Tag Archives: Review

#LovePGH — Visiting Pittsburgh (Day 3)

4 Sep

And now! The thrilling conclusion to our Pittsburgh weekend extravaganza! (For those of you following along at home here are Day One and Day Two.)

After the whirlwind of a day we had on Saturday, Tania and I knew that there was no way we’d be able to top that day’s list of activities. Among other things, we didn’t have nearly the same amount of time to spend in the city—we did after all have to go home. (And, I’m pretty sure that while Visit Pittsburgh was happy to pay for a couple of nights in the Renaissance, they weren’t going to pay for us to stay indefinitely.)

Just because we were short on time didn’t mean that we weren’t going to squeeze the most out of our last hours in Pittsburgh though. We had big things planned!

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#LovePGH — Visiting Pittsburgh (Day 2)

31 Aug

You know what happens when you move and plan a wedding all at the same time? Things go by the wayside—like blog posts about visiting new and exciting cities. Apologies to all the places we visited on days two and three of our Pittsburg trip. We didn’t like you less than the places we visited on day one. It’s just that Tania and I have lately spent a lot of mental energy on figuring out how to get our big couch out of the garage and through the front door. (Something we didn’t manage to do on moving day.)

Anyway. I pick up where I left off: Day two of our Pittsburgh trip. (If you missed Day One, it can be found here. And here is Day Three.)

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Premier Pizza — Borgata Pizza Cafe

12 Jan

A few years ago, word began to spread of a new pizza place in town.  Located somewhere along the rather nondescript 161 corridor, it was said that this pizza transcended its unassuming surroundings.  Those in the know, well-versed in Columbus’s other pizza offerings, said that this pizza was special; that it stood out.  Eventually, the trickle became a flood, and it became accepted as common wisdom among a certain set that Borgata Pizza Café made some of the best pizza in town.

I don't know what too me so long to try this pizza! It tastes as great as it looks.

I don’t know what too me so long to try this pizza! It tastes as great as it looks.

Despite all that, despite the recommendations from numerous reliable sources, it took me years to finally make the trip myself.  Every time I thought about getting pizza, my thought was “Oh, that’s too far away.  Let’s just go to [closer pizza shop]. I mean, can the pizza really be that good?”  You know how, as you get older and wiser, you look back and think “If only I could go back in time and tell my younger self what I know now”?  That’s how I feel about my pre-Borgata self.

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Swish Swish — Eating Shabu Shabu at Kihachi

3 Jan

The recently ended holiday season was quite a bit of fun, and it involved countless food-related events that were worth blogging about.  I’ve already written about a few of those, lebkuchen cookies and Swedish rye bread for example.  But for every one blog I wrote, it seems like there were three or four other things I that could write about—indeed that I wanted to write about.  I just couldn’t find the time though.  I was too busy cooking and eating!

In an attempt to make up for the lack of posts over the past month, I’m going to recount one definite highlight from that period of time.

Earlier this year, Tania started working as a part-time tour guide for Columbus Food Adventures.  If you’ve been on the German Village walking food tour any time over the past several months, she’s probably been the one instructing you about the history and architecture of German Village and introducing you to the many awesome restaurants.  Like many companies out there, Columbus Food Adventures has a holiday party.  But unlike other companies, the entire business is built upon introducing people to awesome and interesting food.  So, it’s only logical that the holiday party would be similarly food-focused.

And it was.

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North-Side Dining — Nazareth Restaurant and Deli

28 Nov

As is obvious from this blog, I love food. And although a majority of the recent posts have involved my own kitchen exploits, you’d be wrong if you thought that meant I confined my eating to the products of my own kitchen.  Indeed, I go out of my way to sample and regularly patronize area restaurants.  In fact, I fancy myself pretty well-versed in area restaurants.

That doesn’t mean however that I’ve been to even restaurant in town.  I’ve not even been to all the places that are consensus favorites—even if they’ve been on my “must try” list for years.  Two such restaurants are Borgata Pizza Cafe and Nazareth Restaurant and Deli.  Both of these restaurants have garnered their fair share of accolades. (See Borgata Pizza here, here, and here. And Nazareth here, here and here.)

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Si Señor Sandwiches — More Peruvian than Machu Picchu

16 Sep Ceviche!

When most people in the United States think of Peru, they think of one thing: Machu Picchu.  Why do I feel comfortable generalizing like that?  Because I just returned from a trip to Peru.  No matter who I told about the trip, I could almost guarantee what their first question would be. “Are you going to Machu Picchu?” (Incidentally, the answer was no.)

What Peru should be known for, and already is in some circles, is their food.  Tania has told me however that no one wants to read about something that they can’t do.  So for the moment I’m going to spare you a detailed recounting of all the awesome things we ate while traveling.  Instead, I’m going to use this opportunity to sing the praises of a Columbus restaurant that is a personal favorite of mine, and that, incidentally, brings some of the deliciousness of Peruvian cuisine home to our fair city.  That restaurant is Si Señor.

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Asian Adventure — Touring Chinatown

12 Aug

Before I begin, I believe some apologies are in order. First, for what is going to seem like repetition.  I realize that my last post involved Chinese food, but, bear with me because that is also going to be the topic of this post.  It’s not that I love Chinese food (I do), but it’s that circumstances have conspired in such a way that cuisine from that particular Asian country has made up a large portion of my notable meals as of late.  Second, an apology to any and all of my friends in the greater Chicagoland area.  As you will see from the following paragraphs, I spent some time in the city lately.  Had there been more time, you can rest assured I would have called.  But the primary purpose of my visit was to celebrate my aunt’s 65th birthday.  The only other thing I had time for was eating some seriously awesome Chinese food. (See apology #1).

By now two things are clear: 1) I was in Chicago and 2) I was eating Chinese.  Many of you may have already deduced that I was in Chinatown.  The why may be less apparent.  I was there because my sister had given me a gift certificate for a food tour.  I could have used it in many different cities, but Tania and I decided that the Chinatown tour sounded the most awesome out of our options. (We were correct.)  So it was that we found ourselves last Sunday at the corner of Wentworth and Cermak awaiting our tour guide from Chicago Food Planet.

From top – Tarrow Puff, Shao Mai, and Char Sui Bao

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