pittsburgh restaurants – Parmesan Princess

Tag: pittsburgh restaurants

16
Sep
2016

Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh Italian Wine Dinners!

categories: Around Pittsburgh, Restaurant Review

Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh, an Italian favorite in the Burgh, brings a chic edge to traditional Italian. The cuisine and the ambiance reflect a twist on the classics, while permiating comfort and style. I have visited the downtown Pittsburgh restaurant before with friends many times for drinks, a pizza or an antipasto platter with wine, but never had the full dining room experience.

This time, they had me at Sicilian Wine Dinner…

One week per month Vallozzi’s is taking guests on a regional wine tour. The concept is innovative. The course dinner is offered with or without wine pairings all week, in addition to the regular menu. This On Demand wine dinner is awesome. Not everyone in your party has to order the same way. How much? The Prix Fixe is $55 + $30 for all of the wine pairings.

Who else was in the restaurant? Young trendy foodies, dressed to kill. It was a Friday night. There were a few generational family tables, and couples of all ages out for date night. Point being, this Italian restaurant is totally not moth balls and red sauce. It’s fun and hip and Italian, a rare combo.

This coming week September 19-24th the menu is from the Tuscan region. Let me begin by saying I was here for the food and friends. I dined with The Food Tasters Pittsburgh, Breelicious Bites, and Pittsburgh documentarian Rick Sebak. If you want to hear about the wine specifics, I’m not sure. The wines were delicious, smooth, and arrived at the table so fast -because we were talking and eating-that I barely got the story. There was so much food! I did get one photo of one bottle.

Those of you who aren’t in Pittsburgh and won’t be traveling to Pittaburgh anytime soon, that’s ok. Have your friends over, grab some wine, and we will cook together ; )

We started with and a glass of Prosecco and an antipasto platter that blew me away! The choices, the quality, the freshness, were unmatched. The mortadella was a favorite!

Primi, was the fried cuttlefish with pepperoncini, lemon, arugula, and a garlic aioli. Very similar to calamari it was something new for me!

This dish…this dish was my everything about the dinner. Before I showed up i had my eye it. Food and smells sometimes take me back to my childhood. I remember my grandparents pan frying zucchini blossoms. I was young, but I remember the delicacy with which they were handled, and the joy that they brought my family. Excellent job, Chef. These were phenomenal.

Eggplant Copanata with a twist!
The twist being a chickpea polenta.

Now for the main courses, yep I’m serious.
Fettuccini al Nero di Calamari
I am not a fan of squid ink pasta, but the flavors were delicious!

Farsumagru- Veal cutlet rolled with ham, sausage, cheese and pan braised with herbs, white wine sauce, eggplant coponata. This dish was ridiculously good! Ummm meat rolled with meat and cheese, yes!

Tonna alla Pelermitana-

Dentice all Forno con Cipolle e Brodo di Carne- Baked Sea Bream

Dolci! Desserts and Limoncello – Sfingi Sicilian Donuts & Cannoli – the gelato was gone so fast I didn’t get a photo! Those of you who watch the cooking tvshow I co-host Between The Eats know my favorite dessert every is Sfingi. These were incredible!

Thank You, Vallozzi’s for a beautiful Sicilian wine dinner. See you in Tuscany!

Ciao!

Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh
220 5th Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA
412-394-3400

30
Dec
2015

Bakn!

categories: Around Pittsburgh, Restaurant Review

The staff t-shirts actually say “I like pork butts and I cannot lie.” How fun is that? Super cool and totally trendy, I still haven’t figured out if the restaurant called Bakn in Carnegie, PA is a diner or a gastropub? I entered with an expectation for bacon overdone-ness. Bacon on everything, in everything, and of course the topping of choice. Although this is somewhat the case, you can definitely eat your bacon on the side if you wish.

Serving as right now’s hot spot for revitalization, Carnegie is finding “new” from food to fashion. From the retail store of A. Ward’s Cheescakes, my favorite cheesecake ever, Fluhme GlamBar, which sounds like a princess’s dream, and every little cute boutique and coffee shop in between, Carnegie is movin’ on up! Once a main street lined with empty store fronts, the town’s parking meters come at a premium. And now there’s a fresh, hip restaurant called Bakn…

Bakn has a bar. Check. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect! With hours 8am-10pm Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday 8am-9pm, you can get your breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, and everything in between. I started with a Bakn Bloody Mary which contained house Bakn-Infused vodka, spicy bloody mary mix, a pickle, a hot pepper, and peppered bacon.
Absolutely delicious, I tasted a bit of horseradish in mine. Not sure if this was a bartending preference or what, but I loved it.

The Freshly Squeezed OJ is a must try along with the cocktails made with the OJ like Bakn’s Beermosa, Mimosa, Brunch Punch, or the 376 Standstill! Ha!

On to the menu…

Mostly breakfast-inspired, the menu ranges from signature eggs and omelet items to burgers. Being a pork belly girl, what caught my eye were the pork belly options- tacos, cuban, and a reuben. Since I was dining during brunch, I ordered for breakfast, the Breakfast Sandwich #1 Fried Egg, Peppered Bakn, Jarlsberg Cheese, Oven Roasted Tomato, Arugula, and Baknaise on Sourdough and for lunch, the Pork Belly Reuben.

The Bakn Flight was a perfect appetizer, a sampling of all five house bacon flavors of the day- Applewood Smoked, Maple, Boar, Peppered, and Cajun. The Breakfast Sandwich #1 was yummy! The creamy Jarlsberg and fresh sourdough made it! The pork belly Reuben did not disappoint. The pork belly was juicy with a pleasant sauerkraut, nothing overpowering. Baknaise is exactly what you think a bacon mayonnaise would taste like, a pairing light enough to love on probably anything!
I will go back to try the many different versions of pancakes and waffles with and without bacon!
We are so lucky to have local “foodpreneurs” dreaming, making it happen, taking the jump. Thank you! Pittsburghers are loving the dining diversity, the food, the fun!
Ciao!

Bakn
335 East Main St.
Carnegie, PA 15106
412-275-3637

31
Jul
2015

Walleye Tacos With a Roasted Corn Peach Salsa!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Around Pittsburgh, Dinner, Healthy Living, Recipes

My neighbors are awesome fishermen and who do you think gets a bag of fresh caught fish after the trip? The neighborhood food blogger of course. Ha! Thank you so much! The fresh walleye I was given this week soaked up the marinade beautifully and made a delicious base for some fresh fish tacos.

I made a totally amazing roasted corn and peach salsa by cutting spicy pan roasted corn on the cob off the cob and adding the sweet flavors of a diced peach, a small onion, and a handful of chopped chives. Fresh squeezed lime juice pulled it all together!

Seriously, Pittsburgh might just have a new “thing”…fish tacos!
Fish tacos are most definitely one of my favorite dishes to order out in Pittsburgh. Believe it or not, many of our restaurants have nailed a fabulous fish taco entreé! Some of my favorites…Penn Avenue Fish Company, Kaya, Täkõ, and Round Corner Cantina. All totally exceptional! Of course I make them at home, too!

Walleye Fish Tacos
Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. raw walleye fillets
1 lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin

Directions:

Cube raw walleye.

Mix lime juice, cilantro, chili powder, and cumin in a mixing bowl.

Add walleye cubes, coat with marinade and refrigerate.

Heat a pan and cook walleye cubes until just cooked through- pink turns white and flake with a fork.

Roasted Corn and Peach Salsa
Ingredients:
2 corn on the cob
1 peach, chopped
2 pats butter
2 tsp. cayenene pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. finely chopped chives
1 tsp.cilantro or parsley, chopped
1 lime

Directios:
Roast buttered corn in a pan or on the grill until desired doneness.
Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Cut corn off the cob after it cools a bit.

Add onion, chives, cilantro or parsley to corn.

Squeeze the juice of one lime into bowl.

Fish Taco Sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. sriracha

Mix together and add more or less sriracha to taste

Build your taco with your favorite flour tortilla.
Add the roasted corn and peach salsa, and top with sriracha sauce.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

02
Mar
2015

Keith Fuller’s Root 174 !

categories: Around Pittsburgh, Restaurant Review

I met Keith Fuller the day he cooked in the Ikea demo kitchen at Farm to Table‘s For The Love of Pittsburgh event held at the Pittsburgh Public Market. He prepared homemade ricotta and made a ricotta gnocchi pork belly carbonara- you know, No Big Deal.
I made chili…

I met Keith, watched him cook, and knew I had to visit his restaurant…

Located in the center of Regent Square, Root 174 is a small, intimate, dimly lit restaurant. The best seats in the house are the cozy booths located at either window that look onto South Braddock Ave. We had a girls’ night party of three with an early 6 o’clock reservation on a Wednesday evening. There was one other table dining. By 8 o’clock, the restaurant was packed. I would suggest making a reservation!

Let’s start with a beverage.
Root 174’s cocktail list is as interesting as the dinner menu. House made bitters, citrus infusions, gin, whiskey, bourbon, and vodka creations with interesting names….Not in the mood, I was able to find a nice Pinot Noir.

The starters looked way too good to pass up. We chose the mussels, the brussels sprouts, and the wings!

Mussels in a chipotle tomato broth with cherry tomatoes, kale, and frites. ($12) Cooked to perfection and so flavorful. I always order the mussels (we have some greats in Pittsburgh) and these were fabulous.

Crisp Brussels Sprouts ($7) in a bacon black pepper glaze. The sweet, salty glaze paired nicely with the crisp edges of the sprouts.

Coffee Confit Chicken Wings ($9) served with a vanilla bourbon creme and dried banana. Deliciously different.

Like the starters, the three of us ordered three entrees.

Pork Belly Carbonara ($20) We had seen Keith cook this dish live at the Farm to Table event! Exceptional flavors.

Orecchiette ($21) Cauliflower, sage, hen of the woods. What a beautiful dish!

Chorizo stuffed chicken leg. ($20) My pick, was so delicious I forgot about trying the other entrées. Bad food blogger. I know. It only means there must be a next time!

Root 174’s chef Keith Fuller has been named “one of the best chefs in America you never heard of” – braiser.com
And now you have!!
Travel to Regent Square! Visit Root 174!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

Root 174
1113 south Braddock Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-243-4348
Closed Sunday -Monday