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!!!!

The Modern Cafe

The North Side of Pittsburgh is really making a comeback.  The Modern Cafe re-opened in April 2010 and has been a local favorite to customers since. It's updated and provides a great escape from the outside stressors. From beers to a full food menu, its a great spot to just have lunch, a beer or catch any sporting game.

I just went there yesterday with my friends for lunch, now I have been there a few other times and have not been disappointed. Recently, The Modern Cafe won Runner-Up for the Best Sandwich in the North side - The Spartan.

Here are the details: Steak, Gyro meat, Provolone & Feta cheese, onions, tomato slices with our special steak seasoning & dressing topped with tzatziki sauce on a 6” hoagie. Now, my co-worker that got this sandwich, does not like the tzatziki sauce so he opted for balsamic vinegar. Still, very good. The balsamic was very flavorful and not too oily to make the bread soggy. However, my only complaint would be that the bread was toasted a little too long. I don't really like hard bread. Losing only to a grilled cheese sandwich from The Bistro to go, it is definitely a worthy contender in the sandwich world beating out sandwiches such as the Roethlisberger from Peppi's.

I decided to get the Turkey Extreme with egg; and, if you know me, I add egg to every sandwich. Here are the details for this great sandwich: Roast Turkey, Cheddar cheese, coleslaw, lettuce and tomato on Wheat (hot or cold). I opted for white bread.

Anything on the menu is tasty though. Even if your just going in for a drink, you will have a great experience. The owners are very friendly and love to talk to everyone and are very excited about their space. They truly want you to love your experience and will attempt to make that possible. The Modern Cafe should be your next stop for a great sandwich and experience.

Ditka's steakhouse

I have been to a lot of the popular steakhouses around the city, i.e. Morton's, Capital Grille, Ruth Chris, Hyde Park and now Ditka's. My friend, Jill, once told me that the best steak that she has ever eaten was at Ditka's so I felt compelled to make my way there. First, I started with the soup; Tortilla Soup vs. Crab Bisque. Winner: Crab Bisque. Although there were a few shells in the soup, overall, it was very flavorful and warm and creamy. The tortilla soup was not thick and there was way too much corn that the corn over powered the flavors of the cheese and the chicken. When asked which soup was better, I indicated the Crab Bisque and the reasons why (too much corn and thin broth) and the waiter brought over a second complimentary cup of the Crab Bisque. Goes to show you, when asked how you like a meal, don't be too shy to state the truth; but in a nice tasteful way and you never know how you can be rewarded...in my case, it was an extra cup of yummy crab bisque.

Next, the main course. Now, all the steakhouses in the city are ala carte when it comes to side dishes. However, Morton's and Hyde Park have special dining promotions. These include side dishes and desserts for a special fixed price. Ditka's did not offer any special dining promotions. I got the filet Oscar, which indicates Filet Mignon topped with a Bearnaise sauce and lump Crab meat.

As for my side, I got the garlic green beans and grilled onions. The steak was very tender (mine was Medium Rare, as how a steak should be cooked) and flavorful, along with the crab; however, the Bearnaise sauce had a not so appetizing taste. A hollandaise sauce would have been a much better paring in my mind. What's the difference, well not much; a Bearnaise is more meaty and used for steaks. The ingredients are similar in both sauces: butter and emulsified egg yolks but with a hollandaise sauce there is lemon juice and the Bearnaise sauce uses herbs like tarragon instead of the lemon juice. I'm not a particular fan of tarragon, which has a licorice flavor so I will always choose Hollandaise over Bearnaise.

The garlic green beans were average, they were sort of soggy but there was good flavor. As for the grilled onions, it was one slice of onion and charred with a few grill marks. It was basically raw once you cut into it and it did not pair well with the steak. I would have loved to have had the caramelized onions from Anthony's Coal Fired paired with my steak!

Finally, the dessert. By this time, I am beyond full. But it is my duty as a food blogger to find the 'best of the burgh' so I pushed on and ordered the Creme Brulee. The custard was cooked too long, it was not as warm and creamy as I am used to; the flavoring was a little bland and definitely did not compare with the Creme Brulee from Morton's or Capital Grille, which is still too close to call as to which is the 'best.' Final Grade: Not worth the money and you can definitely get a better tasting steak dinner that is more satisfying and doesn't break the bank!!!

Welcome Foodies!

Have you ever went to a restaurant and had this intense craving for a certain food but then once it was served to you, it wasn't what you were expecting. I feel like that happens more often than not. Each week, there will be a certain food or foods and by the end of that same week, I will have gone in search for the best i.e. wings in the city. Suggestions/Questions/Comments are encouraged.
There have been countless time that I have gone to a restaurant/bar craving a certain food and then when it arrives in front of me it's A. not very appetizing and B. not as good tasting as I was hoping. Or, when I'm caught between multiple options and I ask the waitress/waiter which I should choose and he/she either has never had the dish or he or she says 'its sooo good, etc' and its actually quite the opposite. I'm not a professional chef...Yet, but I am huge foodie and self-proclaimed wine connoisseur and for someone like myself that LOVES food, I decided that I was going to cut out all of that mess and find the 'Best Of the City'. I want to share my love for great food and great wine plus, where you can find the best, most authentic food in Pittsburgh! From Bloody Mary's to wings to desserts to wine to fruity fun cocktails, I will locate and experience the best food/drink around the city and help guide you to finding the best option for your personality. While on my journeys each week, I will also discuss different recipes and tips to create the exact experience you are looking. There are a lot of options out there and it could get frustrating, not to mention time-consuming and expensive to find that wonderful, amazing meal that you had in mind. There are a lot of places and a lot of choices so that's why I'm here; to help you have an amazing experience every time you decide to dine out! Also, I will share my tips and recipes in case you want to have an amazing, restaurant quality meal in...the possibilities are endless!!!!!
June 4, 2012 will be the first week I actually get started on my journey. Please provide me with any and all suggestions and I can begin my search for the....'Best Of Pittsburgh'