What a guy!

Before Eric left for California for the summer, we had a great opportunity to celebrate our anniversary at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse! Thanks to the bad service Eric got a previous time he went (haha) he got a 20% off voucher for his next visit. We later found out that if you go during a holiday (father's day) you will automatically get a 20% off voucher for the next visit!

I really wrote this post like a month ago, but Eric has failed to give me the pictures (surprise surprise) and I got sick of waiting for him.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, like I said, is located at the North Shore right by Heinz Field. It is a GREAT place to celebrate an anniversary or to have a nice dinner with a few of your loved ones. Eric called in ahead of time to make reservations and to let them know that it was our anniversary. Upon arriving, they had a private booth for us and the table was covered with rose petals and candles, beautiful!


The food was good and the atmosphere was wonderful. And thankfully, this time, the service was also spectacular!

To start, we got half a dozen of east coast oysters (they let you choose east coat or west coast). Oysters, again is something Eric has never tried until dating me and now he's hooked! There is one thing about Pittsburgh that I hate- they don't know how to do oysters. Really, any place that I have gone to that has served oysters do NOT know how to chuck the oysters- and always end up leaving bits of the shell inside of the oyster. Not only is it annoying, it shows their lack of expertise and in the end my appeal for oysters in Pittsburgh is slowly dying. Nonetheless, Eric loved them, while I only had two.

6 east coast (blue point, I believe) oysters.

As for the rest of our meal, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse has a great selection of appetizers and steaks. They also have a 'Sea & Shore' special where you can pick a seafood entree and it comes with a 7 oz filet mignon. This is the option I went with- I'm a fat ass, go figure.

The one thing I really liked about this particular steakhouse is that the steaks are cooked in a variety of different styles. Along with that, they allow you to be flexible and choose the type of cut and then the style- which is great.

So like I said, I got the Sea & Shore special where I got my filet mignon done 'cabernet' style where it was grilled with garlic, black crushed pepper and cabernet butter. As for the 'sea' side, I got the colossal sea scallops but instead of the citrus sauce, I asked for the lemon butter sauce- which wasn't a problem (I love being accommodated to). This special also comes with a choice of a salad and a dessert and so for the salad I got the classic caesar salad which was HUGE (and delicious) and again, being the fat ass that I am, I got an extra thing of lobster bisque which was to die for.

Huge Caesar Salad (anchovies available upon request)

Delicious Lobster Bisque

Oh. my. gosh. The food was so good. The salad was refreshing and crisp and was big enough for two. The lobster bisque was hearty yet not too heavy and was so delicious that I practically licked the bowl clean. The scallops were tender and moist and was cooked in a delicious butter sauce. The steak was done perfectly and the cabernet butter was wonderfully tart yet creamy that complemented the steak perfectly. My meal was great.

Oops!

As for Eric, he got the Steak Dijon which was a HUGE piece of meat wrapped in bacon topped with a hollandaise sauce. According to him, it was also delicious. The piece of steak was so big and tall that it required 3 slices of bacon to wrap around the entire thing!

What I did find strange was that they didn't ask me what I wanted for dessert (it comes with the 3 course meal special), but to my surprise, Eric knew that creme brulee was my favorite and called in ahead of time to order it for me! They brought it out on a nice place wishing us a happy anniversary! What a guy!


Maybe, it was the special occasion, or the great man I was with, but I very much enjoyed my experience at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse. The service, food and atmosphere were all wonderful and I will most definitely be returning. Perhaps I will stop by for Father's Day to get that 20% discount for another visit! Maybe next time I will get that 36 oz. 'bone-in' Wagyu beef from Japan steak!!

Bad food is SO good

Why is it that sometimes bad food is SO good?! So in my previous post I made a snide remark about Lulu's bubble tea- but it seems like Eric and I can't get enough of it!

Lulu's noodles on Craig Street near CMU's campus was probably the first restaurant I went to when arriving to Pittsburgh. I came to visit CMU my junior year in high school and naturally, my asian parents went on the hunt for the closest asian restaurant. Someone recommended Lulu's and it obviously did not please my parents. But then again, what can you expect from asian parents from New York City?- nothing is better than new york city.

Although we were unimpressed, and I hadn't returned to Lulu's for months at a time, I decided to take Eric there one day and he fell in love with the bubble tea. At first he was a bit weirded out by the texture and the thought of the bubbles (I even successfully convinced a few of my friend that they were fish eyes) but he soon began to acquire a taste for it and he's now stealing MY bubbles from my drink! The 'bubbles' in the bubble tea is not actually fish eyes- don't worry- it is just large sweetened tapioca balls.



You can get bubble tea in a variety of flavors and types at Lulu's. My favorite has got to be the peach flavored tea- although it really isn't tea and tastes like juice-it's still delicious! The only bad comment I have to make about Lulu's bubble tea is that they don't give you a lot of the tapioca balls- which is always disappointing.

The food at Lulu's isn't very authentic but it sure hits the spot when you are looking for something quick and flavorful. The crab rangoon appetizer is our favorite. Whenever we pass by Lulu's (which is fairly often) we never fail to place an order of crab rangoon- even if its on the go! As for our entree we usually get the classic lo mein, yeung chow fried rice and dr.fu's special. All these dishes aren't necessarily remarkable and I really can't say anything about them besides the fact that it hits the spot.

If you are looking for good service and authentic food- Lulu's is not the place for you (in fact, i haven't found an asian restaurant in Pittsburgh that fits that description). If you are looking for some quick chinese food with some yummy bubble tea- stop by Lulu's for a quick lunch!

There is a korean grandma hiding in the kitchen!

Ok, so I have to admit that I am awful at taking pictures before I eat- but that's usually because the food looks so good!

Me and a few sorority sisters- Pama and Margaret decided to indulge ourselves in some great authentic korean food at Korea Garden in Oakland. We decided to go for lunch although me and Margaret usually go for dinner. I would suggest going to Korea Garden for dinner (although there may be a wait) simply because of the little appetizer dishes you get before your entree.

I've got to say my most favorite thing about going to a korean restaurant is getting the little appetizers before hand! At every korean restaurant you get a few little dishes (for free) after you order your entree and really, it's the best thing ever. They always vary but you can always bet you will get a few dishes of kimchi. At lunch this time, we didn't get as many little dishes and I was a bit disappointed by this. The food both at lunch and dinner is exactly the same (same food and portions), but I really like those little dishes and therefore would opt to go for dinner to get more variety!

Korean food is unique in that it is SUPER filling and hearty. If you don't like spicy food or anything with loads of flavor- you may want to reconsider korean food. But really- it's amazing and I think everyone should at least try it once.

My favorite thing by far is Bi Bim Bap. Bi Bim Bap is a rice dish that is loaded with different korean vegetables, meat and a raw egg on top. You get sauce on the side that is intended to be mixed in to give the dish some flavor- the great part is that you can regulate how much (spicy) sauce you want to add so you can control the amount of spice you want in the dish (if at all). Bi Bim Bap is served in two ways- in a stainless steel bowl or a sizzling bowl (pictured below). Although the sizzling bowl is a bit more expensive it definitely is worth is as it keeps your food hot, cooks your egg, and really- it just tastes better.

I again, apologize for the half eaten entree

We also got chop chae (pictured below) which is a very popular noodle dish in korean cuisine. It has tons of flavor but is also light and not too greasy. This was actually the first time I had it, thanks to Margaret's suggestion, and it was amazing. This is actually a good dish for you if you don't like spicy foods too much as this isn't one bit spicy!


Korea Garden is a great authentic restaurant that I highly recommend. The portions are large and can be great for sharing. I also recommend the various hotpots if you are craving something with more of a soupy base (although it is quite spicy). I went to Sushi Kim in the Strip District recently and the quality of food and service do not compare to that of Korea Garden. The food is home-made and just gives you the feeling that there is a korean grandma hiding in the kitchen!

Go to town with your sake bombs

So me and Eric are big sushi fans. I really could probably eat sushi for the rest of my life and be happy with myself... good sushi, that is. Call me picky, but after visiting so many great sushi restaurants, going to a sushi restaurant that serves bad fish just kills my appetite. I've been to Sushi Too many times and the quality of the fish as well as the service are NOT good. I wouldn't say it was the worst I've ever had, as I've tried a lot of different sushi places, but the Sushi Too on Walnut Street in Shadyside is WAY overpriced for the quality of fish you are getting as well as the quality of experience.

So I've mentioned my sorority sisters here and there but I also have a great set of brothers! Me and my PiKA 'family' went out to dinner to Sushi Too, and we all quickly realized that this is not a place we will be returning to for our family dinners. To put it plain and simple; the food isn't anything remarkable, the menu is way over-priced and the service is quite poor.

That day I got the Salmon Sunomo and the Oh my god A roll (pictured below)


Now the dishes are half eaten but that's only because they gave me my appetizer the same time they gave me my meal and it took about 40 minutes.

The Salmon Sunomo (on the right) is simply a salmon sashimi appetizer made of slices of (frozen) salmon in a light ponzu sauce. Ponzu is a citrus based sauce which is a bit lighter and less saltier than soy sauce. I think the salmon sunomo appetizer is a great deal- at least for Sushi Too ($8) if you are planning to get salmon sashimi (or nigiri) as they give you a good amount of salmon slices; more than what you would get if you ordered salmon nigiri/sashimi a la carte for your meal.

The Oh my god A (left) is just a shrimp tempura roll wrapped in avocado. There really isn't a big difference between the regular shrimp tempura roll (which is $2 cheaper) besides thin slices of avocado nicely decorating the roll, I just think it's fun to say- and so I order it. And then I get disappointed.

If you DO go to sushi too, I suggest just sticking to the plain rolls and not go for anything special or unique- as they will mess it up. I can't count the number of times I've ordered hand rolls and they've given me maki rolls- small mistake but still obnoxious.

The usual miso soup and salad (with ginger dressing of course) is also something you can't go wrong with. (pictured below)


Really, the great perk about Sushi Too is their sake bombs- and is really the only reason I had Eric's birthday here. You can reserve a private room upstairs (with a 20% service charge automatically added on) and can go to town with your sake bombs- which is the only thing that makes my Sushi Too experience enjoyable.

All in all, Sushi Too is great if you are in the area and really are craving sushi- it will most definitely hit the spot, but if you are looking for some good quality sushi- try going to Squirrel Hill and hit up Chaya.

Woot champagne!

Brunch may be my most favorite meal of the day. I'm not a big breakfast person- I really don't like breakfast foods. I know people go insane for breakfast, but it really just does not appeal to me. Brunch, however, is at the perfect time and has the perfect types of food.

One of my favorite brunch (and any meal of the day, really) restaurants is Point Brugge Cafe, right off of 5th Ave. on Hastings Street. Not only does Point Brugge offer a great brunch pre-fixe menu, the entire menu as a whole is simply delectable.

Me and Eric thought we'd go to brunch at Point Brugges this Sunday- he's never been and so I thought he would enjoy it. Although we did have to wait 30 minutes for a table- the wait was well worth it.

We first ordered the moules bowl (picture below); one pound of mussels soaked in a white wine cream sauce. Eric is not a huge fan of mussels and in fact, didn't want to order it at first. But thanks to our 30 minute wait, we saw that virtually every single table had ordered the moules bowl and we knew it was something we could not miss out on. The mussels were meaty and tender and the sauce.. oh boy the sauce.. it was heaven. The mussels looked so good that we just attacked it and forgot to take a picture until 3/4 of the way through (aka 5 minutes in). They give you some bread to dip and soak up the sauce with- really the sauce was what made this dish so amazing. In fact, the frat boy in Eric came out and he made a comment about taking shots of the sauce- classy I know. The Moules bowl was by far the best thing i've had at Point Brugge.

Barely anything left

Moules Bowl, completely gone

For our meal, I got the Macaroni Gratin and Eric got the Eggs Benedict with Canadian Bacon and the Sweet Potato Strudel off the pre-fixe menu. The pre-fixe menu comes with a side and a drink and like a true Pike, Mimosas were the way to go (woot champagne!). I got a Bloody Mary so I didn't feel left out.

The Macaroni Gratin- really macaroni and cheese was the ultimate comfort food. It was soft and creamy and had the right amount of seasoning. My friend Ben got this last time and raved about how good it was- so I thought I'd try it and I'm glad I did.

Eggs Benedict with Canadian Bacon

Sweet Potato Strudel

Eric enjoyed his eggs benedict very much and especially liked his Sweet Potato Strudel. I didn't get a chance to taste the eggs benedict that day but I have had it with the crab cakes and it is delicious. The sweet potato strudel had shreds of sweet potato that made the dish unique and interestingly tasty.

All in all, we really enjoyed our meal at Point Brugges Cafe and will definitely be returning soon. Look how happy he is!

Bubble Tea is a must!

I love buggy. (surprise surprise)

Not only is it great to be part of the most winningest organization that has ever existed in buggy history (i swear im not bias), my drivers help me realize why buggy is so fun to begin with. Words cannot express how much I am going to miss these girls, so I thought it would be a great idea to have one last night out and stuff our faces (contrary to popular belief, buggy drivers love to stuff their fat asses).

One of our freshman drivers suggested to go to Rose Tea Cafe in Squirrel Hill, and boy was that a good decision. I've been to Rose Tea many times- as it is another one of those undergraduate sorority traditions- and it never disappoints.

If you are looking for authentic asian food- Rose Tea is the place for you. Pittsburgh has a very limited selection of authentic cuisine- especially when it comes to chinese food, so words cannot describe how happy I was when my 'big sister' from my sorority introduced me to Rose Tea my freshman year of undergrad.

What I love most about Rose Tea is their bubble tea. Unlike Lulu's, their bubble tea is actually made of tea! It is refreshing and has plenty of chewy tapioca pearls that many restaurants seem to be stingy with. Especially with the hot summer (hopefully) coming up- Rose Tea's bubble tea is a MUST! This time, I got their new flavor- white peach- which has a lighter peach flavor that I highly recommend.

As for my meal, I usually get their seafood stir fried rice cake (picture below). Rice cake is similar to noodles as it is prepared from glutinous rice, however, it is flat slices of a thick noodle rather than the traditional noodles that many of us think of.


If you are also on a budget, you can get one of their special meal combos for $6.25, where you just add a few extra dollars to try one of their great bubble teas! The shrimp with lobster sauce over rice is a great choice from this selection. From their regular menu, I would suggest their taiwanese chunk chicken, various hotpot dishes, and pan fried noodles. Really all of their dishes seem to never have disappointed me.

I really enjoyed going to Rose Tea this Saturday, more than usual actually- but maybe that's just because of the great company I was with.

Better late than never

This may be a little bit late, but better late than never right?

The Greek Food Festival took place this week and I hope that many of you were able to visit this great event. In fact, it isn't too late to enjoy it, as it takes place in various parts of Pittsburgh throughout the summer.

To be honest, I just really want to put this post up so I can show this picture:



Don't be fooled, the food was great, he just has a bad way of showing it.

There we go.

It was finals week so me and Eric really didn't have the time to go to this until this Friday. I can say that my favorite was the soutzoukakia; meatballs sausages cooked in a light tomato sauce. The meatballs were soft and tender and were a surprisingly light dish. Me and Eric also split a piece of spanakotyropita, a classic spinach pie with feta cheese. The spanakotyropita was good, but it could have been a bit more flavorful. I didn't really taste the cheese very much and the crust was hard- still very good though.

Eric's favorite was by far the baklava. He bought an entire box and was nice enough to give me ONE piece. From what I had, the baklava was wonderfully sweet, but a little more crunchy/hard than I had expected the phyllo dough to be.



I really wish I got to try more and spent more time snacking, since I didn't really get to try all that much. In general, I really enjoyed going to this event and recommend that if you are near any of the areas this summer, to stop by and pick up a snack. FYI, they only take cash. If you're in a hurry, you can even place fax orders to speed up the process!

Don't judge

Alright, I apologize in advance, because my first post isn't going to be about a dining experience I've had in Pittsburgh... but that's only because SPAM MUSUBI IS SO GOOD.

Spam musubi parties have been a huge tradition with me and my sorority sisters back in undergrad and the tradition still holds strong! My friend Adriene is in town and it is only natural for us to throw a traditional spam party. And trust me, it was good.

Spam musubi is a great Hawaiian snack that originated from Japan. It's basically spam sushi- and it's wonderful. Don't judge until you try it. You wont be disappointed- promise.

Not only is this incredibly easy to make, but its cheap and fast and can last you for DAYS!

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Spam Musubi Recipe:

3 cups of jasmine rice
1 can of spam (or spam lite)
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of mirin*
4 sheets of nori*
1 container of furikake*
1 spam musubi maker**

*Mirin (sweet rice wine), nori (seaweed), furikake (japanese seasoning) can all be found at your local Asian specialty grocery store. If you are a Pittsburgher, you can easily find these at Oriental Market or Lotus Foods down at the Strip District.

** I've had some trouble finding this in Pittsburgh, so I just gave up and ordered one online. You can get them here for a reasonable price.

Cook the rice according to the directions on the bag. Cut the spam into 8 slices length-wise (should fit perfectly into the spam musubi maker). In a large saucepan, mix the soy sauce and mirin and saute the spam in the sauce for 10 minutes on medium-low heat. (Until the sauce thickens). Split your sheets of nori length wise and place musubi maker on the middle of your nori sheet. Fill musubi maker with rice and press flat with top of maker until the rice is 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle rice with thin layer of furikake and top with one slice of spam. Add another 1/2 inch layer of rice and press flat with top of maker and remove maker. Fold over sides of nori and dampen sides to seal it. Repeat and enjoy!

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The pictures below show the nori sheet split into 3, simply because I ran out. But it IS how they do it in Hawaii- although I do prefer only splitting it in two as the rice is held in better.

I am telling you, best thing ever.

What does Pittsburgh have to offer?

I was just saying to my boyfriend Eric the other day, 'how do people have time to do this?'; I was creating a blog out of sheer boredom waiting for him to finish a school assignment.

And then it just hit me today, why not. Sitting at Panera studying for my Management Science final (and people watching), I have come to realize that there are so many strange things out there (haha) but also a lot of interesting things as well. More importantly, I have also come to realize that Pittsburgh is indeed a great city; a city with a unique history that many overlook.

Being a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, I barely have time to do anything but study and go to class. But me and my boyfriend do occasionally explore this wonderful city and do what we love most; eat.

Graduating in August and returning to my home city, the big apple, I have decided that it may be interesting to really reflect upon (and revisit) all of the unique and great places that Pittsburgh has to offer.