Not as perfect as my pot pie

Back from Pittsburgh (again)! This past week, Shaman, Sundar, Jess and I thought we'd pay a trip to Pittsburgh! Although I did go last week for the EOC, the plane flight there versus the roadtrip with Zeus is uncomparable- I had a blast!

This past weekend was really fun and I got to again, go to my favorite places in Pittsburgh!

Saturday night, Eric and I went to Avenue B for an early dinner.

Avenue B, located on Centre Avenue, right near Market District is a great place for some new and inventive dishes. Although the menu isn't posted online, most of their dishes are written on the wall on a large chalkboard- which changes seasonally! (sometimes even weekly/daily- thanks Pragna!)

Eric and I have been to Avenue B for Sunday Brunch a few months ago and it was absolutely delicious. So naturally, we were even more excited to try out dinner!

*I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures- I had to take it on my phone as Eric lost his camera. Boo.*

For our appetizers, Eric got the Arugula Salad with walnuts and goat cheese while I got the Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread.



The flatbread was amazing. Crisp and warm from the oven, the tangy sauce paired with the salty goronzola and crisp pears was a delight! Portioned perfectly and not too heavy of a dish, I was ready for my main entree! I would say that my flatbread was the winner and Eric was most definitely jealous.



Although, I don't have a picture of the Arugula Salad, my flatbread won the show (at least the appetizer show) by far so you really don't need to see the salad anyway ;)

As for our main entree's, Eric got the Fresh Fish and Chips while I got the Mushroom and Butternut Squash Pot Pie.

I really didn't know what to expect out of our main dishes- they sounded very simple. But once the dishes hit our table, we were astonished by the creativity of the preparation as well as the beautiful presentation!

Eric's Fish and Chips

So Eric's fish and chips was not your ordinary run of the mill fried fish filet with french fries. First off, the chef gives you the option of having the fish pan-seared or tempura fried. The server recommended that he get it pan-seared as the skin of the fish already makes the fish crispy and you can appreciate the flavor of the fish more this way.

A huge portion of pan-seared fish on top of lightly fried homemade potato chips, topped with a drizzle of aioli sauce made the dish perfect. But not as perfect as my pot pie.

When I think of pot pie, I immediately think of a small pot/bowl, however, this dish was any thing but!

When getting my main course, I was pleasantly surprised by the presentation. Two large puff pastries on top of a bed of arugula and a creamy blend of wild mushrooms and butternut squash- I couldn't wait to dig in.



The creamy wild mushroom and butternutsquash mixture was out of this world. The nutty mushrooms were perfectly cooked and were well complimented by the sweet squash. The arugula gave the dish a bit of crunch while the puff pastry took it to a new level. Flakey and crispy and super buttery and light, the pastry (with a bit of balsamic glaze drizzled over top) was such a great addition to this dish and really pulled everything together. (And is also a great sauce dipper, I might add).

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we thought we'd try some dessert. We got the coconut cream cheese flan.





I'm not flan expert, but the creamy cheesecake like consistency was not what I was expecting. More like a very soft and light cheesecake, this dessert was also amazing. Creamy and sweet, paired with fresh pineapple and orange bits, the dessert was the perfect end to the perfect meal.

I was, not only insanely happy from the meal, but very impressed by chef Bonfili! His creations are truly unique, and I can say that I am very happy that he has opened a place in Pittsburgh (although I am no longer living there- boo)

What do I not like about Avenue B? The location/view (or lack thereof). First off, located right in front of a bus stop, you can't help but be distracted by the individuals waiting in the cold for the bus to arrive. In fact, when looking out the window, all you see are the buses/cars and run down buildings. Although pretty and elegant on the inside, Avenue B's location makes it anything but on the outside. If you want to submerge yourself into a truly great dining experience, I would say avoid the window seating and try to get a table way in the back.

Besides that, the service and food are great and now I can't truly mean it when I say that I miss Pittsburgh!

Food: A+
Ambiance: B+
Service: A
Price: $$$

Could it be good luck?

Alright, last weekend was definitely better than this past weekend. In fact, this past weekend pretty much sucked (besides being able to see Jess, of course). Besides the obvious reasons on why this weekend was pretty awful, I, on top of that got sick again and just feel like poop today.

Last weekend, however, was amazing. Leaving the casino, substantially richer after spending a great night with wonderful friends was only one perk (although a very big one). I got to try another great pizza place with Sundar and Shaman!

Before we left for our prosperous weekend, we decided to get pizza at Nick's located at 108-26 Ascan Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens. We were debating on a few different pizza places in Queens but finally settled on Nick's and hoped to get a great meal before our weekend trip!

I'm not sure what we were expecting when we walked in, but Shaman and I definitely got confused and didn't think it was the right place! Maybe it was because Di Fara's was a run down pizza shop, but the last thing we were expecting Nick's to be was a nice sit down restaurant!

Pleasantly surprised by the decor, we sat down and couldn't wait to order our pizza! We decided to get half plain (Boo sundar) and half garlic and pepperoni!

Yum! Maybe one of the best pizza's I've had in Queens, Nick's prices are reasonable (especially when compared to Di Fara's prices) and the quality of the ingredients is great! The fresh mozzarella cheese with the tart tomato sauce was a great combination and the perfect meal to start of the great weekend!

We also ordered a small white pizza but it wasn't nearly as good as the regular.

I do think that Di Fara's tasted better than Nick's, but at half the price, I'll settle for Nick's anytime. Although you can't purchase this treasure by the slice, and can only pay in cash, Nick's is definitely a gem of a restaurant. In fact, could it be good luck????

Price: $$

Food: A-

Ambiance: B

Service: B

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Lunar New Year!!

Alright, So I'm a day late- but that's only because I could not stop myself from stuffing my face from all the great food my mom made!!

This specific New Year is really special- born in the year of the rabbit, I am very excited to celebrate this particular new year- since the 12 year cycle has made this year the year of the rabbit!! Although I do feel a little old, I am excited for this great year to come.

Chinese New Year in general is a really special day for the entire family- besides the traditional celebration and welcoming of the New Year, my family keeps it very traditional by cooking the special and unique foods that represent wealth, longevity and health throughout the year. Not only are the dishes meaningful and special, boy are they tasty!!!

Without going into detail of why these dishes are cooked on the New Year, I can tell you that they're great. Fish, noodles, vegetables, pork, chicken, soup, etc. you will not have a better (and more heartfelt) feast than on Chinese New Year. I hope that all of you out there were able to enjoy some food with your family on this special occasion and you all were able to welcome in the new year with happiness and love.

Wearing my red underwear, excited for this new year to come, I will leave you will Gong Xi Fa Cai, have a happy and proserous year!

Great night with my family

What a great weekend!! This past weekend a few of us went to Foxwoods Casino and had a great time gambling, dancing and just being plain ol' silly :) I'm really happy I got to spend some time with some good friends and hope to do it again soon!

I would have to say, besides the awful weather that we have been getting, January has been a pretty eventful month for me- at least on the weekends.

Last weekend, I spent soem time with my family and went to see Memphis (voted best musical last year btw). I had a great time and really loved the show- I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in seeing a Broadway show- it really was great! The talent was incredible and the music was fun and exciting! I went with my aunts and uncle and we had a great time watching the show. But what was even better than the show?? The food afterwards!

After the awesome show, we thought we'd go eat at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse located on Avenue of the Americas near the Theatre District. I haven't ever been but I was really excited to try this place with my family- and boy did we try this place. We basically ordered everything we saw off the menu- and it was all incredibly delicious

I unfortunately do not have pictures- but I mean, I would've looked like an idiot if I did take pictures- so I apologize in advance!

Alright, so between the 6 of us we started off with two orders of the crab cakes and two australian lobsters. I would have to already say that the appetizers were the best part of the meal. The Australian lobsters were huge- two lobsters were able to feed 6 people and proved to be a really great appetizer. The meat was tender and succulent and cooked perfectly. It came steamed with a side of butter but, the sweet lobster meat was enough for me- and I wouldn't have added or changed a thing.

The best thing, however were the crabcakes. This is a must-get item on the menu. The crabcakes came warm on top a wonderful sauce. The jumbo lump crab meat was sweet and full of flavor and really worked well with the delicate sauce. There is no breading in the crabmeat, so really it was just a huge pile of baked crab meat, seasoned perfectly. It was amazing. The creamy sauce with the delicate crab provided a great contrast and really got me excited for my meal to come.

As for our entrees we ordered an assortment of dishes: The Sauteed Scallops, the Pan Roasted Sea Bass and assortments of differently temperatured Filet Mignons. On top of that we got a ton of sides: The Fresh Vegetable (which turned out to be broccolini for that day), Sauteed mushrooms, Aspargus, Spinach Supreme, Skillet Potatoes and Onions, Onion Rings and the King Crab Gnocchi. It was a crap ton of food.

I got the scallops and it was delicious. Roasted scallops topped with wild mushroom, the scallops were cooked perfectly and the soft texture of the scallops with the mushroom sauce was to die for. The Filet Mignon was also good as well as the Sea Bass but I would have to say that the Scallops were the winner for the night-in terms of our entree's at least.

Out of all the side dishes we got, the King Crab Gnocchi was by far the winner. Most definitely the more unique side dish out of the ones we got, the gnocchi were soft and light and the creamy cheese sauce was amazing (although probably added on 5 lbs).

I really do hope that I get to go back to this place- I hear loads of celebrities stop by all the time! With the crabcake, scallops and king crab gnocchi I was in seafood heaven and couldn't wait to give the filet mignon bones to Zeus. It truly was a great ending to a great night with my family.

Price: $$$$

Service: A

Food: A

Ambiance: A