This is a follow up to my previous post about family farms and CSA's in the Pittsburgh area. It's a little late as our last allotment came at the end of November but I thought I would write a few thoughts on the experience.

First, I have never eaten so much fruit in my life. We consistently got at least two fruits every week. Strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, peaches, apples, raspberries! If you want to make sure you get plenty of fruit in your diet this is a great way to do it. You get a nice variety as the summer progresses.

I have been sitting here watching Food Network all day and have been getting this HUGE hankering for some real honest BBQ.  Does anyone know of a good, no....great, local BBQ joint?  I am talking anywhere in the Pittsburgh area.  I just want some good BBQ.  I don't care if it is ribs, chicken thighs, biscuit,  or pulled pork.  I need a fix and don't know where to find it with out firing up the barbie myself! 

To go along with my post, The Hunt for Made in America,  in believing that we should doing more locally, I have decided to attempt to eat as much as possible from local restaurants.  What do I consider local restaurants?   I am talking your one-of-a-kind greasy spoon diner, the neighborhood pizzaria,  a local watering hole, even the fancy-schmancy places on Mt.

Location(s)

I have often driven past Juliano's Restaurant & Pizzeria while traveling Route 60, and I always think, "We should try that place sometime."  Since my hubby & I have been trying to eat at local restaurants - a challenge out this way - we decided to give Juliano's a try last Thursday night.  It's a short drive from Robinson Town Center - maybe 5-7 minutes out Route 60 South (Steubenville Pike) in McKees Rocks. 

With a couple wives out of town, a few of my friends thought this would be a good weekend to try the 36 oz steak over at Jerome Bettis Grille 36.  I'm sure I don't need to explain this, but I'll do it anyways: Jerome Bettis was a running back for Pittsburgh Steelers who wore the number 36.  "The Bus", as he was known, retired in 2006 after the Steelers won the Superbowl.

The restaurants of the Big Burrito Group tend not to disappoint.  Last night, my wife and I went out for her birthday.  She loves sushi so we wanted to try Umi and the $75 "omakase," a multi-course chef's special.  Unfortunately, Umi shares a building with it's sister restaurant, Soba, and we ended up seated at the wrong establishment.  We already had drinks before we realized the mistake, so we decided to stay and try out the pan-Asian cuisine.

What is a "Week Night" restaurant?  It's the place you go on a Wednesday night when you and the wife get home late from work and don't have the energy to make dinner and don't want to break the bank while going out. (but still want great food and drink!)  It can also be the place you go on a Thursday night when you want to have a cold beer or a nice glass of wine and a bite to eat to unwind toward the end of the week.

Last Sunday, the hubby & I headed to South Hills Village for a little bit of shopping.  Yes, we live less than 10 minutes from Robinson Mall, but there are some stores we don't have here - namely Boscovs, Sephora, & the Apple Store.  After a bit of shopping, we did the usual "I don't care, where do you want to eat?" routine.  We decided we weren't in the mood for food court fare, and haven't found many non-chain restaurants in the area around South Hills Village, so we headed back toward home.  We finally agreed that we wanted to go somewhere we don't g

Since my wife and I are new to the area we actually read some of the publications that get sent to our house to find new places to try and see what opportunities there may be out there.  We browse through them while eating breakfast (you can only read the back of those cereal boxes so many times ya know) and during lunch together on the weekends. 

Last night my wife and I and another couple went to dinner at Legume in Regent Square, a relatively new French restaurant located on South Braddock.  We had been meaning to try Legume for a few months now but unfortunately they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more and the few times we had tried before we were stymied by extremely long waits. 

Is it just me or is BYOB (bring your own bottle) in Pittsburgh the best thing since sliced pumpernickel bread? I am a big wine enthusiast and while I am not a huge fan of the PLCB rules here in Pennsylvania (a topic for another day) the great selection of BYOB restaurants in Pittsburgh really is wonderful.

When I lived in Rochester, NY my wife and I loved going to this great little crepe restaurant called Simply Crepes. Nothing took the chill off a cold, snowy Rochester afternoon like a warm homemade crepe filled with ham, asparagus and Swiss cheese and topped with a tasty dill sauce.