It was super hard to decide where to eat in downtown Pittsburgh because there are so many different restaurants there. We finally decided on Nola to try some Cajun food. I'm super glad we made this decision because it was awesome. The waitress recommended the alligator po' boy, so I was like why not? and ordered it. The alligator was fried very crunchy and tender inside. I had never tried alligator before and it was pretty enjoyable, tasted a lot like chicken. The aioli slathered on the po' boy was awesome. We also ordered an appetizer of fried green tomatoes to share. These were delicious. Anything fried is, honestly. This was also my first time trying fried green tomatoes! This dinner was a meal of firsts, and I know that it won't be the last time I'll be eating these dishes.
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If you want the real East coast bagel experience, go to Bruegger's. I actually saw people making the bagels! That was pretty cool. I decided to try the smoked salmon bagel. This was a great combo and I enjoyed every single bite. This bagel came with salmon, cream cheese, capers, and tomatoes. I customized it on an Asiago bagel because cheese is the best. I really enjoyed all parts of the bagel, and it was really filling. All of these factors contributed to a fantastic start of the day! After a long flight to Pennsylvania (with a layover of course), we finally arrived in Pittsburgh. We were super tired so we ended up just eating at a restaurant in our hotel, the Westin. The burgers at Triple B were pretty good. I ordered the portabello mushroom burger. The mushroom was cooked tender and the balsamic vinegar was a nice touch, cutting through the rich burger with some acid. It was a yummy first meal in Pittsburgh.
I paid a visit to Forks and Fingers to check out their food because I had heard that they are great caterers and well, I gotta make sure their food is delicious. I ordered the Cubano. This sandwich was stuffed with meat, cheese, mustard and pickles. There were layers and layers of yumminess. The Cubano was one of their daily specials so it came with a side. Lemme tell you, their salads are amazing! I got one with kale and berries, and it was divine. This was probably one of the best salads I've ever eaten. Yeah, it's that good. Forks and Fingers' macaroni salad is also scrumptious. It wasn't too mayonnaisey, just a perfect balance of all the ingredients. This side accompanied the chicken piccata. The portion, just like the Cubano, was huuuuge. The chicken was very flavorful, with capers giving it a nice acidic punch. The last dish we ordered was the corned beef sandwich on a soft roll. This too was great. After doing extensive research (aka eating a lot), I reached the conclusion that Forks and Fingers will take you on a flavor filled journey, and I'm now definitely considering hiring them to cater parties.
We ate dinner at The Dead Fish for a fancy night out with another family. We split 'couple' sizes of the ciopinno and kettle baked chicken. These are pretty large portions and stock full of delicousness. The ciopinno is a tomato based, Italian seafood stew. The Dead Fish's version had crab, mussels, shrimp, corn, and many other yummy items. This stew was very aromatic and a great mixture of tons of seasonings. *Insider tip: they give you bread so dip that into this stew to soak up all the goodness. You can thank me later for that ;) As for the kettle baked chicken, it was a wonderful combination of crispy skin and succulent meat. I don't understand the type of magic they use to make the skin that crisp and delicious. The chicken also comes with lots of veggies so that's always a plus. For a 2 person dish, the kettle chicken had tons of food and hey, that means leftovers for the next day! I particularly enjoyed the smashed baby potatoes that resembled Pac Man. Other than the main dishes, we ordered the crab chowder and beet salad. The crab chowder was soooo good omg. The soup was creamy and luscious with bug chunks of crab. The beet salad was also pretty yummy, but over-priced for a small portion. All in all, I left The Dead Fish with a satisfied and full stomach and excitement for the leftovers for tomorrow.
It was our last day in Colorado and we spent it in Denver. We took lunch to go from Corner Bakery Cafe in fear of missing our flight. This cafe reminded me a lot of Panera. They had a wide range of sandwiches, salads, pasta, and more. The deal I appreciated was the 'choose 2'. You can choose 2 of their dishes for 1 amazing price. I ordered the harvest salad and Southwest flatbread. The harvest salad is a yummy combination of of chicken, apples, dried cranberries, and crunchy croutons. The Southwest flatbread was pretty good too with corn, tomatoes, cheese, and chicken all wrapped in an amazing naan. As for my sister, she ordered the chopped salad with the chicken pomodori panini. The warm, cheesy combo of chicken, pesto, and tomatoes was a win for sure. The chopped salad was also enjoyable, it had all the components of a BLT. All in all, our last meal in Colorado did not disappoint. This was the first thing I saw as we were driving by looking for food and well, I did need pie. So, naturally we went here for dinner. The staff here are super friendly. When we left, my sister forgot her bag and our waitress rushed outside to return it. That was nice of her. Now let's go back to the beginning of our visit. I ordered the meatloaf which came with two sides. I chose mac and cheese and brussels sprouts. These veggies were the best brussels I've ever eaten. They shaved the brussels so they were easier to chew and pair it with a winning combo of bacon and onions. They should make the brussels sprouts a main dish because I wold for sure order it. Speaking of main dishes, the meatloaf I ordered was very yummy. It was moist with a crisp sear on the outside. Another dish that was scrumptious is the chicken fried steak. The steak was very tender with a contrasting crispy coating on the outside. Let's not forget about the amazing gravy they slather on top. The chicken fried steak also came with two sides. My mom decided on the brussels sprouts and vegetarian chili. The chili's texture was meat-like, but did not have much flavor. Something else that didn't have flavor was the chicken pot pie. This dish was the biggest disappointment here. The crust was meh and the filling was mainly plain, unflavored potatoes. The last dish we ordered was the Reuben. This sandwich was average. What wasn't average though is their pie. No wonder they're called the pie shop. Their strawberry rhubarb pie is a slice of heaven. It's the perfect combo of sweet and sour. The crumble on top was delicious as well. Whenever you need pie, pay a visit to the Estes Park Pie Shop. Their vast selection of flavors will make you full just upon looking at them :P
We wanted a healthier meal after being tourists all day long and that lead us to Fresh Thymes Eatery. I like how they have a combo where you can choose a protein (or two) and a side. This is great to be able to choose exactly what you want to eat. I ordered one protein with two sides, the chicken with kale salad and chicken tomato soup. The chicken was pretty tender, but pesto they served on the side was not enjoyable for me. As for the sides, the kale salad was pretty fresh and the soup was swimming with flavor. The other combo we ordered was two proteins and one side, skirt steak and pulled pork with vegetables. The pulled pork was awesome! The taste of ancho chilis was just right, not too overpowering. However, the steak was overcooked and dry. Also, the service was pretty slow, considering they already had all the elements made for the combo dishes. My experience was Fresh Thymes was good, but not the best. Oh my goodness gracious, Denver Biscuit Co is ah-mazing!!! Words can barely express how delicious this place is, but I sure can try :P I ordered the DBC because it was featured on Food Network's Triple D and well it's named after the restaurant so it's gotta be good. My instincts were spot on for this dish contains tons of mouthwatering components. When they first brought it out, my jaw dropped. It was a huge, stacked biscuit sandwich. I had to attack it with the good old fork and knife. The first thing that hit me was their chipotle aioli. With this luscious sauce, I didn't miss gravy one bit. Next was the flaky, buttery biscuit. Mmmm, it just melted in my mouth. Oh yeah, in addition to the bacon, lettuce, and tomato, the DBC has fried chicken! It's hard to tell from the picture for it's buried under a mountain of food. I could tell that they marinate their chicken because it was packed with flavor. Its crisp outside and succulent inside made it one of the best fried chicken I've ever consumed. You HAVE to order the DBC when you visit because it will take your taste buds on a wonderful flavorful journey. However, if you are a hard core gravy fan, I recommend the Franklin. It's a biscuit with fried chicken, melty cheese, and crisp bacon, all slathered in rich gravy. The last dish we ordered was the biscuit chicken pot pie. This was a biscuit with pot pie filling piled high over it. This was equally as delicious. You honestly can't go wrong with ordering anything from DBC. With tremendously awesome dishes like these, you know that I'm gonna be eating DBC's→ After a long day of being tourists, we were super tired and went back to our hotel to rest. Luckily for us, there was a Sizzlers right next door so we didn't have to go far for dinner. I've actually never been to Sizzler's before and I enjoyed it. Let's all take a moment to appreciate their salad bar. The cost is around $10 and has amazing value. I got this and visited the salad bar unlimited times. They had tons of veggies, dessert, tacos, soup, and more. The salad bar is a must! They gave us some cheese bread to start and what's not to like about that? Cheese and bread are my two favorite food groups, so that was a yummy combo :P The rest of my family ordered the Italian herb chicken, 12 oz New York steak(upgraded) & lobster, and the sirloin. These dishes were alright, nothing exceptional. In conclusion, if you ever go to Sizzler's, you should definitely visit their salad bar. Don't let the name deceive you, there's so much more than just salad.
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Hi! I'm Jocelyn...Here, I write a blog mainly dedicated to food. Check out my reviews on Yelp! https://cutediner.yelp.com Archives
January 2021
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