Scarola e fagioli, or a lesson in eating Pittsburgh-style

Before moving to Pittsburgh, the only local food specialty that I was aware was the famous overstuffed sandwich from Primanti Brothers.

People kept telling me I had to try it when I got here. On top of the generous portion of meat, you will find coleslaw and French fries on this sandwich. One of the stories of how this story came to be is that local truckers needed a meal they could eat with one hand but will also keep them full for a long day of work. The cook had the idea to throw all the usual fixings, plus all the usual sides onto this mega sandwich and send the truckers on their way.

While I love the humble beginnings of this sandwich, those who know me know this isn't really my schtick. We are still navigating the strange beer/wine/liquor laws in this state and exploring our neighborhood joints, and I want to share one of my most surprisingly enjoyable discoveries... Beans and greens.

My first encounter with Beans and Greens almost didn't take place. We were walking around the Strip District, being shown around the city by a knowledgeable transplant who has called Pittsburgh home for the last several years. She suggested we go to Colangelo's for a quick bite before I had to go back to work. When we got there, I wasn't sure what to expect. Pastries dominated the display case, and the lunch menu seemed limited and not terribly exciting. The smell of garlic and coaxing from my host urged me not to give up on the place before I even tried it.

Though it didn't sound very exciting, I almost ordered the roasted vegetable panino. It seemed like a solid vegetarian option. But I was urged to try the Beans and Greens. Really? I questioned this recommendation. That sounds even more droll than the sandwich. Something that wouldn't be filling or even that flavorful. I don't eat meat, but I don't eat "rabbit food" either. But ultimately I conceded to the suggestion. And I'm sure glad I did!

The Beans and Greens were flavorful and comforting. The vegetables (mostly spinach, some roasted tomatoes and potatoes) brought enough variety and a "healthy" factor that met my basic needs. The beans and broth were richly flavored, with just the right amount of cheese on top, plus a slice of in-house-made bread to sop up the remnants. Did I mention the garlic? The wonderful garlic aroma that had been wafting from Colangelo's to the street must have been my Beans and Greens in the making.

While I didn't know it at the time, Beans and Greens was not a unique dish to Colangelo's. In retrospect, Colangelo's set a high bar for Beans and Greens and I'm thrilled to say my next experience gave the first dish a good run for its money.

Upon discovering it on the menu at the newly opened Della Terra in Harmony, I knew I had to make  Beans and Greens mine for a second time. While different from the earlier version in so many ways, this Beans and Greens experienced tickled my senses in all the right places. This time, the greens, a more traditional escarole, were the sole vegetable star of the plate. The scent of fresh rosemary played a lovely duet with the garlic. This dish was slightly less brothy and served without the lovely bread companion, but still wonderfully comforting and leaving more wanting more at the end. While a trek from the city, I can promise that I will make it back to Della Terra for their Beans and Greens.

The Della Terra version

As I wonder where my next encounter with Beans and Greens will be, I also ponder the history of its presence in Pittsburgh. Due to the rich history of Italian immigrants in the area, this traditional peasant food has found its way onto menus around the city for years. I'm excited to try as many variations of the dish as there are chefs with Italian nonnas in this Paris of Appalachia. Perhaps I'll even try my own hand at making it during a blustery winter evening with one of the recipes found below.


Related links:

• Greens and Beans the Dynamic Duo (a piece from the Post Gazette with two recipes following)
• The Balls and Whistles version (a recipe)
• Lunch a la Popeye (suggestions of where to eat Beans & Greens around town from the City Paper)

It started with a cupcake...

Actually, it started with a chocolate chip cookie. My love for the Dessert Gallery, that is.

The Dessert Gallery is a local MBE/WBE (pronounced "Me-Be-We-Be", means a Minority or Woman-owned business enterprise) in Houston that makes the most divine chocolate chip cookies. They aren't really chocolate chip, but more like chocolate slivers. Don't let me fool you into thinking these cookies are skimpy on chocolate because I say they contain "chocolate slivers". In fact, I think the sliver allows for a higher ratio of Chocolate to Cookie than most ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Furthermore, these delights are half-dipped in chocolate for even more sinfulness.

In my 2+ years living in Houston, it's certainly a shame that I didn't try their cupcakes sooner. Well, probably not a shame for my waist or wallet. If you're in H-town and in the mood to satisfy a sweet tooth, check out the Dessert Gallery. If your conscience is too guilty to just have dessert, you can start with one of their sandwiches, which I can also vouch for.

Related Links:

• Dessert Gallery
  
• MBE/WBE Info

Cheap Chomps at Barnaby's

Though I've definitely heard about various "Recession Specials" (and Recession Gimmicks, under the same guise), the best one I've personally experienced are the $1 brownies at Barnaby's Cafe in Houston. I thought the brownies would be small or taste mass-produced, but they are delicious and certainly worth more than the four quarters for which one can be procured. They're only $1 until the Dow goes back up to 11,000 points, so act quick (or take your time if you aren't confident about the stock market bouncing back to life any time soon).

These brownies are amazingly chocolately. They would go well with a creamy beverage or warmed up and served with some ice cream. Or simply devoured straight off the plate, which is my preferred plan of attack for today.


Additional Recession Specials at Barnaby's include $1 coffee, $2 cappuccinos, and $7 steak plates for a limited time. Help stimulate the economy and fill your belly with deliciousness!

Related Links:

• Barnaby's Cafe
  
• Seattle Restaurant Specials (Seattle Times)
  
• Restaurants Stop Playing Hard to Get (NY Times)
  

Happy Happy Hour at Tafia

With its dim lighting and hip decor, Tafia looks and feels like the place to be for happy hour in Houston. What makes it even better is the tasty and free food that comes with your happy hour drink. Did I mention it was free? And tasty.

I went with a decent sized group, and we tried the Macaroni and Cheese, Chickpea Fries, Edamame, Chili Noodles, Truffles, and Maple Marscapone-stuffed Dates. I feel like I'm forgetting something (or somethings?), but you get the picture. There is quite a selection to choose from, especially considering it's free and unlimited. It's undoubtedly some of the highest quality "free" food that you can find while drinking.

Since it was happy hour, I should speak about my beverage, too. I tried my very first Ratafia tonight. In some ways, it reminded me of a sangria, but less fruity and more better. I had a vodka-lime flavored one, so it was pretty much meant to be. Me, vodka, and lime are a pretty awesome triad of fun. Next time, I might get the flight of Ratafias, so I can try the more traditional cherry one and the pineapple one that sounded pretty good, too. The other ladies' drinks all looked very good, too. Next time, I might try the Square-Oh (to feed my basil love) or the Cherry-Key Lime Caipirihna, which also sounds pretty unique.

Tafia is definitely a place I want to go back for a full meal. I hear it's a bit pricey, but it may just be worth it. The food was innovative, tasty, and fresh. Plus a fun atmosphere, which is like the icing on my cake when it comes to dining out.

Related Links:

• Ratafia Wiki
  
• Tafia's free lounge food menu
  
  

Gong hei fat choi!

Happy New Year for those of you who celebrate the lunar new year event!

In preparation for the holiday, I spent this weekend attempting to clean my apartment. While there were good intentions, my lack of enthusiasm got the best of me, and I don't have much to show for my work. I do confess, however, that I am not terribly surprised that I didn't get around to all the cleaning I had planned. On the other hand, I did surprise myself a little by not getting to the dumpling-making that I had planned. I thought it would have been fun to make some New Year's foods from scratch, and dumplings are both fun and relatively easy to make.

There is a positive side to my lazy behavior; I realized that by dining out for Chinese New Year I won't have to worry about rushing home from work early, plus I'll have a wider arrangement of yummy things to eat!

This got me thinking about holidays and eating out.. It's interesting to note that there are certain holidays and occasions where it is more appropriate to prepare a feast at home, while on other occasions of equal importance, it is perfectly acceptable to find that feast at a restaurant. Though I'm sure it's not the case for everyone, my family has always considered Chinese New Year to be an appropriate time to eat out. Going out for a Christmas dinner, on the other hand, would feel a bit strange.

The majority of New Year events in Houston seem to be next weekend (or are even in February). While I understand that celebrations can last the whole month, I find the lack of happenings on the actual New Year's day a bit unusual. Luckily for me, I'm actually rather content to mark the occasion of new year's day with food alone. You will find me feasting out and about in Houston at dinnertime tomorrow!

Related Links:

• Random Yummies a Year Ago: Welcoming Year of the Rat
  
• Chinese New Year Wiki
  
• Chinese New Year recipe roundup from the Kitchn
  
• Houston New Year happenings at the Chinese Community Center

Restaurant Review: Beaver's!

I had driven past Beaver's on a couple different occasions of exploring unfamiliar streets in my general vicinity. Randomly, this venue's name popped into my head when being asked by a friend about what to do on a certain Friday night this December.

A quick search of their internet revealed a fun website that made the place look more like a "bar with food" than a standard restaurant. This impression was wrong, however. Upon dining [and drinking] at Beaver's, I would say a more accurate description of the place is "Hipster barbeque joint with a solid bar menu". If the cute animal silhouettes on the wall, modern (yet wood-sy) decor, and fun names of menu items weren't enough to assure you, Bar patrons dressed for an 80s prom night (as well as one or two in animal costumes) definitely convince you that Beaver's is a fun place to be. Oh, and they make their drinks strong!

While I didn't fall in love with the Rosemary Rickey that our waitress had recommended to me, the option for ordering a "mystery beer" made it an adventure to go up to the bar. For only $2.75, you can order a Mystery Beer. In return, you will receive a top-shelf beer selection of the bartender's choosing. We got to try some new beers at bargain prices. How can that be a bad thing?

For the most part, the group loved the food. As a vegetarian, I had few options--I was underwhelmed with the Macaroni and Cheese and just plain not impressed with the Vegan Chili. The Macaroni and Cheese clearly took time to bake in the oven and had been labored over. The sauce, however, was too runny and it lacked the necessary amounts of cheesy goodness required in "From-Scratch" Mac & Cheese (except for the cheesy crust baked on top). The Vegan Chili was just plain unoriginal. It tasted like an unfinished work of art. By that, I mean it was enjoyable enough and had potential, yet was missing some flavors and necessary oomph. Plus, I have a bias against mushrooms, which were not a fun surprise to discover amidst black beans.

Two of the boys got the Pit Boss Chickwich and raved about it for several days. Even the coleslaw was good! Though some would simply call it a Chicken Sandwich, the Pit Boss is hearty enough to give you the meat sweats, but thoroughly enjoyable at the same time.


So, would I return? I would love to return for happy hour to sample more of their inventive drinks (like Smokey Julep & Blood Orange Sour) or to bring some meat-loving out-of-town visitors. You will like this place if you enjoy good [Texas] barbeque, want a fun & casual place to eat good food, or have a thing for beavers (and who doesn't like beavers??!!).

Grr..

Why is it that some caterers think an acceptable vegetarian meal is formed by simply removing the meat option from the plate? Even if the meat wasn't literally on the plate, I don't know any vegetarians that are going to get excited about eating the "sides dishes". And doubling the amount of "side veggies" served does not increase the excitement about eating it.


The last two banquets that I've been to at hotels have simply served the predominant meat-centered dish without the meat for the "vegetarian alternative". The fact that they didn't even do a great job with cooking the vegetables makes it even worse. If you're a caterer/restaurant owner/cook who thinks this is an acceptable way of feeding vegetarians, the least you could do is ensure the veggies are cooked right. Adding salt and/or fat (butter/margarine/whatever) does not make overcooked & slimy vegetables more appetizing.

Please don't insult my taste buds by trying to serve that crap and calling it "vegetarian". And please don't insult my financial savvy by try to pass it as a meal worth paying more than the cost of frozen veggies at the grocery store. And, for the hard-working chefs who actually do have talent in terms of cooking, please don't kid yourself into thinking your food is notable because some fool made the mistake of letting you into a kitchen.

Nerdy Confession

I am lucky in the sense that I get to eat out on my company's dollar pretty often. When we go to a nice restaurant, the nerd inside me wants to take photos of the food. The sad part is that at the same time, I am conflicted about taking photos of food in front of my coworkers--I don't want to look like some weirdo who has never eaten at a restaurant before. Or like someone who has a strange and unhealthy obsession with food. That certainly wouldn't go over with this crowd.

For these reasons, I tend not to take photos of some of my culinary adventures, and I have to apologize for not having as many beautiful photos of dining out experiences as I'd like to. In addition to being slightly sad about not being able to fulfill my own desire of taking photos of pretty food, I have a guilt for not being able to take photos for my Random Yummies audience. I wish I could share some of those experiences with you!

In lieu of a photograph of a lovely combination of sorbets that I enjoyed at a lunch on Monday, I drew you a picture! The flavors are lime, mango, and a Mexican berry whose name I don't remember. Delicioso!

Everyday Indulgences

Olive Oil is something on which I've become quite reliant over the past few years. I am not sure when exactly this near-addiction began, but I do know that my friends think I use absurd amounts of the stuff. Olive oil is quite literally an everyday indulgence for me.

One of the most embarrassing moments in the history of my olive oil addiction took place at an Italian restaurant with some friends. This was the kind of restaurant where a bottle of olive oil is placed in the middle of the table--alongside some herb mixture and grated parmasan cheese, for you to pour onto your bread plate--for dipping pleasure. Our table's bottle was near the end of its life, with only a quarter to a half cup remaining. I soak up more than my fair share of olive oil with bread and was of course thrilled that our server brought a replacement bottle!

I don't remember what my main dish was, but I do remember the looks on my friends' faces when I poured olive oil all over my food in a manner that others typically reserve for pouring maple syrup on pancakes or waffles. These friends then proceeded to make comments about how they thought I deserve to be much fatter for my [over] consumption of Olive Oil. They might be right, or they might be jealous. I'd like to believe the latter.

And my love of the golden juice is not limited to consumption in food. I have been known to use it as a moisturizer and have tried it as an ingredient to several other homemade health/beauty "remedies".

After hearing that Olive Oil Gelato was on the menu at Mario Batali's Otto, I knew this was something that I had to try. While this might not sound very appetizer to lesser fans of Olive Oil, I'm sure you can tell that I was up for the challenge!

I was looking forward to sampling other items from the "authentic Italian, with a trendy NYC Twist" menu, but couldn't really get my mind off dessert during the courses leading up to it. The antipasti were delicious teasers, and I enjoyed the stone oven baked Quattro Formaggio Pizza more than I expected, but the Olive Oil Gelato really is what made the visit most worthwhile!

I tried the Olive Oil Coppetta, which was Olive Oil Gelato served with Sorbets of Blood Orange and Tangerine, a side of Candied Kumquats, and a Fennel Wafer. The olive oil taste was subtle, but was complemented well by the Fennel Wafer and light sprinkle of sea salt. I liked the candied kumquats and tangy fruit sorbets, but they were a little overpowering for my palette that was searching for the flavor of olive oil.

Overall, I give the Olive Oil Gelato at Otto Pizzeria Three Forks Up (or in this case, Spoons Up). If you get the chance to try it, I think you'll be surprised at how delicious it is and how well it pleases the different sense regions on your taste buds.

Next time I'm at Otto, I will definitely be ordering the Olive Oil Gelato, sans coppetta. I may even get a pint to take home!

Related Links:

• Otto Pizzeria
  
• Mario Batali Wiki
  
• Olive Facts
  
• Olive Oil's Newfound Benefits

Happy Chinese New Year!

Going out to eat at a nice Chinese restaurant for the Lunar New Year celebration was a big part of my childhood. Traditionally, we'd go to the same restaurant every year. My grandparents would come along with us, and so would any other relatives who happened to be in town. Sometimes, we'd go with other family friends who celebrated the holiday, but usually it was just an event for our closest family to bond over feasting.

Though many of the things we'd feast on then are things that I no longer eat, I still associate the holiday with eating. I had fond memories of eating things such as Peking Duck and Moo Shu Pork. These were foods generally saved for special occasions in my household.

To my brother and I, who were quite young at the time, there were some things we looked forward to about Chinese New Year more than to the food and the company. Namely, the things my brother and I especially enjoyed were: dining at a particular restaurant Chinese restaurant that was actually an old (permanently docked) boat, the red envelopes (gifts of money!), and best of all was the lion dance. When the lights dimmed and the loud thumping of the drums began, we were both scared and excited! The magnificent creature parading around the restaurant with such rhythm was an incredible sight. When the lion commanded our attention, we were struck with awe. The lion dance was what made Chinese New Year actually Chinese New Year to us.

After living in a series of smaller cities, I was excited this year to be in a place big enough to have an actual Chinese New Year celebration.. with a lion dance! It was also nice to be able to share this part of my childhood with J. This year was hist first time celebrating, and his first time to see the magnificence of a lion dance.

Oh, and since I should mention the food, I had Szechuan Eggplant and Hunan Tofu. A little bit greasier and not quite as spicy as expected, but still quite satisfying. It also made great leftovers!