Happy Carnival!

Every spring CMU hosts their Carnival featuring rides, booths, buggy rides, and of course FOOD! And what's the best food to get a carnival/festival/amusement park? Funnel Cake! Warm, deep fried, sugary goodness.... quite simply my favorite warm weather treat.

Spring Carnival 2013

The Main Event

Burger Trio

Tonight we were a little up in the air on what to get. We stopped by a local Japanese spot but were unimpressed by their lack of variety. And oh yeah, they thought that even though I was a vegetarian I may be able to eat pork. Well after a few glances at the menu, Michelle suggested Burgatory and we were all for that. So Michelle blogged in an earlier post about her experience at the burger spot and I was excited to try it.

Burgatory 's slogan-- Helluva Burger + Heavenly Shakes.

Michelle and her Classic Chocolate Shake. Now I am not a fan of chocolate but this shake was phenomenal.

Dad's Classic Strawberry Shake. Amazing!

My Homemade Berry Lemonade. :-)

My Meal: Phat Patti's Veggie & Sea Salt and Herb Fries
Ground Cremini Mushrooms, Lentils, Cashews and cracked wheat mixed with about a million secret ingredients. Topped with Smoked Gouda, Baby Arugula, Tomato and Avocado Wasabi on a whole wheat bun.

Michelle's Meal--- Buffaloed Bison & Sea Salt and Herb Fries
Natural Bison Burger with Buffalo Cheddar Cheese, Crisp Lettuce, Red Onion and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.

Dad's Meal--- Morty's Steakhouse & Homemade sweet and russet potato chips
Peppercorn Crusted Beef Burger with Horseradish Cheddar, Haystack Onions and Cabernet Sauce. Like the greatest steak dinner you've ever had reincarnated as a burger.

I thought this place was amazing! My burger was phenomenal. If you would have told me that Pittsburgh makes a mean veggie burger, I would have thought you were crazy. But I kid you not, this was the best veggie burger I have ever had. Michelle even tried a bite and said,"That tastes like meat!" So if you are ever in Pittsburgh, definitely check this place out.

We made it to Pittsburgh!!

So we just left Ann Arbor and arrived in Pittsburgh late Thursday night. Friday morning we visited CMU, ran errands, and more importantly visited Pamela's Diner. I haven't been to Pamela's since we first moved Michelle so I happy to revisit the diner and eat their famous breakfast dishes.

I got to meet Nero, Michelle's roommate's dog. He is super cute, super tiny, and my dad's best friend.

Our table at Pamela's --- Traditional pancake, strawberry stuffed pancakes, lyonnaise potatoes, corn beef hash, eggs, and bacon.

And yes, it was as good as I remember .

Shake Shake Shakes!!

This week I am exploring the Midwest with my dad. Today finished up our stay in Ann Arbor, MI but before hopping on the Ohio Turnpike in route to Pittsburgh we made a necessary stop at Steak & Shake.

thumbs up!

My dad LOVES this place. So we stopped inside to pick up two strawberry shakes. I was tempted by the many choices but my dad convinced me to go simple and I was not disappointed.

Despite his less than emotional reaction, he is very happy with his shake.

Burgatory: Helluva Burgers + Heavenly Shakes

There's a burger joint in Pittsburgh my girls and I have been dying to try called Burgatory. The problem was every time we tried to eat there the wait was at least 90 minutes. [Insert: "Ain't nobody got time for that!!!"] Well last Friday, after a week of tests and an hour spent killing time in Barnes & Noble, we finally got to see what Burgatory was all about.

The menu

Burgatory reminds me of a Pennsylvanian version of The Counter; you have the ability to customize your burger and their shakes are phenomenal. We chose to start our night off with shakes all around. Luckily they gave you the excess in the metal shaker so we were all able to try each other's. Our table had Monkey Business (bananas foster), Campfire S'mores (complete with toasted marshmellow on top), Salted Nutella Crunch (a surprise favorite in my opinion), and the house-favorite Caramel Pretzel (my selection).

Ana's Monkey Business with whipped cream monkey face

After the shakes it was time for the main event. Although I normally am a sucker for a create-your-own burger, I opted for a buffalo burger because frankly it's pretty rare that I have the chance to enjoy one. Trust me, I do not regret that decision at all; that was easily the best burger I've had in the last 6 months.

My oh so lovely Buffaloed Bison burger with buffalo cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce, red onion, and buttermilk ranch dressing. No doggy bag needed for this baby!

Our  table... we came to grub.

I have to say, Burgatory was worth the wait. To any friends or family thinking of coming to visit, we must go here.

The Original Chili Burger

For the past few years I have spent the New Years holiday in Southern California and fortunately I was able to continue that tradition this year. Before I left Northern California my dad recommended I search out and try Tommy's Burgers. Tommy's is a Los Angeles staple renowned for its chili topped classics. When I mentioned the suggestion to Josh he was thrilled to go!

I knew I was in for an authentic chili burger after one glance at the menu. Unlike other food establishments that have "chili burgers" and "chili dogs" for example, a burger at Tommy's simply comes with chili. Yeah, it's that legit.

Josh's Double Burger

Close up of my Cheeseburger

Two simple fries... didn't want too much chili!

Burger time

Can you believe I am still going on Day 3? The nice thing about solo traveling is that you don’t have to worry about someone else. So I basically keep on going until I am drop dead tired. Finally, to finish out my day I swung by Little Big Burger. I first spotted this spot on Day 1 but was not able to stop in. It seemed like a simple burger joint with a little Portland flair.

Simple Menu

My meal: Veggie Burger with Tillamonk Cheddar & Fries
The burger was so good! There a crispy edge that I really liked.

They make their own Catsup.
It is super tasty and I think has Chili paste in it.

Welcome to the 'Burgh

I've had my first visitor!! 

                                   

Last weekend my Dad took a trip out to visit me in Pittsburgh. This was his first chance to see my apartment, neighborhood, new school, and just Pennsylvania in general. Although his stay didn't include a stop at the famous Primanti Bros., it did involve a lot of good eating... and surprisingly a fair amount of home cooking.

Friday's Lunch at Steak N' Shake

Dad's Guac Burger

My Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Burger

Dad enjoying a Strawberry Shake

Friday Night's Pre-5K Dinner:

                        

Fresh fish from Giant Eagle's Market District including

Jamaican Jerk Salmon (upper right) and 

Salmon with Bourbon Marinade (lower right)

Close up of the Jerk Salmon, my Dad's favorite

Saturday's morning race:

Sunday's Brunch at Pamela's Diner:

(aka Monique's favorite restaurant)

Sunday Night's Dinner:

                                 

Smother Pork Chops

*Soooooo Goooooood!*

Thanks for visiting! If anyone else wants to come just let me know!! :)

PA's Pamela

Today we decided to break our normal routine of Dunkin Donuts and head out for a more fulfilling breakfast. After a little research on Yelp we decided to head to Pamela's Diner, which has repeatedly been voted the best breakfast in Pittsburgh. This place was so good and had lightning fast service. Literally, it took us longer to decide on what to order than the time it took to wait for our food. I ordered stuffed strawberry hotcakes, 2 eggs, and Pamela's famous lyonnaise potatoes. Michelle ordered their famous corned beef hash with over medium eggs and Mom opted for California French toast and bacon. Everything we ordered was simply amazing. The hotcakes were unlike anything I had ever eaten. They were a crepe-pancake hybrid with crisp edges and had sour cream in the fresh strawberry filling. Simply put they were off tha hook! And the lyonnaise potatoes.. mmmm mmmm mmmm.. Just oh so good and cooked to perfection. Mom loved the French toast and Michelle was thoroughly pleased with her hash. If you love breakfast like I do then Pamela's is a definite must.

Too much of a good thing?

I dedicate this blog post to my bacon-loving mother

During my lunch breaks at work my favorite past-time is to peruse TIME Magazine's website. Ask my mom, sister, or boyfriend and they can all attest I'm always spouting off, "So I was reading TIME..." before I proceed to share a random fact or story. Today on TIME I happened to stumble upon a gem of an article about a foodie first: the first bacon burger.

A southern California restaurant called Slater's 50/50, named for its burger patties that are 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon, has done what was never done before. Its latest creation aptly named "The 'Merica Burger" (let us all picture George Bush saying 'Merica one last time) consists of,

a patty made of 100% ground bacon topped with a slice of thick cut bacon, a sunny side up egg, a slab of bacon cheddar cheese, and, of course, “bacon island” dressing .

Oh, ‘Merica.

 

Oh 'Merica indeed. I love bacon and even I am apprehensive about consuming that much bacon at once, plus an egg. No need to ask for a side of cholesterol with this meal.

Find the article here: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/07/06/presenting-the-100-bacon-hamburger/#ixzz209pPjj52