It's 2016 and a new year and Lisa's Best Of is back!!!! This year, I plan to not only talk about food and wine but about all things new and up and coming. I will continue to talk about food and wine but also bars, fashion/beauty, diet/exercise and of course 2 Local Girls (my dessert catering business) events!
To start off the new year, we begin at the Smiling Banana Leaf. This is a quaint little BYOB Thai restaurant. There may be at most, ten tables, which provides a quiet, intimate setting. The service was good and the food was delicious. I ordered the Cashew Chicken with a side of vegetables while my sister ordered the Yellow Curry. Even though she ordered it at a level 3 (spice level), we had to switch meals, it was a bit too spicy for her!
Both meals had very good flavor; however, the Cashew Chicken was lacking in actual cashews yet overall had lots of flavor and was a pretty large portion. Then there was the Yellow Curry. It was delicious; it was the best I had by far. Yes, that's right, it was better than the curry I usually order from Nicky's Thai. Only at a level 3, it could've been a little spicier for me but regardless, the curry flavor was prominent and the vegetables were cooked perfectly.
Even thought this restaurant isn't located on a main street, it is definitely worth the trip. It's a hidden gem! Try it today and don't forget to take a nice bottle of wine or beer of choice!
Showing posts with label BYOB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BYOB. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2016
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Arpino Trattoria - Scott Twp
Second Place for Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, Arpino Trattoria. Located in Scott Township in the plaza at the intersection of Green Tree Road and Cochran Road, this restaurant sits in the back of the plaza. If you are not from the area, it's quite hard to locate; however, if you go tothe end of the parking lot, park your vehicle and Arpino's is located in the middle of the shopping area.
This little place has limited seating, making for a nice, quiet romantic feel, along with a sense that you are dining with your family. It is also BYOB, helping to keep you on your budget. Although they had a full menu, I decided to go with the $30 three course fixed price menu: Proscuitto Wrapped Mozzarella with a spicy marinara, Roasted Chicken Thigh and Leg Quarter with Root Vegetables atop a bed of Pecorino Romano Risotto and for dessert, Cranberry Walnut Torta. Along with these choices, were a cup of wedding soup and the chicken saltimbocca with Marsala sauce (proscuitto wrapped chicken).
Proscuitto wrapped mozzerella, in my opinion, a little salty for my taste. I am not a salt lover. However, it did aid in my consumption of multiple glasses of wine! But, I do like spicy and the sauce, although great flavor, it was not spicy enough for me. The wedding soup: I have never had chicken in my wedding soup, so I didnt care for that as much, plus there were not enough noodles. The noodles are my favorite part and I usually eat the meatballs sparingly. But, the broth had good flavor.
Chicken Thigh and Leg Quarter with Risotto: I love the dark meat of the chicken so this was definitely up my alley. It was moist and because of the bone, had very good flavor. The risotto was made perfectly and the flavor was delicious; however, it was entirely too much. I took home leftovers and it didn't even look like I ate anything. Root Vegetables: Celery and carrots. there wasnt much flavor to them but they did add to the coloring of the dish.
Chicken Saltimbocca: Presentation was on point. It came with broccoli with the entire stem, which, the stems in my opinion are very, very bitter. The chicken itself had good flavor, but it was a breast of chicken, so it was a little dry. The mushrooms and the marsala sauce. To me, it was very syrupy and thick and much too sweet for my palate. A starch, rather then a vegetable, would have paired well with this dish to help the flavor of the marsala sauce.
Cranberry Walnut Torta: The torta itself was delicious and I loved the texture and flavoring of the walnuts; however, I am not a huge cranberry lover so there were a little too many cranberries for me. But all together, the dessert was delicious. I just picked off or ate around the abundance of the cranberries.
Again, like Pino's, the chef emerged from the kitchen to see how the meal tasted and he was very nice and friendly. At the end of the meal, he included a shot of Sambuca. Overall, this is definitely a place for a nice, romantic dinner or a quick, hearty meal. Check out it, they have a large menu and something for everyone! Let me know what you ordered and the experience of your culinary journey at Arpino's!!!!!
This little place has limited seating, making for a nice, quiet romantic feel, along with a sense that you are dining with your family. It is also BYOB, helping to keep you on your budget. Although they had a full menu, I decided to go with the $30 three course fixed price menu: Proscuitto Wrapped Mozzarella with a spicy marinara, Roasted Chicken Thigh and Leg Quarter with Root Vegetables atop a bed of Pecorino Romano Risotto and for dessert, Cranberry Walnut Torta. Along with these choices, were a cup of wedding soup and the chicken saltimbocca with Marsala sauce (proscuitto wrapped chicken).
Proscuitto wrapped mozzerella, in my opinion, a little salty for my taste. I am not a salt lover. However, it did aid in my consumption of multiple glasses of wine! But, I do like spicy and the sauce, although great flavor, it was not spicy enough for me. The wedding soup: I have never had chicken in my wedding soup, so I didnt care for that as much, plus there were not enough noodles. The noodles are my favorite part and I usually eat the meatballs sparingly. But, the broth had good flavor.
Chicken Thigh and Leg Quarter with Risotto: I love the dark meat of the chicken so this was definitely up my alley. It was moist and because of the bone, had very good flavor. The risotto was made perfectly and the flavor was delicious; however, it was entirely too much. I took home leftovers and it didn't even look like I ate anything. Root Vegetables: Celery and carrots. there wasnt much flavor to them but they did add to the coloring of the dish.
Chicken Saltimbocca: Presentation was on point. It came with broccoli with the entire stem, which, the stems in my opinion are very, very bitter. The chicken itself had good flavor, but it was a breast of chicken, so it was a little dry. The mushrooms and the marsala sauce. To me, it was very syrupy and thick and much too sweet for my palate. A starch, rather then a vegetable, would have paired well with this dish to help the flavor of the marsala sauce.
Cranberry Walnut Torta: The torta itself was delicious and I loved the texture and flavoring of the walnuts; however, I am not a huge cranberry lover so there were a little too many cranberries for me. But all together, the dessert was delicious. I just picked off or ate around the abundance of the cranberries.
Again, like Pino's, the chef emerged from the kitchen to see how the meal tasted and he was very nice and friendly. At the end of the meal, he included a shot of Sambuca. Overall, this is definitely a place for a nice, romantic dinner or a quick, hearty meal. Check out it, they have a large menu and something for everyone! Let me know what you ordered and the experience of your culinary journey at Arpino's!!!!!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Food of the Mediterranian
Mediterrano:
A great friend of mine and I decided to meet for lunch one day. See, we used to work together and then he retired but every year when the Greek Church would have their annual Greek Food Festival he would get so excited and buy multiple orders of Pastitsio. Every time I would pass Mediterrano, located off of Babcock Boulevard, I knew that we had to go there.
It was a Thursday afternoon around 3:00pm so in between lunch and dinner; there were the two of us and one other table. It was very cute and quiet and the atmosphere was awesome. Another perk, it's BYOB!! Its perfect for a great little date night spot; a bottle of wine, great food and a romantic atmosphere.
Anyway, to the food! He knew right away what he was going to order but I looked over the the menu and decided to order the same, except I got rice as my side and he ordered the Greek fries. For dinner, you get two sides. The pastitsio was luscious and buttery. When you cut it with a fork, the béchamel sauce just oozed out. It was rich and just sooo good! The rice was perfectly cooked and was a great accompaniment. Don't count out the fries though. They were amazing! Feta cheese and oregano on the warm fries was delicious. It was a hearty helping that would not let you go hungry. If you have a day of just relaxation, it is perfect for lunch but make sure you take a good bottle of wine to complete the dish! The menu is priced just right for your wallets and will leave you satisifed with possible left overs.
I love Greek Food Festivals, but for fresh, made to order authentic Mediterranean food, Check out Mediterrano! Let me know what you think.
A great friend of mine and I decided to meet for lunch one day. See, we used to work together and then he retired but every year when the Greek Church would have their annual Greek Food Festival he would get so excited and buy multiple orders of Pastitsio. Every time I would pass Mediterrano, located off of Babcock Boulevard, I knew that we had to go there.
It was a Thursday afternoon around 3:00pm so in between lunch and dinner; there were the two of us and one other table. It was very cute and quiet and the atmosphere was awesome. Another perk, it's BYOB!! Its perfect for a great little date night spot; a bottle of wine, great food and a romantic atmosphere.
Anyway, to the food! He knew right away what he was going to order but I looked over the the menu and decided to order the same, except I got rice as my side and he ordered the Greek fries. For dinner, you get two sides. The pastitsio was luscious and buttery. When you cut it with a fork, the béchamel sauce just oozed out. It was rich and just sooo good! The rice was perfectly cooked and was a great accompaniment. Don't count out the fries though. They were amazing! Feta cheese and oregano on the warm fries was delicious. It was a hearty helping that would not let you go hungry. If you have a day of just relaxation, it is perfect for lunch but make sure you take a good bottle of wine to complete the dish! The menu is priced just right for your wallets and will leave you satisifed with possible left overs.
I love Greek Food Festivals, but for fresh, made to order authentic Mediterranean food, Check out Mediterrano! Let me know what you think.
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