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!!!!!
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Point Brugge Cafe
Point Brugge Cafe is one of my favorite places in the city to eat. It has a great atmosphere and most of all great food. I have had may of the items that are featured on the menu, including: Hop Devil Shrimp, Macaroni Gratin, Moules Frites with basil mayonnaise (all flavors), Chaud Chevre salad, Cafe Chicken sandwich and the Point Burger. There are alot of other amazing things on the menu but when I go to Point Brugge its for an appetizer and then the Mussles! I have had mussels at other restaurants but they have not compared to the mussles at Point Brugge. My friends, who have actually been to Brussels said that these mussels rival the ones they had in Belgium!
Now to discuss the food! Let's start at the beginning, shall we:
Mussels - the star of the show - there are two sizes, a pound and a half or a little smaller. There are also three different flavors: white wine, shallots, garlic and cream (My absolute favorite), curry, coconut milk, basil and cilantro, or tomato, fried brussel sprouts and parmesean. If you get the large portion, french fries with their wonderful basil mayonnaise is included. As I said the white wine sauce is my favorite but I did have them all and they are all very good. The mussels are cooked perfectly; however, there will be grit/sand in a couple of them - that is normal. Also, you get unlimited pieces of warm baguette bread to dip in the overflowing sauce of your choice!
Hop Devil Shrimp - 6 Large, succulent shrimp, cooked perfectly and beer battered in Hop Devil beer. The hop devil beer is very tangy and provides a nice flavor to the shrimp especially when dipping them into the slightly spicy, Asian dipping sauce. Perfect start to anyone's culinary experience at Point Brugge.
Macaroni Gratin - Macaroni baked in three cheeses; gruyere (one of my favorites), parmesean and cheddar. One of the best baked macaroni and cheese dishes that I have ever ate. Its not too heavy to start off your meal.
Chaud Chevre Salad - Crisp greens with asparagus and roasted red peppers with the acompaniement of soft, warm, creamy goat cheese. And the house dressing - very tasty! This is my favorite of all the salad options. But, I love goat cheese especially on a salad. There is an option to add salmon, chicken or portabella mushrooms. To me, there is nothing like warm, creamy goat cheese paired with perfectly cooked salmon.
Cafe Chicken sandwich - Grilled Chicken on a warm baguette with fresh mozzerella, roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce and basil mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise, its my favorite condiment. And their basil mayo is to die for. it lightens up the richness of the mayo and provides great flavor to this and any sandwich and french fries.
Point Burger - Fresh ground chuck topped with bacon, carmelized shallots, fontina cheese, arugula, and whole grain mustard aioli. Now, with this burger, I change mine up a bit. Really, I mean with the aioli and the basil mayonnaise. I dont like whole grain mustard so I switch the mustard out for the mayo. For those of you who may not know - shallots are in the onion family but there flavor is not as bold as the onion. And caremlized, they are perfect. Arugula, is a lettuce that usually goes on top of different sandwiches wtih a smoky, peppery flavor.
Please check out Point Brugge either for lunch, dinner or brunch and let me know what you think! I havent been there for brunch, but I heard it was amazing! Also, I would get there a little early because its not just one of my favorites, it does get crowded quickly and the wait can be quite long, especially with a large party. In the warmer months, they do provide outside seating but that is also limited. Stay and have a cocktail, beer or wine, they have quite the selection and not too pricey.
Now to discuss the food! Let's start at the beginning, shall we:
Mussels - the star of the show - there are two sizes, a pound and a half or a little smaller. There are also three different flavors: white wine, shallots, garlic and cream (My absolute favorite), curry, coconut milk, basil and cilantro, or tomato, fried brussel sprouts and parmesean. If you get the large portion, french fries with their wonderful basil mayonnaise is included. As I said the white wine sauce is my favorite but I did have them all and they are all very good. The mussels are cooked perfectly; however, there will be grit/sand in a couple of them - that is normal. Also, you get unlimited pieces of warm baguette bread to dip in the overflowing sauce of your choice!
Hop Devil Shrimp - 6 Large, succulent shrimp, cooked perfectly and beer battered in Hop Devil beer. The hop devil beer is very tangy and provides a nice flavor to the shrimp especially when dipping them into the slightly spicy, Asian dipping sauce. Perfect start to anyone's culinary experience at Point Brugge.
Macaroni Gratin - Macaroni baked in three cheeses; gruyere (one of my favorites), parmesean and cheddar. One of the best baked macaroni and cheese dishes that I have ever ate. Its not too heavy to start off your meal.
Chaud Chevre Salad - Crisp greens with asparagus and roasted red peppers with the acompaniement of soft, warm, creamy goat cheese. And the house dressing - very tasty! This is my favorite of all the salad options. But, I love goat cheese especially on a salad. There is an option to add salmon, chicken or portabella mushrooms. To me, there is nothing like warm, creamy goat cheese paired with perfectly cooked salmon.
Cafe Chicken sandwich - Grilled Chicken on a warm baguette with fresh mozzerella, roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce and basil mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise, its my favorite condiment. And their basil mayo is to die for. it lightens up the richness of the mayo and provides great flavor to this and any sandwich and french fries.
Point Burger - Fresh ground chuck topped with bacon, carmelized shallots, fontina cheese, arugula, and whole grain mustard aioli. Now, with this burger, I change mine up a bit. Really, I mean with the aioli and the basil mayonnaise. I dont like whole grain mustard so I switch the mustard out for the mayo. For those of you who may not know - shallots are in the onion family but there flavor is not as bold as the onion. And caremlized, they are perfect. Arugula, is a lettuce that usually goes on top of different sandwiches wtih a smoky, peppery flavor.
Please check out Point Brugge either for lunch, dinner or brunch and let me know what you think! I havent been there for brunch, but I heard it was amazing! Also, I would get there a little early because its not just one of my favorites, it does get crowded quickly and the wait can be quite long, especially with a large party. In the warmer months, they do provide outside seating but that is also limited. Stay and have a cocktail, beer or wine, they have quite the selection and not too pricey.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Bistro Soul - Northside
Hey everyone,
Today, my two co-workers and I ventured down to E. Ohio Street in order to check out the award winning grilled cheese, from Bistro Soul. We had to try the sandwich that beat the Spartan from The Modern Cafe. Bistro Soul offers comfort food at its finest.
My co-worker, Vince and I decided that we were going to get their award-winning grilled cheese, with bacon as made for the contest (no side except chips or pretzels); while Renawn, decided away from the grilled cheese and went with one of the Monday specials - Country Chicken with cornbread and sauteed green beans with smoked turkey. So you are aware, everything is homemade and all the sandwiches are made to order. Amongst the other Monday specials and side dishes (http://bistroandcompany.com), there were also little side salad dishes; coleslaw, which looked creamy and peppery & tomato, cucumber and onion salad, which looked bright and fresh.
Well, Renawn recevied his food first since it would be 5-7 minute wait for the sandwiches, we headed to the outdoor patio and waited for the two grilled cheese. Everyone was waiting so patiently, I decided I was going to try the Country Chicken. One word: INSANE! The chicken was tender, the stuffing was flavorful and creamy and the gravy; the gravy was on-point. It was a nice-sized portion and the green beans were soft and a lil spicy and the smoked turkey provided extra flavor and texture. It was good and will require a trip back. Another good thing, the Country Chicken is offered M-F. Next time, I will get it with mashed potatoes! And the drawbacks - the cornbread and the price. The cornbread lacked a little flavor but was nice and soft.
Here it is: the evaluation of the grilled cheese. It was probably the best grilled cheese that both Vince and I ever had BUT it left you hungry and dipped a bit into your wallets. As stated above, a side was not included but you did get chips. Bistro Soul also does not offer re-fillable fountain drinks so whatever they had is all you could get....there was Sioux City Birch Beer (different flavors), bottled water, bottled juices and diet pepsi. NO REGULAR POP!!!! Vince - sandwich, plus $1.95 for bacon, chips and a birch beer - $12.68. Me - sandwich, plus bacon, chips and bottled water - $12.20. Renawan - Country chicken, green beans, cornbread and birch beer - $11.00.
Overall, this is definitely worth a trip back but for the daily special! They also offer cooking classes and have brunch on the weekends. I will be checking both of these features out and reporting back. Get down to the Northside, get some warm, comfort food, especially since the weather is starting to get cooler and let me know what you think!!!!
Today, my two co-workers and I ventured down to E. Ohio Street in order to check out the award winning grilled cheese, from Bistro Soul. We had to try the sandwich that beat the Spartan from The Modern Cafe. Bistro Soul offers comfort food at its finest.
My co-worker, Vince and I decided that we were going to get their award-winning grilled cheese, with bacon as made for the contest (no side except chips or pretzels); while Renawn, decided away from the grilled cheese and went with one of the Monday specials - Country Chicken with cornbread and sauteed green beans with smoked turkey. So you are aware, everything is homemade and all the sandwiches are made to order. Amongst the other Monday specials and side dishes (http://bistroandcompany.com), there were also little side salad dishes; coleslaw, which looked creamy and peppery & tomato, cucumber and onion salad, which looked bright and fresh.
Well, Renawn recevied his food first since it would be 5-7 minute wait for the sandwiches, we headed to the outdoor patio and waited for the two grilled cheese. Everyone was waiting so patiently, I decided I was going to try the Country Chicken. One word: INSANE! The chicken was tender, the stuffing was flavorful and creamy and the gravy; the gravy was on-point. It was a nice-sized portion and the green beans were soft and a lil spicy and the smoked turkey provided extra flavor and texture. It was good and will require a trip back. Another good thing, the Country Chicken is offered M-F. Next time, I will get it with mashed potatoes! And the drawbacks - the cornbread and the price. The cornbread lacked a little flavor but was nice and soft.
Here it is: the evaluation of the grilled cheese. It was probably the best grilled cheese that both Vince and I ever had BUT it left you hungry and dipped a bit into your wallets. As stated above, a side was not included but you did get chips. Bistro Soul also does not offer re-fillable fountain drinks so whatever they had is all you could get....there was Sioux City Birch Beer (different flavors), bottled water, bottled juices and diet pepsi. NO REGULAR POP!!!! Vince - sandwich, plus $1.95 for bacon, chips and a birch beer - $12.68. Me - sandwich, plus bacon, chips and bottled water - $12.20. Renawan - Country chicken, green beans, cornbread and birch beer - $11.00.
Overall, this is definitely worth a trip back but for the daily special! They also offer cooking classes and have brunch on the weekends. I will be checking both of these features out and reporting back. Get down to the Northside, get some warm, comfort food, especially since the weather is starting to get cooler and let me know what you think!!!!
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