Round Corner Cantina

Another season has ended.

No, I'm not talking about the holiday season, or fall (since it's now officially winter).  I'm talking about the season when I see a certain group of people on a regular basis - and now it's over, and I won't see them for 4 months.

The Kennywood Season.  It's over.  See everyone again in May!

On the last night of my season (I didn't work the final night, so Saturday was the end of my duties as operator/"Voice of Kennywood"), James insisted on driving me down the hill to work, as the roads were still not spectacular, and he said that when he picked me up at the end of the night, we could go out to eat.  Where?  Somewhere new.  Somewhere different.  Somewhere with tacos.

Round Corner Cantina.  Ohhh...YAY!

Round Corner Cantina

The reviews for Round Corner have been kind of "meh", but I always like to judge for myself.  James picked me up promptly at 9:05pm and we headed over to Lawrenceville.

Despite the snow piles on Butler Street, we were able to find a parking spot on the same block as the restaurant.  We entered, headed for a table, then realized that there was more seating in the back.  We headed there to avoid the bar crowd, and found a table in the very back.

Now, most of the reviews for Round Corner touch upon poor service - surly waiters/waitresses who make the experience less-than-pleasant.  Their website is also a bit stern - fingers pointing to "21 & Over.  No Reservations.  No Take-Out", in a bubble off to the top right.  However, James and I had quite the opposite experience - our waitress, Francesca, was very nice, prompt, and had no problems answering any question that we had.  James wanted to try a variety of tacos, so I let him go to town ordering.  We started with chips and guacamole, which then turned into chips and salsa verde (forgive the picture quality - it's very dark inside Round Corner):

Chips and Guacamole

Salsa Verde

Not bad, but not the best I've ever had.  The chips were actually better than the guacamole - I could've eaten the whole basket (but that would be bad...very, very bad...).  The salsa verde was not too exciting with the chips, but we did add it to some of our tacos later, and it wasn't bad.

James ordered 3 different types of tacos.  First, the "Papas con Coliflor", or potatoes with cauliflower (vegetarian):

Papas con Coliflor

My favorite of the 3 that we tried!  Lots of good flavors - avocado salsa, poblano pepper, and cilantro - mixed in with the less-flavorful potatoes and cauliflower made this a hit with me.

Next, the "Pescado", a fish taco made with Mahi Mahi:

Pescado (Tempura Mahi Mahi)

Meh.  Not fantastic, but not horrible.  Greasy, fried fish on a taco is not my forte, but it could have been worse.

Lastly, we had the "Gobernador", a shrimp taco with chihuahua cheese, tomato, and cilantro:

Gobernador

This one was pretty good, but I was getting so full at this point that I couldn't finish the entire taco.  I would definitely get that one again, though.

James was intrigued by the "Tijuana Street Dog", so he ordered one:

Tijuana Street Dog

I don't know what he thought it would be, but the seemed surprised that it was an actual hot dog, wrapped in bacon and smothered with avocado, jalapeno, crema, pico de gallo, and queso fresco:

I took a bite, sans-dog (pork), and it seemed like an interesting Mexican take on a hot dog.  James seemed to like it, too, but continued to be miffed that he had actually ordered a hot dog.

Oh, James.  You silly goose.

Both Francesca and our food-runner (wish I knew his name) were so friendly and accommodating to our many questions and requests that I can't imagine the experiences people have had there.  So, if you read the reviews and don't want to go because you think the experience will be unpleasant - do what I do, and judge for yourself.

I recommend Round Corner Cantina to anyone - who's over 21, of course, as the rules state that you must be of-age to dine there.  Sorry, kids, no extra credit for you from them.  Wait until you're legal.


Round Corner Cantina
3720 Butler St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Website: http://roundcornercantina.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Round-Corner-Cantina/136335167813?ref=ts&fref=ts&__req=2r

Coca Cafe [off-topic]

It's weird having time to do stuff.

School has been out for less than a week, and I have not adjusted.  Normally, when the school year ends, that just means that I work more hours at Kennywood - but this year, it's not the case.  I work 8 hours at most, and that's it.  6 days per week, yes, but not 10-12 hours a day like I used to.

Not helping my bank account.

It's also weird.  I'm like, home.  I can like, do stuff.

So when James asked if I wanted to go to breakfast - on a Wednesday - it felt strange.  Going OUT to breakfast on a WEEKDAY?!  Unheard of.  But the weather was absolutely perfect this day, so going out and doing something was a must-do.  No questions asked.  

Breakfast seemed necessary.

Coca Cafe

 We drove down to Lawrenceville to have breakfast at Coca Cafe, a quaint little cafe on the corner of Butler St. and Lodi Way (near 38th St.) that serves breakfast, lunch, and Sunday brunch (of which you know I'm a fan).  Being that it was late morning on a Wednesday, it was not crowded, with only a few tables occupied.  We were seated in the back room, where only one other table was occupied.  

Corner seat in the back of Coca Cafe

 The space was cute and relaxing.  We were in a back corner, with plenty of sunlight reflecting off of the brightly-painted yellow walls on this perfect-weather morning.  I was a fan of the retro design on the tables:

Retro design on the table

 We started off with our usual morning beverage - coffee - and James had mentioned that the orange juice is fresh-squeezed, so we each ordered a glass:

Coffee and Freshly-squeezed Orange Juice

 Apparently, the menu changes at times, because James raved to me repeatedly about the Lemon Blueberry Pancakes - which were no longer on the menu.  Our waitress confirmed that they were no longer available, but recommended the Brown Sugar Griddle Cakes with Strawberry Butter, which he agreed to try.

My choice, of course, had to be something Mexican-like - I chose the Breakfast Quesadilla: 

Breakfast Quesadilla

Not that I can remember everything that was stuffed between the tortilla, but I know that that is lime-flavored creme fraiche on top, and scrambled eggs, guacamole, black beans, and cheese - at least - in there.  It was very tasty and full of some of my favorite flavors.  The creme fraiche was a great way to get some lime flavoring into the quesadilla, a staple in a lot of Mexican cooking.

The potatoes were equally great - crispy, but not greasy.  They were so good that I caught James stealing some off of my plate, and he felt compelled to order another side of them.

I did have a chance to taste James's griddle cakes - the strawberry butter that accompanied the cakes can be described in two words - SCOOTER CRUNCH.  Imagine slathering your pancakes with a Scooter Crunch Bar. 

Yeah.  Dream come true, right?  I thought so.  The waitress wasn't kidding.

Coca Cafe is quaint, cute, and has delicious and different breakfast options.  I will definitely return for another round of breakfast, or lunch, or even Sunday brunch.

Because now that it's summer break - I can.

Coca Cafe

3811 Butler St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Website:  http://www.cocacafe.net