Lifestyle • September 8, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! September Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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!

-SEPTEMBER-

This month was my choice of restaurants and it was a fun night out. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner at Tocayo, a brightly decorated Mexican restaurant in Shadyside.

We started with a tray of chips and three dips ($12) with a spicy mango margarita for Rachael ($14) and a traditional margarita for me ($12), all tasty and the drinks were nicely garnished.

Rachael ordered a drowned carnitas burrito, huge!! A flour tortilla stuffed full with tender pork, white rice, peppers and onions and doused in queso and roasted tomato salsa. ($15)

Mine was traditional steak fajitas, a very generous sized portion so we both went home with leftovers. ($18)

Then we went to AWC (Awareness and Wellness Center) on Walnut Street for a sound bath session with Monique Mead. This was my second visit, a first for Rachael. There were about a dozen people, a much larger class than my first visit. Each person lays on a big bean bag – a Yogi Bo Max – covered with a blanket and has a small bean bag eye cover. She turns the lights down low and the various sounds envelope the room, beginning with Monique playing the violin. I read her profile online and it is impressive. She is a professor at CMU and even studied under Leonard Bernstein!! The idea of the sound bath is like yoga to exercise, relax and forget the cares of the world. The Yogi Bo is ultimately comfortable and the experience is so relaxing that I fell asleep. ($35/person)

We topped off the night at Cinnaholic in East Liberty where you customize your cinnamon roll with a huge assortment of toppings.

We split the Incline with frosting, cookie dough, peanut butter cups and a chocolate drizzle. It was good, shockingly sweet and $9 for one cinnamon roll. At 8:30 PM they only served regular coffee and there was no seating. I was not a fan of the business model. It was a beautiful evening so we sat outside on the steps to enjoy our purchase with the other Cinnaholics since they offered no seating. I would only recommend going on a nice day unless you plan to take your goodies home to enjoy.

After the Sound Bath experience I came home and slept soundly.

Until next month, happy eating!

Lifestyle • August 15, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! August Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-AUGUST-

Last night was Rachael’s choice of restaurants for the month. Cornerstone in Aspinwall was the destination. It is an attractive establishment offering a lovely front covered patio and an inside bar and dining room with white tablecloths and great service.

Rachael ordered a Plane Ride ($12) with her favorite aperol, maker’s mark, agave and a luxardo cherry.

We shared a Stone burger topped with gruyère cheese, dried tomatoes and bacon onion jam ($18). It was a very thick burger served with a side of sweet potato fries.

The Mac n Cheese was tossed with pancetta, leeks, spring peas, mascarpone and Al dente orecchiette ($24). Very creamy but light on flavor.

On to Oakmont for ice cream at Brr-Kee’s, open year round. It is a popular spot!! They did not offer a huge number of flavors, but they are very reasonably priced.

I thought my espresso iced cream sandwich was presented really cute and homemade-looking in a sandwich baggie. It made me smile. Rachael had a nice hot fudge sundae topped with pecans and whipped cream.

A gentleman asked to join us at our picnic table and he had a beautiful banana split commenting that he lives in Verona and Brr-Kee’s is often his dinner!

Until next time, happy eating!

Lifestyle • July 29, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! July Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-JULY-

We were a little late for our dinner this month but it was certainly worth the wait. We went to Albero Verde in the Scott Towne Center, the former Il Burloni site. The space has been refreshed, light, and bright with much more space between tables. Anthony is the chef – very personable – and the dishes are uniquely prepared in front of the dining room.

We arrived during happy hour and ordered the pepperoni and salami Stromboli, alike to slices of Stromboli served with a red sauce and fried chicken skewers, very meaty and crispy.

The warm mushroom salad was really delicious, plated family style ($12). Always appreciated! Served with Parmesan crispies and slices of warm sautéed mushrooms.

I never order fish so for me I went out on a limb and ordered the branzino ($41). It was butterflied with prosciutto and goat cheese in the middle and topped with eggplant and asparagus. The fish was white and flaky and we ate every bite.

Dessert! We decided to stay and have dessert there instead of our usual moving on to try another place. How could we pass up a gooey baked chocolate chip cookie ($3) and funnel cake topped with the creamiest lemon gelato and candied mint? ($10) Yum!!

My favorites were the warm mushroom salad and the lemon gelato.

Albero Verde is BYOB.

Give them a try. The menu is a little different and the food is great.

Best wishes to Anthony!

Until next time…

Lifestyle • June 12, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! June Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-JUNE-

This month was Rachael’s choice. We started the evening at the Three Rivers Art Festival and it was a very warm, sunny day. We walked through the art market that was set up across the Ninth Street Bridge and along the Duquesne Boulevard. It is nice to see so many artists out displaying their talents. There were plenty of food stations set up and a nice number of picnic tables. The band was playing and it was very enjoyable to hear the steel drums.

On to the Strip District to try Balvanera, an Argentinian restaurant. The Strip was bustling with activity from an outdoor exercise class, to people riding bikes, and crowded restaurants with filled outdoor patios.

We really liked Balvanera. The servers were extremely attentive and friendly, the table was wiped between servings and fresh silverware was placed between courses. The decor was light and airy with a lot of light wood, mirrors, and big light fixtures but it was a bit loud for conversation.

Rachael enjoyed the house Malbec while we ordered several small plates and the skirt steak, served with fresh chimi, salsa criolla and roasted garlic.

For the small plates we started with Gildas ($10)—cute, fresh skewers of guindilla peppers, anchovies, onions and manzanilla olives, and the Harlow’s Caesar salad ($16).

Next we had the arancini de coliflor ($12)—cauliflower and rice croquettes with melted cheese. They were light and fried perfectly.

The steak was tender and delicious with a smokey flavor ($32). To pair, we ordered the papas frites ($10)—French fries and rueda de cordero ($16)—housemade lamb sausage served with pear chutney and herb salad.

To top off the evening, we ordered the Tarta de Chocolate, a rich chocolate ganache served with whipped creme fraiche. It was decadent and served with a rich cup of coffee. Everything was very fresh and well seasoned. Give it a try, we enjoyed Balvanera!

Until next time, happy eating!

Lifestyle • May 14, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! May Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-MAY-

What a fun night. It was my pick for May. We kept dinner quick and simple since we had show tickets. We started at the Lawrence Food Hall on Butler Street in Lawrenceville. It is the same concept as the Federal Galley with a great bar, four restaurants and Leona’s ice cream. The space is great, open, multi-level and could be a nice place to watch sports. You can order at each restaurant spot using a QR code and pick up, or you can use the QR code at your table and they deliver your food.

We ordered corn bread and placed an order at Toma – arancini ($13), a huge piece of focaccia Margarita pizza ($8) and polenta with 4 small meatballs ($25).

The arancini was crispy on the outside with rice and melted cheese on the inside.

The pizza was delicious.

For the price, the polenta and meatballs were a very small portion and was on the bland side.

Leona’s serves scooped ice cream, ice cream sandwiches and pints. If you are looking for a relaxing place to meet in that area, stop by but look for the sign “LH”.

Then we went to the West End to see the Gargaro Production of Million $ Quartet. It was exhilarating. Every one of them knocked themselves out and the performance was outstanding. Jerry Lee Lewis was talented and nailed the role. I’ve never seen a bass player use his instrument like that. We were smiling long after the show. Great time!!

Until next time, happy eating!

Lifestyle • April 11, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! April Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-APRIL-

Tonight was our monthly dinner adventure and it was Rachael’s choice of restaurants. We started at Barcelona on Penn Avenue, Downtown. They did a great renovation on the space with a nice bar area and dining room but we heard several comments that the music was a bit loud.

Rachael ordered a red wine flight and asked the bartender to choose the wines. Their wine list is extensive with over 400 varieties.

They serve tapas style, small plates, so we had dates wrapped in bacon ($8.5), focaccia ($3),

asparagus ($8),

marinated beet salad with pistachios ($7.5)

and paella salvaje with chicken, short ribs, house made sausage and chickpeas ($28).

Everything was served quickly and was plentiful and fresh. We both anticipated the paella to be more flavorful with fresh herbs.

We walked up Strawberry Way to Sullivan’s Steakhouse in the Steel Building. I had not heard rave reviews and it lived up to its unfortunate reputation. We ordered chocolate cake with raspberry sauce ($15) and a peanut butter pie ($14) that sounded fabulous in the description. We waited over 30 minutes and the place was empty. The server said the peanut butter pie would be made to order so it would be a while.

First, she delivered the mediocre chocolate cake.

After another 10 minutes, a waiter delivered the peanut butter pie saying the first one had been dumped and a new one had to be made, sorry for the delay.

It was hard, looked like some frozen peanut butter ice cream topped with whipped cream. This is a definite ‘no need to go back’.

As always we enjoyed our evening out. Until next time, happy eating!

Lifestyle • March 22, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! March Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-MARCH-

Tonight we enjoyed our monthly dinner a few days early and it was my choice of restaurants. I did a mediocre job at best. We started at the Sewickley Speakeasy on the Ohio River Boulevard. I have driven by the sign for many years and have wondered what was hidden up that driveway. The building is over 100 years old and the exterior and the interior looked and felt very old.

Our waitress, Jesse, was very prompt and helpful and shared her experience with the cat painting saying that the eyes follow you. So of course Rachael and I both had to walk past and give it a try. And…yes, they do!

We tried the evening special appetizer, creamy baked artichoke bacon cheese spread served with buttered toasted bread. It was very tasty.

The meals were served with a plain iceberg salad and rolls for starters.

Rachael ordered shrimp scampi ($25.95) and I ordered the veal parmigiana ($33.95) both accompanied with a side of pasta. The meals were served hot but were lacking in flavor.

From the dining room you have a view of the barges and boats on the Ohio River.

Then we went to Janie’s Hard Ice Cream in Coraopolis, a small shop serving Perry’s ice cream. Can you take a guess at what flavors we picked?

It was a nice evening out.

Until next time, happy eating!

Lifestyle • January 16, 2024

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! January Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-JANUARY-

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2024. Last night we kicked off the year with my choices: the 404 in Bethel Park and Maggie’s Farm Rum in Upper Saint Clair.

The 404. Interesting! The decor of the restaurant was very warm and inviting, showcasing a beautiful black wall with a mural of peonies in pinks and whites with the theme carried through to the menus and the fresh flowers on each table.

We had very nice, attentive server and were welcomed with fresh bread and a delicious pesto garlic dipping sauce.

We shared the arancini ($16) and beans and greens with Italian sausage ($14) – generous portions. The arancini were large and had pistachio and prosciutto served in a marinara sauce but the centers were cold, and unfortunate that the cheese had not melted. The greens and beans had hot banana peppers giving the dish an odd flavor.

All dishes were presented well and between courses we were given fresh silverware and received a dish of lemon sorbet to cleanse the pallet. Nice touch.

Our entree sounded great, eggplant bolognese gnocchi topped with fresh burrata ($42). Once again, lacking in flavor. They have everything right but for us the food was a bit off.

On to the recently opened Maggie’s Farm Rum Distillery and Restaurant in Upper St. Clair. The distillery is on the ground level and the restaurant is upstairs. It is a very large space with a big bar. We had nice service.

I had a yummy coconut pineapple rum concoction. Rachael ordered a Zombie, served in a tiki glass, garnished with pineapple, a cherry and an umbrella. Strong! It was fun to be out on a cold winter night.

Until next time, happy eating!

Lifestyle • December 16, 2023

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! December Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-DECEMBER-

Tonight was Rachael’s pick and she knocked it out of the park! I can hardly believe that we have not heard rave reviews about Martorano’s Prime Italian American Steakhouse in the Rivers Casino and that it only has a 3.1 star rating. After Rachael’s last double dud month, I had to remind her, she really redeemed herself 😊! As we entered we both smiled at the Statue of the Blessed Mother. The restaurant decor is rich with dim lighting and comfortable seating and a very nice bar area overlooking the river.

We ordered my favorite, Kahlua and cream and Rachael an Amalfi kiss made with a thick nectar.

Immediately we were served a thick piece of crusty bread and dipping oils and olives.

Our appetizer was an eggplant stack ($23). It was lightly fried eggplant, tomato, homemade mozzarella, arugula served with balsamic, olive oil and Parmigiana topped with microgreens. Easily enough for a light dinner.

We shared everything and ordered two entrees, the pasta bolognese of the day ($34), an al dente mafalda noodle with an oxtail ragu that was scrumptious and chicken parm ($34), a huge serving with a side of gnocchi in a rich white cream sauce ($16). We were oohing and ahhing with each bite and brought plenty home to share for another meal. Very generous portions.

The service is excellent, serving each dish, clearing plates, replenishing drinks and bringing new silverware with each course. Big debate…do we have dessert? Of course.

We shared a very chocolatey slice of chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Every bite of our dinner was delicious. I would definitely go back. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed! And….of course we gambled a little before and a little after dinner. We both left as losers but with happy bellies.

Until next month, happy eating!

Lifestyle • November 8, 2023

Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! November Issue!

by Suzanne Lorenzi Sala

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.

-NOVEMBER-

We decided to do our monthly dinner a few days early since we had tickets to see Pink Martini. It was my pick and I decided to keep it Downtown so we kicked off the evening with cocktails at the Rebel Room in the Industrialist Hotel.

It is a very pretty place. Rachael enjoyed an Aperol spritz and I ordered my favorite, a Kahlua and Cream. The waitress said no Kahlua!!! — darn– so I had to change to a Prosecco. We cheered and enjoyed our conversation and surroundings as the sad faces of the Steeler fans came in after a Steeler loss to the Jaguars 20-10.

Then we headed to PPG2 to the new Alta Via location in Market Square.

We started with the burrata served with cherry tomatoes, arugula, added prosciutto and grilled focaccia. ($18)

We shared a half order of the Gerber Farms chicken plated with crispy parmesan potatoes and roasted leeks. ($29) It was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.

We ordered a full portion of the Pappardelle with a beef short rib sugo, topped with ricotta. ($37) It was not as robust as we were hoping and the short rib was chunky, not flaked.

On to dessert.

We shared a very small creme brulee ($12) and delicious decaffeinated coffee.

The service was attentive, we received clean silverware with each course and had plenty of leftovers. Overall it did not meet the expectations of the Big Burrito reputation we are accustomed to.

On to next month, happy eating!!

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