Bad Indian Lunch Buffet tour

Posted by Kathryn @ 1:35 PM

This is a long standing tradition with my friend Aman. Unfortunately, now we are separated by hundreds of miles and therefore cannot get large groups of friends together for lunch. Essentially the concept was that we would go to as many Indian buffets as possible in the suburbs of DC and then decide what was the worst buffet. I figure Aman's votes should have counted double at least at the Punjabi options, but as you might expect. We didn't really ever make it to the voting stage of this endeavor. After trying a plethora of places we all just fell into a comfortable format of one or two favorite locations. You can tell how serious we were about the "bad" portion of the tour. Once one of our favorite places had a fly in with the lentil soup that you eat with Idli and we realized that we were back to our original plan after all... the bad Indian buffet had crept up on us, when we least expected it.

So with my fond memories of checking out all of the Indian options, I decided to try a similar adventure here in PGH! My first outing with the Indian buffet group (although this time without the desire to find the worst) was a small but cordial bunch of coworkers. We all had previously had Star of India and thought it was time to branch out a bit. We decided to trudge through the slush on Craig up to Namaste (at Centre ave). When we got there, to our surprise... there was no buffet! A buffet table yes, but actual buffet, no. So we quickly turned around and visited Tamarind on Craig. Apropos of little, the name reminded me of the tamarind paste I love on South American snow cones, oh how I look forward to those. It was a Friday during lent, so I was quite happy with the vegetarian selections at this South Indian buffet. In comparison to Star of India I liked the vegetarian selections better at Tamarind, but the naan is far superior at Star of India. My meat eating companions seemed like the meat entrees could be better... aka meatier, but considering the other foods on the buffet were quite diverse, and the regional influence this did not surprise me. I was terribly disappointed with the fried lentil patties ( look like yellow indian falafel) that were reminiscent of hockey pucks. I had expected so much more from this mouth searing south indian delight that I had enjoyed from Amma's Vegetarian Kitchen in Virginia so many times. The potatoes with coconut were my hands down favorite of the day. In general though, I would say it is worth stopping through until I do find the veritable best Indian buffet in town.

So now the question is, where should the next stop be on the Indian buffet tour of Pittsburgh! I am contemplating Prince of India or Peoples. We will have to wait and see.

Il Valletto

Posted by Kathryn @ 10:37 AM

Today I had a networking lunch with someone who helped me find a job here in Pittsburgh. As she had been a student at CMU but had not been around campus much recently she recommended that we check out Il Valletto on Forbes. She couldn't quite remember the name, only that some of the guys at school called it "Romantic's." Which I suppose is a fitting name from a college student's perspective. Il Valletto is right about Panther Hollow next to a vintage clothing store. I had peered in the window several times and wondered about this curiousity that combines card tables and folding chairs with white table clothes.

My friend was held up looking for a place to park, so I had a chance to peruse the menu and note the special prix fixe options for Valentines Day. While I don't think is on my romantic list, it was a good lunch option in Oakland. I had the veal and pancetta tortellini in vodka sauce with a cup of spicy white bean soup. The soup was not spicy as advertised, but had good flavor and was perfect on such a chilly day. The tortellini was generously sized, with a nice flavor, but also did not knock my socks off. So for an average italian meal at a student size price, Il Valletto's is a place to consider.

Lunch at Palomino

Posted by Kathryn @ 8:55 PM

A recent business lunch brought me to Palomino at the Gateway Center. On arrival I was surprised at how appealing the chain restaurant appeared. Despite not having reservations at a popular noon time slot, the staff graciously found us a table. While Palomino has a downtown fine dining price point, they do offer several lunch combo options that won't break the bank from $11-13.  These options include half sandwich, cup of soup, salads, and pasta. I chose the penne gorgonzola with hazelnuts and the portabella mushroom soup. In a matter of minutes the servers were back with complementary bread and marinara. Before my lunch partner and I could finish the tasty bread, the food had arrived. The staff at Palomino don't waste time, which is appreciated by a busy business diner like myself. I hope the dinner service is a bit more relaxed.

The penne gorgonzola had good flavor that was nicely complemented by the toasted nuts, but I felt it needed a fresh herb or vegetable to brighten the dish and add complexity.  Similarly the cream of mushroom was acceptable but not outstanding, it would be greatly improved by the addition of wild mushrooms.  My first experience at Palomino, definitely made me want to come back for dinner to check out if their $20+ dollar entrees have more wow factor.  The ambience and service made for a perfect and quick business lunch.

A Supposedly Fun Thing

Posted by Kathryn @ 9:41 PM

Have you ever been told by someone that you just must try something? Before moving to Pittsburgh my husband and I had been told to try Primanti Bros Sandwiches. So the second weekend we are in town, Ian and I head down Carson St. in search of brunch, while we had no luck locating a suitable brunch spot, we did see a Primanti Bros. I was hesitant since it wasn’t the original location, but I was hungry so I caved. I order the Pittsburgh Cheese “steak.” Being a newbie, I recognized that the quotations would probably lead to disappointment but the description as the “second most popular” menu item meant I had to order it. My companion ordered the pastrami. When the sandwhiches came out, the fresh Italian bread looked so promising. I quickly picked up a half of the sandwich. The cheese steak was apparently a 1/4 inch thick burger ( more like a Salisbury steak considering it looked like it had been simmering in a brown substance for a while). On top were the promised fresh cut French fries…. Slick with oil and a pale creamy color I realized there were not crunchy in the typical sense but rather under cooked under salted blah potatoes. The coleslaw was crunchy, but not particularly flavorful. Actually I would describe both sandwiches as tasteless. Soon after this incident I mention the “supposedly fun thing” to a colleague. He told me the secret. Go out with friends, drink at least 5 beers, head over to Primanti Bros about 1:00 AM and then it will hit the spot. So apparently I will have to do a revisit to Primanti Bros under the correct conditions and I will report back shortly.