…Las Velas con Burgh Gourmand

I know what I like.

I have been raving about Las Velas for months, since my first visit before the reopening as a guest with my brother, to my second visit for dinner with my brother, through this first quarter of the school year.  I have worn my Las Velas t-shirt to school (and had to correct many people who thought it said “Las Vegas”.  Ay de mí…)  I bought a CBS Local Offer AND a Groupon to ensure that I get back there soon (and save some money).  I even had a Twitter follower, Susan Lee, DONATE a CBS Local Offer to my classes so that one of my own students could experience this restaurant that I love so, so much.

I guess my love for Las Velas shines through with effect, because after our experience at Smoke Taqueria, Burgh Gourmand suggested that we go to Las Velas, since he had never been there, and I talked it up so much.

No hesitation here.  I accepted the invitation.

Photo courtesy of Burgh Gourmand: View of the inside of Las Velas (taken from his perspective, near the windows)

 We arrived and were seated by the windows, which reveal a gorgeous view of Market Square.  It was chilly and gray outside, with a chance of heavier rain, but regardless, people were still socializing and milling about.  The ice skating rink was in the beginning stages of being built a block away, and the barriers for it could be seen in the distance.

Our waiter asked if we wanted chips and salsa, and of course we said yes, but I made sure to add, “And guacamole, too, please!”

I love the guac.

Chips, guacamole, salsa roja

Burgh Gourmand commented on the guac as well, saying that it was “so creamy” (sometimes guacamole is a little chunky when the avocados aren’t mashed too well).  I know that it still gets my vote for “Best Guac”, despite trying it in other restaurants now, too.

Burgh had this to add later:

I did blur Burgh Gourmand's real name to protect the innocent - I promise, though, this was from him!

Although I am partial to the guac, I made sure to have my chips with some salsa, since A.) salsa is fat-free, and guacamole is not, and B.) I love the way the salsa tastes, since it is made with fresh cilantro, and C.) It is not super-chunky, but not super-runny, either.

Burgh Gourmand and I had a hard time deciding upon our main dishes – I wanted to try something off of their “Traditional Mexican” menu, since I hadn’t yet, and I keep touting authenticity.  Back when I started doing this, the owner’s wife, Ginny, replied to my email about my blog with a list of items on the menu that are authentic – and anything on that part is (in addition to others).

I decided to go with “Pollo al cilantro” – basically, you choose your meat and sauce, so I chose chicken with a cilantro sauce (I had to go cilantro!).  Burgh originally decided upon “Mar Y Tierra” (Surf ‘N Turf, to put it simply), but at the last minute changed his mind to the “Pollo en Mole Poblano”, which was my choice on my last visit.

Who doesn’t love a good mole?!

Pollo al cilantro - no leftovers this time (guess I'll have to come back for more...)

Photo courtesy of Burgh Gourmand: Pollo en mole poblano

Neither one of us regretted our choices.  Burgh’s mole exceeded his expectations – I told him that I wouldn’t steer him wrong, and I live up to my promises.  My “Pollo al Cilantro” was what I was hoping for – a delicious, but not overpowering cilantro-flavored sauce encasing shredded chicken, which served as a great filler for my handmade tortillas and veggies.  The sauce was a little salty, but not enough for me to not savor every bite of my meal.

In addition to comida muy rica, the trip to Las Velas included a spectacular view of Market Square, capped off with witnessing a torrential downpour (and pedestrians scattering to avoid it) and helicopters flying dangerously close to skyscrapers around Market Square due to the filming of the Tom Cruise film “One Shot”. 

Even better?  Great conversation with Burgh Gourmand.  It’s nice to converse with someone that A.) has common interests, B.) has intelligence, and C.) can tell you things you never knew before.  If you ever get the opportunity to dine with him – do it.

At the end of my last post about Las Velas, I said:

“I left so, so full, and so, so happy.”  - I did this time, too.

“I will be back, Las Velas.” – Obviously, I came back.  Duh.

“I will try something different next time, although I was completely smitten with the meal that I had chosen.” – Totally tried something new (although Burgh did let me sample his mole poblano!  I couldn’t resist!)

“I will bring friends.” – Done.

“I will encourage others to patronize you, even if I am not with them.” – I do through my blog, Facebook page, Twitter.  I wear my Las Velas shirt to school on Casual Friday when I can.  Not to mention my contest where a student won $30 to spend at your restaurant!

Further proof that I live up to my promises.

Las Velas

21 Market Square

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Web: http://www.lasvelasmex.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf - !/LasVelasMex

Twitter: @lasvelas

Burgh Gourmand

Website: http://www.burghgourmand.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BurghGourmand

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

…Smoke Taqueria (yet again!)

I love fall – and fall foods!

September, October, and November are prime months for my eating – having been on Weight Watchers for almost 2 years, and coming to learn which foods are good for you AND filling, I know that this time of year is best for two of my favorite staple foods – winter squashes and apples.

My favorite winter squashes include acorn, spaghetti, and butternut – and of course, I love anything made from pumpkin: pumpkin butter, pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin cookies…

Apples, though, have definitely become a huge part of my regular diet.  Two years ago, I went to Trax Farms in Finleyville for their annual Fall Festival, where they have apple sampling – about 12 different varieties of apples, all to be sampled (with or without caramel dip, of course) – and I never realized how different the different varieties of apples tasted until then. 

I eat at least one apple every single day – my favorite is Pink Lady, but sometimes I change it up with Fujis or Galas.

I have even tried making slaw out of apples.  I love the Hungry Girl cookbooks, and one of her most famous recipes is “I Heart Apple Slaw”, made from Granny Smith and Fuji apples, broccoli slaw mix, fat-free yogurt, honey, and Splenda.

Super sweet and savory slaw!

When I visited Smoke Taqueria in Homestead (yes, again), I knew what I was going to get – the chicken taco, plus their jalapeno apple slaw, which I have been saying for weeks that I really, really needed to try, since I was such a fan of “I Heart Apple Slaw”. 

I met another food blogger at Smoke that day – Burgh Gourmand.  His tweets from restaurants around Pittsburgh – and his other commentary – always have me intrigued, so I was anxious to have a meal and conversation with him.

Burgh Gourmand had visited the taqueria within the last week, so he had been recognized by the owner by the time I arrived (which was not long after).  We were immediately presented with menus and told that there was a special taco available that night.  I was thrilled – THRILLED – to hear that the taco was a chicken and…APPLE taco!  Woo hoo!  Perfect for fall!  I ordered one in addition to my pre-selected chicken taco and jalapeno apple slaw.  Burgh Gourmand opted for the chicken and apple taco, brisket taco, and macaroni and cheese.  To drink, I ordered a horchata (YAY!  They had it this time!), and Burgh Gourmand ordered the agua fresca flavor of the day – pineapple.

Our drinks arrived, and I immediately put my straw in to taste the horchata I had been wanting to try since my last visit.  Horchata is a corn drink, but doesn’t taste like corn, just like the Chicha Morada I had at Chicken Latino – and at Smoke, they add lime zest to the mix, which gives it a margarita-ish flavor (no alcohol, though, of course!)

The slaw and mac and cheese arrived next, and we each offered to have the other try our choices.  

Oh, wow.  That mac and cheese was amazing!  I had a student who visited Smoke recently, who said in her extra credit report that the mac and cheese was great, but now I KNOW that it is, without a doubt.  

The jalapeno apple slaw was also delicious – I wasn’t sure how spicy peppers and apples would go together, but they work well together – it was spicy, but nicely balanced with the sweetness of the apples to give it a tasty flavor.

Then the tacos arrived.  I started with the chicken and apple taco, since it sounded so interesting.  

I’m in love.

Smoked chicken, smoked bacon, apples, cheese, cilantro, jalapeno mayo…a fresh, warm, soft, made-from-scratch tortilla…how could I not want to marry this taco?

My chicken taco was also delicious – yes, I preferred the chicken and apple, but I have to say that smoked chicken is much, MUCH tastier than regularly cooked chicken, which can be extremely boring and bland. 

The food was amazing, the conversation was great, and I was CRAVING that chicken and apple taco the next day.  I wrestled in my head for hours that next day, debating on whether I should call and place a take-out order…but I did not :-(

Thank goodness Smoke Taqueria isn’t far at all – but this could throw a wrench into my diet!  Looks like I’ll be eating a lot of winter squash to compensate…

Smoke Taqueria

205 E. Eighth Ave.

Homestead, PA 15120

Burgh Gourmand

Website: http://www.burghgourmand.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BurghGourmand

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

Trax Farms

528 Trax Rd.

Finleyville, PA 15332

Website: http://www.traxfarms.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trax-Farms/107081760932

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

Hungry Girl

Website: http://www.hungry-girl.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HungryGirl?sk=wall

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

…Chili’s?! (I think not!)

Before you ask, NO, you cannot get extra credit by going to Chili’s!

And here’s why…

I was invited to meet some of my middle school teacher friends at Chili’s before they chaperoned the Middle School Teacher Dance on September 16^th.  I never get to see my middle school teacher-friends, now that I am teaching at the high school, but I wanted to see and hang out with them, even if it was for a little bit.  I also had a gift card to use that a certain other Spanish teacher – who shall remain nameless, but I’m sure not anonymous - bought me for my birthday 2 years ago (which shows you how often I go to Chili’s). 

If you didn’t know, middle school teachers are probably some of the most fun people you’ll ever meet.  You’ll never understand that unless you become a middle school teacher yourself, but it’s a fact.  No lie.  No doubt.  You, as a student, may think that middle school teachers are lame, but I will tell you, it’s quite the contrary.

Anyway, I met 7 other teachers at the Chili’s in West Mifflin…first it was 5, then 4, then 6…yeah, we’re not good at figuring out exact numbers (even though 3 math teachers were part of the group).

The waitress came to take our drink order, and I was going to get an iced tea to drink, but then I was reminded that they had mango iced tea.

I love mangoes.  A lot (remember?)

Of course, I ordered a mango iced tea, and no trip to Chili’s would be complete without ordering the bottomless chips and salsa.

My iced tea arrived, and I took a sip - you know how some beverages have that…perfume-y taste to them?  Yeah….this definitely tasted like cheap perfume instead of mango.  What a letdown.

I was trying to order something relatively healthy, considering how much I have eaten out lately (and will be again this week).  Chili’s is probably one of the worst offenders for making foods seem “healthy”, when they’re still horrible for you, calorie-wise.  I used to order the Quesadilla Explosion Salad often when I went there in the past; that is, until I found out that this salad – which sounds super-duper healthy, right?  Salad? – has 1400 CALORIES!  For someone who is only supposed to eat 1800 calories per day, and likes to eat often, this is no longer an option for me.  They have “guiltless grill” options, so I chose the Margarita Chicken, which was supposed to be margarita-flavored (so basically, lime-flavored).

I wasn’t expecting a culinary masterpiece, and the presentation is nice (although black beans always tend to look like a protein-spill-in-a-bowl...), but…umm…it tasted like grilled chicken.  No exciting, pucker-y lime flavor.  No exciting, flavorful seasoning.  How lame.

Looks can be deceiving.

Oooh, but check out those grill marks - a true sign of grilling perfection (total facetious tone as I say that, however...)

I was hungry, so my meal was gone way before anyone else was done – a few people had ordered the crispy chicken tacos, which were enormous compared to what a “real” taco (like from Smoke) should look like, along with sides.  I had a student complain to me already that the tacos at Smoke are too small, and I told her that that’s because we’re used to the “bigger is better” theory, our portion sizes have increased dramatically, and those “too small” tacos area actually more filling than you think.  Our perceptions are skewed here in America. 

My meal, as you can see, simply came with rice and black beans, not atypical for a Mexican-style meal.  And let’s compare calories – Margarita Chicken – 550 calories.  Crispy Chicken Tacos – 1630.   I think I chose wisely…

However - so much for my “healthy” meal - I continued to indulge in the chips and salsa.  The chips were “homemade”, and were probably the best part of the meal, but the salsa was way too tomato-y and did not have enough flavor.  REAL Mexican food has flavor – cilantro, onions, peppers, garlic, and hints of seasonings such as chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper - add to the unique flavors of Latino cooking.

The chips and salsa experience is supposed to be about the salsa – not the chips.  Way to blow it, Chili’s.

The company made up for the difference.  My teacher-friends and I spent about 1 ½ hours catching up on each other’s lives before most of the teachers had to split for the dance, so it was well-worth the poor food experience, in that respect.

Sometimes we cannot help the choices that we make because we are at the mercy of others, but food, no matter where or when or how, brings people together.  Despite the choice of venue, I was able to choose a (relatively) healthier (although not at all tasty) meal, while still enjoying the company of my friends. 

No, you will not get extra credit for eating at Chili’s.  Go somewhere new.  Go somewhere authentic.  Go somewhere where both the company and the food come together for a more memorable and enjoyable experience.   My friends and I have already decided to do so…

Chili’s – West Mifflin

2207 Mountain View Dr.

West Mifflin, PA 15122

Website: http://www.chilis.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chilis-Grill-Bar/160394050705972?ref=ts&sk=wall#!/Chilis?sk=wall

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

...Chicken Latino

I don’t like crowds.

That’s kind of funny considering that A.) I’m a teacher, who works in a school, which has crowded hallways between classes, and B.) I also work at an amusement park, where crowds are the norm.

Probably the part that I don’t like the most is constantly feeling like I’m in the way.  In a large crowd, if someone needs to get through, you move as far out of the way as possible so that he/she can pass, right?  Well, not everyone does that, and then I feel bad, so I move – so I’m constantly moving!  Does anyone else in the world have that feeling?  Ever?  Or am I just strange?

The other part that bothers me a great deal is waiting because of a crowd.  Waiting in traffic, waiting to get out of a building, or waiting for a table at a restaurant drives me crazy.  If I see a crowd at a restaurant, I immediately think, “No way am I eating here,” or “I should’ve come earlier,” or “I should’ve made a reservation [if possible].”

Check out this picture that I took this morning.  This is the line to get into the famous Pamela’s Diner on 21^st Street in the Strip District this past Sunday morning:

I had no intention of eating at Pamela’s, anyway, so I wasn’t upset by it, but…why would anyone want to wait around?  I guess its breakfast is really delicious and popular, and it was Sunday, and they have “regulars”, but…it was almost noon by this point.  There are so many other places to eat in The Strip, why would anyone want to flock to the SAME place all of the time for the SAME food – and wait around so long for it? 

Luckily, I had other plans – right across the street from Pamela’s:

When I first had the idea for this extra credit project, Chicken Latino was one of the first places that I contacted – and one of the first that contacted me.  In fact, the owner, Shelbin, called me as soon as she got my letter!  I was shocked at her quick response, and she was incredibly nice and supportive.  I knew I had to try Chicken Latino as soon as possible.

I asked my brother if he wanted to come with me to the Strip District, since he’s usually looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, and he agreed – although I didn’t tell him about Chicken Latino until we were on our way (oops).  I mean, if he likes Las Velas, he should like Chicken Latino, too, right?

Well, to clarify, Chicken Latino is Peruvian.  Las Velas is Mexican.  There are similarities, though.

When we arrived, we went to the counter and were asked if we wanted our food to go or if we were going to eat in.  Since we were eating in, we were told that we could have a seat, and the waitress would bring us menus (Hey, no waiting!  Hooray!).  

Our waitress, Christy, was very detailed in her explanation of the menu – the weekday menu was on the table, but we were handed the weekend menu, which also had – oh boy – ceviche!  Real ceviche!  The kind that is raw fish cured in lime juice to be “cooked”!  I knew what I was ordering.  My brother ordered a chicken quesadilla.

They also had slushies in mango and wild berry – made with real fruit!  I ordered a mango slushie.  My brother?  Coke.

Appetizers - Yucca fries, a root vegetable, similar to jicama or rutabagas, sounded intriguing…mmmm…but my brother, of course, wanted chips and salsa.  We ordered both. 

Christy brought out our Yucca fries and chips and salsa, and also 5 packets of mayonnaise and a bottle of “green stuff”, as she referred to it.  She said that in Peru, they mix together the green stuff and mayonnaise, and dip their Yucca fries into it like ketchup.  She later explained that the “green stuff” was cilantro, peppers, and bread crumbs, they make it fresh there every day, and they also sell it by the bottle.  Tempting, but it would probably go bad before I would use it all – and I also don’t need to be eating mayonnaise every day.

The chips and salsa weren’t anything spectacular, but I loved, loved…wait for it…LOVED the Yucca fries with the dipping sauce!  So did my brother.

My ceviche was amazing.  After eating all of those fries, having something light and delicious for my main course was refreshing.

And my slushie?  It was great.  It tasted just like a mango…which is also what I had for breakfast that morning.

I like mangoes.  A lot. 

My brother’s quesadilla – it was HUGE!  It also had tons of black beans in it, which he was not expecting, but he ate every last bite of it.  I tried a piece of it, and guess what?  No surprise, it was fantastic!  

I had read on Twitter earlier that morning that it was someone’s birthday there, and that Shelbin had made her a pumpkin sweet bread with melted marshmallows on top (she posted a picture…*drool*).  I noticed that Christy was wearing a “Happy Birthday” ribbon, so I asked her if she was the one they made the bread for that I had seen on Twitter.  She said yes, and without hesitation, offered us a piece. 

I like pumpkin, too.  A lot.

Christy was so nice to share her birthday bread (¡que rico!) with us, to be so friendly in explaining the menu, and to chat with me about the extra credit project – yet another reason to love Chicken Latino!

There are so many other things on their menu that I want to try: the Peruvian-style chicken (which is what I was going to get originally, but then they had ceviche, and all bets were off), plantains, flan, “Inka Kola” (Peruvian pop, essentially), and “chicha morada”, a purple Peruvian corn juice. 

The other great part of Chicken Latino is that their prices are very reasonable.  For as much as we ate, the bill for the two of us was only about $32 – and we could have ordered less and still had a satisfying lunch (although I’m glad we had what we did!)

The people that work in Chicken Latino wear shirts that say “I <3 Chicken Latino” (ok, so the heart isn’t sideways, but you know what I mean).  I understand why completely - fresh, authentic food, great atmosphere, great staff, affordable prices – oh yeah, and no waiting!  I can’t say enough good things about my experience, so I will end with this…

Me encanta Chicken Latino.  Nos vemos otra vez muy, muy pronto.  Gracias por todo.

Chicken Latino

155 21^st Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Web: http://www.chickenlatino.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Chicken-Latino/145153807143

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/chickenlatino