Virginia? That's a first.



Gumbo's, in Fayetteville, claims to be West Virginia's only cajun restaurant. So, for dinner, Lisa and I stopped here after our day of skiing.

I've already talked about how much I love Fayetteville (I really do), and places like this confirm it. Cute, locally owned restaurants? Yes. Parking was right outside, and jazz music was playing from the speakers, which welcomed us into the restaurant.



The interior was home to what looked like reclaimed-wood tables, fresh flowers and mason jars.



We were hungry, so appetizers were a must. The Black & Bleu Shrimp sounded good - jumbo shrimp blackened and finished with blue cheese crumble? That's different.



Well, it's exactly what you'd think it would be. It was about six large shrimp with blue cheese sprinkled on top. I can't say this was my favorite combo. The cheese was just pretty overpowering for the shrimp flavor. I thought maybe there would be some more blackening spices or something to balance it all out. It wasn't bad, just not super great, either.



Next was my house salad. They had a nice selection of homemade dressings, like a creole tomato basil (which I got) and summer berry vinaigrette (which Lisa got). And it was really, really good. The dressing was like a slightly spicier French dressing. Delicious. Plus I loved the carrots, fresh greens and crisp onions.

My main entree was shrimp and grits, because I'm on this never-ending quest to find the perfect dish. And these, well, they were pretty good. Its presentation is gorgeous, alone, with tons of fresh green and red peppers, onions, bacon, shrimp, sausage and grits. While it looks beautiful, there were definitely too many peppers. BUT once I got to the shrimp and grits, it was all good. It had this nice kind of smokey flavor, and the shrimp were plump. Pretty good.

Lisa got the gumbo, which is basically a mixture of all the seafood ever in a thick sauce with rice. It's not the most photogenic, but it's one of those comfort dishes. ALSO, the BEST PART: Lisa found a PEARL in her oyster.

How cool is that?

We both also got dessert. I went for a guinness cheesecake, while Lisa got an apple dumpling.

My dessert was not bad, but the chocolate was dark and pretty bitter. Meh. I mean, cheesecake can't be bad, I don't think. But this wasn't my favorite.

So, Gumbo's is good in my book. I could go for some more seasoning on the appetizer, a sauce or fruit that complements the cheesecake better - for my tastes, of course. Just a few little things I'd have done differently, but I liked my meal overall. I like the idea of this place, and I think it may be the only place in the state to get cajun food.

Grade: B