Spice Island Tea House

AHHHH, this weather is making me SOOOOO happyyyyyyy!!!

Can you sense my enthusiasm?  For that reason, it was irresistible for James and I to take one LOOOOOONG walk along the trails in Frick Park on Saturday.  The weather was perfect, the air was crisp, and we were motivated to walk as long as we could through the trails, despite the changes in elevation.

While walking, I received a message via Facebook from a fellow co-worker, asking my opinion of the Spice Island Tea House in Oakland - rarely do I ever venture into Oakland (I did not attend Pitt - Penn State was my homeland), so I had never been, but I figured that James had.  I asked his opinion, and it was positive, so I relayed it to my co-worker friend.

I guess the positive thoughts on the place stuck in James's head, because he suggested going there for a late lunch.  We had walked 4.7 miles, up and down many steep hills, and were famished.  I agreed to go on one condition - he had to drive us there, as I had driven my car to Frick Park.

Oakland is foreign territory to me.

Spice Island Tea House

We found a spot right near Spice Island, luckily, and once we arrived at the restaurant, we were immediately seated at a table for two.  The place was small, but 3/4 full of people, with lively conversations taking place in all corners.  We ordered the house iced tea to drink, which today was oolong:

Oolong Iced Tea

I had no idea what to order.  I had thought about the Pad Thai, but I also thought that I should venture outside of my comfort zone.  I left the ordering up to James, who ordered for himself - oh, guess what? - PAD THAI (he claims it as his favorite Pad Thai in the city):

Pad Thai 

For me, he ordered the Five Spice Chicken, with Coconut Jasmine Rice (which is $1 extra as a substitute for steamed rice), which was also accompanied by the Soup of the Day, :

Burmese Hiringa with Tilapia Soup

Five Spice Chicken

James's Pad Thai was fantastic.  I can see why he claims it as his favorite - I haven't had Pad Thai at many restaurants around town, but this was GREAT Pad Thai.  Best I've had, for sure.

My dish was good - not very adventurous, by my standards.  As I cut into the chicken, the skin immediately separated from the meat.  If the chicken had five spices, I could not identify any of them, but it had flavor.  I mentioned to James on the way home that if my dad (the non-adventurous one) had been forced to eat at Spice Island Tea House, I would recommend that dish to him, since it was similar to barbecued chicken.  The Coconut Jasmine Rice was definitely worth the extra dollar - much more flavor than boring old steamed rice, but not so much to overpower the flavor of the chicken.  I especially liked the crispy fried onions that adorned the top of the mound of rice.  On the side of all of this were two small samoosas, and I gave one to James (awww, I'm so sweet!)

Speaking of sweet, at this point we were presented with the choice of dessert or no dessert - so we compromised and decided to share a dessert - Fried Banana...

Fried Banana

...with a side of Coconut Ice Cream (which the waitress forget to bring with the banana - and we crushed the banana before she made it back out, hence the separate pictures):

Dave & Andy's Coconut Ice Cream

Well, I mentioned that we crushed the banana - SO yummy - and the coconut ice cream (from Dave & Andy's up the street, by the way) was TO DIE for.  Dessert is a must-do at Spice Island.

With full bellies, we walked up the street so that I could see what this Cuban place up the street was...

The Black Bean, also on Atwood Street in Oakland

*Adds to list*

And then we walked down the street to visit Las Palmas #2, similar to the one in Brookline (maybe a bit smaller), with a taco stand outside!  SO TEMPTING, but it wasn't possible for us to fit another morsel of food into our stomachs that day :-(

Maybe I should go into Oakland more.  I'm not a traitor if I do, am I?


Spice Island Tea House
253 Atwood St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland)

Website: http://www.spiceislandteahouse.com/Homepage.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spiceislandteahouse

...Pittsburgh Popcorn Company

Popcorn was my saving grace when I lost weight.

I would treat myself pretty much every night with a bag of 94% fat-free popcorn - and, as was tradition, I would usually OVERpop it in the microwave, causing some...burnage.  The entire house smelled like popcorn, and when I lived at home, my family wasn't too happy with it. 

But I loved it.  I mean, those little burnt pieces toward the end?  Oh, so good!  I think the entire fetish started when Hills was open - I loved Hills, as did many people in the Pittsburgh area - and they sold bags of popcorn at their snack bar.  Big, big bags full of buttery popcorn goodness.  And at the bottom?  Some burnt pieces.

My absolute favorite.  RIP Hills...and your popcorn *tear*.

I've always loved popcorn, burnt or not, and a tradition for my family during our vacations to Ocean City, MD was always to take back some Fisher's Popcorn from the boardwalk.  It was delicious, I'll admit, but after awhile, it was nothing special.

James introduced me to the Pittsburgh Popcorn Company on one of our many Strip District trips.  I knew about it, but never even thought to go there, despite my love of popcorn.

Inside Pittsburgh Popcorn Company

 Now, I'm obsessed.

I went there today on a whim because they had been tweeting all week (and before that, even) about their Peeps Popcorn - yes, popcorn flavored to be like Marshmallow Peeps, just in time for Easter.  Social media worked its magic, because I wanted to have some, for sure. 

Who doesn't love Peeps?  Last year, I even made it an experiment for my ESL students - my uncle had shown me how to "blow them up" in a vacuum canister, so we did that for fun right before Easter break last year.  Some of them had never even tried Peeps, so it was also an excuse for them to try something new (see video below):

When I arrived, the line was to the door - literally.  I squeezed in to keep out of the chilly air, and waited about 20 minutes before being waited on.  The guys working there were super-friendly, but not exactly efficient at moving the line.

Flavor Display (part of it, at least)

 There was no question that I was getting Peeps Popcorn, but I thought about getting another flavor.  Nothing too exotic, but something that other people may enjoy, too (because I certainly do NOT need to be eating flavored popcorn all on my own!)  I also opted for a medium bag of Chunky Chocolate Caramel, and proud of myself for not getting a 3 lb. tin of one flavor (which I had actually considered...)

My popcorn purchases: Chunky Chocolate Caramel and Peeps

 The Peeps Popcorn - ok, I'm not going to lie, tasted like white chocolate popcorn.  I know that it's white chocolate, not marshmallow.  I understand the appeal to the public of calling it "Peeps" right before Easter.  I know its coloring makes it spring-y and festive.  Am I complaining about the taste at all?  NO WAY.  Loved it.  I love white chocolate, and this popcorn was amazing - just don't think that it's going to taste like marshamallows.

Chunky Chocolate Caramel and Peeps

The Chunky Chocolate Caramel Poporn - awesome choice.  Very sweet, but not sickening-sweet.  The greatest thing about this popcorn is that I don't want to keep shoveling handfuls of it in my mouth - it's delicious, but I can only eat so much at at time (therefore, it will last longer, and I won't consume 3000 extra calories in one day).  This is not a downfall - it is the kind of treat that I need!

The Pittsburgh Popcorn Company has a fundraising program (as well as catering and event options - like wedding favors), and I am considering doing one to raise money for my Spain Trip and Spanish Club activities - I think that it would generate great sales, considering how fantastic their product is!  Anybody have any feedback?

When you're in The Strip (or Oakland, or downtown in the Cultural District) and looking for a great gift or special treat - The Pittsburgh Popcorn Company is the place to stop, no doubt.  With a variety of regular flavors, as well as weekly specials, in addition to a variety of bag sizes (small, medium, large), tin sizes (1 gallon, 2 gallons, 3 gallons), and styles (including Steelers and Penguins tins) there's always something to please anyone in your group - and remember, you can always try before you buy!

Pittsburgh Popcorn Company

209 21st Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (Strip District)

822 Liberty Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (Downtown - Cultural District)

3710 5th Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland)

Website: http://pghpopcorn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsburgh-Popcorn-Co/136828270599?ref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/PghPopcornCo