Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! February/March Issue!

There are 3 rules to the game:

1) Every month one person picks the places to dine.

2) No one in the group could have eaten there before.

3) Everyone splits the bill.

Follow me on this journey of tasting new things and learning more about the city I love! Feel free to use this game with your own family or friends and share below the amazing places you find throughout your travels!

-FEBRUARY-

Our February monthly dinner was Rachael’s pick, and it took place on a truly freezing evening. Sadly, this was not one of her finest choices (sorry, Rachael!).

Our first stop was Kiin Lao & Thai Eatery in Squirrel Hill, located in the former Bangkok Balcony space near Little’s Shoes. We ordered spring rolls ($4), grilled pork shoulder with sticky rice ($16), tamarind spare ribs ($15), and garlic noodles with fried chicken ($18).

I’ll keep this short: the spring rolls were crispy and the tamarind spare ribs were tender and flavorful, but the fried chicken was unfortunately very dry. On a brighter note, we really enjoyed the colorful hand‑painted murals and decorative details throughout the restaurant.

Next, we headed to Shibam Coffee on Centre Avenue in Oakland. The shop was bright and inviting, filled with students working away on their laptops. I ordered an Americano and a cherry‑filled Danish. While the coffee was a bit weak for my taste, the Danish was fresh and very good. Rachael, on the other hand, loved her selections. She enjoyed a Shibam latte flavored with cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger, along with the cutest pistachio basbousa—a vibrant green cake topped with frosting, crushed pistachios, and delicate fresh flower petals.

Shibam wrapped up the evening on a sweet and satisfying note.

-MARCH-

This month was Suzanne’s choice of restaurants and it was a trifecta!! We were off on a dreary, rainy evening to the Strip District.

Sea Monkey is a DeShantz restaurant adjacent to Coop de Ville with a fun, high energy atmosphere, craft cocktails and a light menu. The bartender concocted me a tooty fruity drink and Rachael enjoyed the Spritz de Madrid, a red sangria.

We enjoyed the Mezze Sampler ($28) and their house made pita bread is fresh and delicious. The floor space is open, they have a variety of conversation seating areas, underwater ocean videos playing and every evening there is a DJ. Nice attentive bartenders, a chef table and lively music.

Always a sucker for a pinball machine, we stopped in Coop de Ville for a game of Creature from the Black Lagoon and Rachael crushed me!

Next stop the Nova Food Hall in the Terminal Building. It is a very casual Asian food hall with bright lights and speedy service.

Rachael placed her order at Teachana for the Tonkotsu Ramen with pork ($15.99). It was a generous portion, served piping hot and was really flavorful. I went with Korea Garden and tried the Bulgogi with beef ($20). Really good. We both had enough left overs for another meal.

Off for dessert at Whisper, a small place on Penn Avenue, Downtown. They serve an extensive wine list, small plates and dessert. Nice but needs something!!

We ordered Midnight Dream, a flourless chocolate cake and Pillow Talk, lemon ricotta donuts. Both were fresh and were nicely plated. The decaf coffee was STRONG but both of us did sleep!

Until next time, happy eating!