Meat & Potatoes

I never go out late. Like, ever.

I'm not THAT old - I just never enjoyed being out at all hours of the night and then feeling like poo the next day. Especially when I have to work the next day. I get up at 4:30am every day during the school year - do you REALLY think I want to be awake past 10:00pm?  Or even 9:00pm?

Nope. I need to function.

But, every once in awhile, I have the urge to get out and do something late - more often on a weekend. So, when James asked me if I wanted to go see John McIntire's show at the Cabaret Theater on Saturday, I really had no problem saying "yes".

Plus, it was the perfect excuse to go to Meat & Potatoes, like we mentioned last time we went to one of John's shows.

Meat & Potatoes (the rug, at least)

The restaurant has gotten great reviews, but we rarely end up near its location in the Cultural District. Maybe I'm not "cultured" enough, but I'll take any excuse to go to a great restaurant.

Getting a reservation was not easy - 3 days before, I was only able to secure a 9:30pm reservation, which was pushing the time.  However, we left quite early due to the snow that had been falling all day, and arrived about 40 minutes early.  After waiting about 10 minutes, they were able to seat us around 9:00.

It was great timing.

I had perused the menu ahead of time, but I was a bit iffy on my choice of food.  The restaurant name is "Meat & Potatoes", and they aren't kidding - a lot of meat-based dishes, but enough other items for the typical vegetarian to not go hungry.  James and I each chose an appetizer - mine was the fried brussels:

Fried Brussels

I give all credit to Keith Fuller from Root 174 for turning me on to brussels sprouts, and I can't thank him enough for doing so.  These brussels were great - a little greasy, but enough so that they reminded me of less-guilty french fries.  Even a die-hard hater of brussels sprouts would find these palatable.

James went with the fried pickles, which were recommended to him from many of his Twitter followers:

Fried Pickles

I had never had fried pickles before, and I wasn't disappointed - but I think my fried brussels were better.  These had a typical fried outer crust, like frozen chicken nuggets do.  The taste wasn't bad, but they weren't my favorite part of the meal.

For my entree, I wanted something different.  Challenging, even.  Tacos, of course, are one of my favorite diet staples, but...the only kind of tacos that Meat & Potatoes serves is Sweetbread Tacos:

Sweetbread Tacos

And if you're not familiar with what "sweetbreads" are, or if you're picturing a danish in my tortillas - sweetbreads are the thymus glands of animals.  Glands.  Typically, unwanted parts of an animal.

Close-up of Sweetbread Tacos

In this dish, however, you would have never known the different between a gland and any commonly-eaten animal part.  The coco chile-crusted sweetbreads were crispy, slightly spicy, and unlike anything I had had before.  Combined with avocado, cabbage, jalapeno, corn, and crema, I was smitten.  

James had the Fish and chips, which he enjoyed.  I took a bite of his fish, and it was good, but I was much happier with my tacos.

We left quite satisfied, and went on to John McIntire's show to be entertained - and indeed we were.  By the time we got home, I didn't even feel like I had been out later than usual.

John McIntire & Dr. Cyril Wecht

Although I was quite glad that I got to sleep in the next day...


Meat & Potatoes
649 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Website: http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeatAndPotatoesPgh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4meatnpotatoes

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

...Casa Rasta

Tacos are trendy.

I never imagined when I started this blog that so many new Hispanic/Latino restaurants would open even beyond the ones that were opening at the time.  In the original, epiphany-inspiring article, China Millman mentioned Alma, Smoke, Verde...but even more are opening, and they all have a common theme.

Tacos.

James checked out a place in Overbrook on Route 51 a few months ago called California Taco Shop, which I have yet to patronize.  Recently, he was made aware of a place in Beechview called Casa Rasta.

He was on it.  Quickly.

He ranted.  He raved.  He tweeted.  He blogged.

And now I had to get there myself, too!  Tacos are my thing, after all.

We were planning on spending a Saturday afternoon with Food Collage, shopping in the Strip District and making dinner at her place so that James could show off his cooking talents (and so that she and I could reap the benefits), so we thought, why don't we do lunch at Casa Rasta?

Done.

After shopping for our dinner ingredients in The Strip, we drove to Beechview, not far from Dormont, right along the "T" tracks (weird, because the "T" could come by at any moment, and we'd have to yield to it).  Lo and behold, Casa Rasta soon appeared on the left.

Casa Rasta

It's small and cute, with limited seating, just like Smoke BBQ Taqueria, but it definitely adds to the charm of the place.  James had become friendly with the owners, Antonio and Laura, who were so amiable and welcoming when we entered.

It was tough to decide what to order.  James had tried...well, most of the menu, and he liked it all, so it was hard to decide.  We spent a lot of time mulling over the menu, but in the meantime, I ordered a Mango Jarritos:

Menu + Mango Jarritos

One additional menu item for that day was a Ceviche Tostada.  When I hear ceviche: ceviche = sold.  Fresh.  Clean.  Refreshing:

Ceviche Tostada

 Even though the snow was blowing around outside, I already felt like I had escaped to a tropical, Caribbean resort in the middle of...well, Beechview.  Who knew? 

Snow surfing? Nah, just a knick-knack on the windowsill at Casa Rasta. It's adorable!

 Laura brought out a dip tray with a traditional red salsa, tomatillo salsa, and additional jalapeno peppers.  No matter how much I try to like tomatillo salsa, I always find the traditional red to taste better to me.  Not that the tomatillo was bad (not at all!), I just prefer the red to the green:

Tomatillo salsa, traditional salsa, jalapenos

I had finally settled on a Poblano Pepper & Rajas (Potato) Torta, a vegetarian option (not that I'm vegetarian, but I don't mind eating like one sometimes).  I also ordered a side of black beans and a side of rice:

Poblano Pepper & Rajas Torta

Oh wow.  You're probably wondering why I got a torta and not tacos - well, James got tacos, and I knew he'd let me try his...so torta it was.  No doubt it was amazing - all of the ingredients were very authentic, but I especially loved that it was topped with fresh avocado.  It was pretty filling, too - I did force myself to eat my beans and rice, though, to the best of my ability:

Black beans & rice

 Like I mentioned, James allowed me to try his tacos - a carnitas (pork), and a steak, or "carne asada".  I will definitely be getting tacos next time - maybe I'll try every single one.  They were reminiscent of the ones from Reyna's Taco Stand in the Strip District or at the taco stand at Las Palmas, with the savory meats and doubled-up tacos.  So tasty, so flavorful, so delicious:

Carnitas & Carne Asada Tacos

Food Collage went the taco route, too, and ordered similar to James.  For her review, click here.

Since we were the only ones there at the time, Antonio offered us some Chocolate-Chile Pepper Truffles, which were sweet, yet spicy.  These spicy chocolate truffles were rich and decadent, and melted in your mouth with that combination of sweetness and spice:

Chocolate-Chile Pepper Truffles

In addition, we sampled a quesadilla made with cheese (queso fresco) and "empazote", a leafy-green vegetable native to Mexico.  Antonio told us that people would just walk outside of their house and pick empazote from the plant in the yard to put it in their quesadillas.  Although simple, it was yummy!

Quesadilla: Queso Fresco & Empazote

Finally, we tried goat cheese (not my favorite, remember) with blueberry.  If I ever eat goat cheese again, it will be this - the tangy sweetness of the blueberry made it taste almost dessert-like:

Blueberry Goat Cheese

It's a good thing Casa Rasta isn't close to me (like Smoke), because I'd be there - well, as often as I am at Smoke.  The tortillas, the ingredients, the atmosphere - I loved it all.  Not to mention the charm and love that Antonio and Laura put into the food.  I also can't wait to work in conjunction with them on a fundraiser for the Spanish Club that I sponsor (that's how kind and generous they are!)

More Hispanic/Latino places have opened.  More will be opening.  I could easily live on a diet of tacos and other traditional foods - and I wouldn't complain.  Wouldn't complain at all...

Casa Rasta

2102 Broadway Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15216 (Beechview)

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

...Tres Leches Cupcakes and Cake (Disneyland's "Rancho de Zocalo" Recipe)

Apparently, I can bake.

Not really - basically, I can follow a recipe and not burn the pastry.  During my senior year of high school, I was obsessed with baking cakes - not from scratch, but from a box, then making the icing from scratch.

I love icing.

The most disgusting part, though, was that the basis of the icing recipe was Crisco.  CRISCO.  Basically, artificial lard...and I wonder why I gained so much weight that year...

I found a recipe once for mini cheesecakes that used swirled semi-sweet and white chocolate chips.  I wanted to bake them but I knew that I could not eat them all myself, so I shared some with my family and then took the rest to Kennywood to share with my bosses there (now former bosses, since I now work in a different department). 

They were a total hit.  I made them several more times and took them to Kennywood.  One of my former bosses STILL asks me, 4 years later, "When are you going to make more of those cheesecakes?" as it has been about 2 years since I brought them in last.

I just made something that tops those.  They even top the Vegan Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting that I made over the summer. 

My brother visits Disney World at least twice a year, and usually Disneyland at least once a year.  I haven't been there myself in 6 years, and that was on a trip with him over my school's spring break (when I worked at Penn Hills, and we got a full week off for Easter - oh, those were the days...)  After one of his recent trips, he made me aware of a book entitled Delicious Disney Desserts, which features dessert recipes from the many restaurants in the Disney Parks.  He saw the book in the store, browsed through it, and discovered a recipe for Tres Leches Cake from the recipe used at the Rancho de Zocalo restaurant in Disneyland.  He said I had to make it.

But he didn't buy me the book.  He said it was too expensive for one recipe.  Um, like I can't bake more than one thing?!

Luckily, I was able to Google the book and find the recipe on one of the Disney Parks Blogs.  Click here for the recipe.

The recipe is intended to be a cake, but with my recent cupcake obsession (see posts on Dozen Bake Shop, Kribel's Bakery, and Sugar Cafe), I decided to experiment a bit.  I followed the recipe, but made them into cupcakes instead.  This was a bit messier than I thought, but the taste...oh my...

Messy, but delicious.  Pouring the 3 milk mixture into the cupcakes.

I'm not a big fan of meringue, so I opted for the whipped icing in lieu of the meringue icing.  What a fabulous choice!  I have found that the better the vanilla, the better the taste of any recipe that calls for vanilla, so I went with my Mexican Vanilla Extract from Penzey's Spices (also because of the word "Mexican" in the name - this is a popular Hispanic dessert, after all).  The icing tasted like a vanilla milkshake from Dairy Queen - yes, a chain, but I miss having one close to me, as the one in Duquesne closed over a year ago.

The only problem was that I could not ice them beautifully as I wanted because my fancy decorator tool broke.  Sad.  So, pardon their messy appearance (I have purchased a new, electric icing tool at Sur La Table - on clearance! - since this tragic incident.)

Tres Leches Cupcakes with Whipped Icing

Sweet.  Moist.  Rich.

 James decided to host a Taco Party recently - where he provided the tortillas and a filling, and others could bring their own fillings as well.  Genius party concept, if I've ever heard one.  I knew that there would be a lot of taco options, so James suggested that I make the dessert - and of course, he suggested a Tres Leches Cake.

The first time that I had ever tried Tres Leches Cake was on my visit to Alma Pan-Latin Kitchen, when I was able to steal a few bites off of a fellow diner's plate.  It automatically became one of my top 3 desserts - ever.  I hoped that I could live up to the reputation in my own baking experiment.

I had no problem with the idea of making this for the party, as I loved those cupcakes (and so did my brother - I had to take him some, since he suggested the recipe).  I decided to make it as a cake - not cupcakes - this time, so that people could cut pieces as large or small as they wanted:

Final mix of the batter

I baked this in a stoneware pan from Pampered Chef (it's pretty well-seasoned, can you tell?)

Cake.  Baked.

Poking holes to allow the 3 milks to soak in

Pouring the 3-milk mixture over the cake

3 milks, soaking in

 Maybe sometime, I'll have to try the meringue icing, but that whipped icing was so stinkin' good that I had to stick with it:

End result - Tres Leches Cake with Whipped Icing

The overwhelming majority of attendees raved about the cake - I don't know if it was because it was that rich and delicious, or if everyone was on a taco high (I know I was!) at the time.  Certainly, I will welcome any constructive criticism from anyone who attended the Taco Party, so if you attended and tried the cake, feel free to comment!  

Also, for those of you who wanted the recipe - now you have it :-)  

Buen provecho.

...Smoke BBQ & Taqueria Menu Additions

Convenience is key.

Of course, people are more adept to going to chains - they're everywhere!  Here in Pittsburgh, no matter which shopping area you go to - Monroeville, Robinson, Century III, The Waterfront, Waterworks - you are likely to find a TGI Friday's, or Eat 'N Park, or Wendy's...

Convenient, yes, no matter where you are.

Sometimes, though, it is so much better to ditch convenience and go with somewhere local and independent.  Try something unconventional.  Inconvenient, yet worth the adventure.

Luckily, I don't have to be inconvenienced to go to Smoke Barbeque Taqueria - even if it would be worth it.

It's less than 10 minutes away.  Probably the most inconvenient part is the on-street, metered parking.  However, James is often willing to play delivery boy to avoid any inconvenience.

He's so awesome.

The day after Thanksgiving - Black Friday - Smoke unveiled some additions to their menu, all of which I was thrilled about because A.) I had pretty much tried everything on the old menu already, and I was losing the sense of adventure, and B.) I knew they could come up with really creative tacos, just based on that Chicken Apple Taco that I was lucky enough to try once as a special.  Over the course of a few trips, both take-out and dine-in, I tried the vast majority of the new menu.

New Menu, Page 1

New Menu, Page 2

I was most elated to see that the Chicken Apple Taco had made its way onto the new menu.  It is now my #1 taco choice any time I go - usually, I get that one, another taco (either a new one from the menu that I haven't tried, or an old favorite like the Veggie Taco), and a side on each visit.  The sauce on the taco is what makes it - a smoked jalapeno mayo, which is not super-spicy, but very flavorful.

Chicken Apple Taco - my #1

Another new addition to the menu is the Philly Taco - which is just as you would imagine: beef, onions, peppers, and cheese.  However, they use their best types of each: beef BRISKET, SAUTEED onions, HOT peppers, and AGED SHARP WHITE CHEDDAR cheese.  I took 9 other members of my family to Smoke right before Christmas, including my dad - the picky, set-in-his-ways eater that I mentioned in my Mallorca post.  He asked what I thought he would like, and I suggested the Philly Taco, since he likes a similar hoagie from Pido's Pub so much.  I was right.  I liked it, too, when I tried it on one of James' delivery trips, more so than any Philly cheesesteak I've ever had.

Philly Taco

James tried the BLT taco before I had the chance to, and he described it as probably one of the "healthier" options, due to the fact that it has more veggies on it than the other tacos. 

Bacon?  Healthy?  I don't know about that. 

It has the classic BLT ingredients - bacon, lettuce, and tomato - but it also had a smoked pepper mayo that made the flavor pop.  I love, love, LOVE the smoked bacon that they make in-house, and any time I get the mac 'n cheese, I get it with the bacon.  To me, this taco was delicious, given my love for their bacon, but the mayo and fresh veggies made it all the more fabulous.  I chose this as my second taco on a trip to Smoke with one of my regular dining partners, Food Collage, and her fiancee, R.  Food Collage got her mac 'n cheese with bacon, and it's safe to say that our dining group (James included) is enamored with Smoke's bacon.

BLT Taco

On that recent fateful trip with my family, I finally tried the Chorizo Taco.  Chorizo is definitely my favorite type of sausage, and I have had theirs on the Breakfast Migas Taco before as my meat option.  The sausage itself is spicy and full of flavor, as any great chorizo should be.  The taco also includes pinto beans, crispy potatoes (like on the migas), and a smoked pepper pico de gallo.  My aunt from near Philadelphia, who was with us on this outing, got the chorizo on her mac 'n cheese and loved it.

Chorizo Taco

There are also some new side and snack options on the new menu.  James had tried the chili on his first trip and insisted that I needed to try it.  Also, they have chili mac, which is just the chili poured over macaroni noodles.  Either way, the chili is fantastic - no ground meat, only their smoked beef brisket.  Spicy, but not overly spicy, and as great as any chili should be.

Chili, Chili Mac, and an old favorite - Red Potato Salad (with bacon) - and how about that placemat? ;-)

Two "snack" options have been added to the menu as well, one of which is Frito Pie: Fritos Scoops, covered in their new brisket chili, cheese, and avocado cream.  The best way that I can describe it is an upscale, classier "Walking Taco" (although I wouldn't try to walk and eat this!).  I tried this and shared it with Food Collage and R., although he didn't try much.  Food Collage helped a little, but I ate the majority of it and took some home.

Just a note - share with at least 4 people, and don't have leftovers.  Scoops get super soggy (but I still ate the leftovers, it was that good!)

Frito Pie

Frito con Queso is the other new "snack" option - Fritos Scoops served with a pico de gallo queso.  My aunt, uncle, cousins, and mom shared this on the family outing, and the cheese sauce was very tasty - definitely shareable with a group of at least 4 people, too!

Frito con Queso

I need a beverage each time that I eat there, and it is always a debate between the Agua Fresca and Horchata.  I love the Horchata, but if the Agua Fresca flavor sounds good, I'll get that.  I've tried many types of Agua Fresca over the course of my visits:

Blackberry Vanilla

Raspberry & Blueberry (mixed)

Horchata

Watermelon

Compared to the old menu, the prices have gone up slightly, but so have the portion sizes.  It appears that the tacos have more filling, and the sizes of the sides has definitely increased, so you still get your money's worth (and thensome!).

Smoke Barbeque Taqueria has been the subject of 5 of my posts now, and I cannot tell you how awesome this restaurant is.  Just today, China Millman from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said in her article, "Smoke Barbeque Taqueria in Homestead was probably the most universally beloved new restaurant of 2011."  So true.  Every article and post that I have read from local reporters, food bloggers, and tweeters that I follow have been nothing short of positive, congratulatory, and even grateful (for the restaurant's existence).

In addition, it is where James and I met for the first time.  Smoke will forever hold a special place in my heart.

At this point, all I can say is that if you haven't gone yet - go.  Just not on a Monday - they're closed.

Smoke Barbeque Taqueria

225 East Eighth Avenue

Homestead, PA 15120

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smoke-BBQ-Taqueria/124718980943732?ref=ts&sk=wall

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

My Previous Posts on Smoke Barbeque Taqueria:

http://srtacibulkasavors.blogspot.com/2011/08/where-theres-smoke-theres-epiphany.html

http://srtacibulkasavors.blogspot.com/2011/08/smoke-again.html

http://srtacibulkasavors.blogspot.com/2011/10/smoke-taqueria-yet-again.html

http://srtacibulkasavors.blogspot.com/2011/11/smoke-taqueria-with-burgh-gourmand-food.html