Pixburgh

Sunrise over the Monongahela 6:55AM.

Pittsburgh is a photogenic city. I live on Mt. Washington, overlooking the downtown skyline, Point Park and a panoramic view of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers. I've been up here for most of the past decade. I could live somewhere with a bigger yard, maybe quieter, or near hipper places to eat. I have, and it was not for me. I love my view and I love being close to just about everything.

You might not know about the business district on Shiloh Street. There's a nice bar and grill, a hot dog joint, a new bakery and liquor store, among many other things. I wouldn't get the Chinese on Shiloh though; it's the worst food I've had anywhere. Ever.

If you haven't been to Pittsburgh recently, I suggest visiting if you have a chance. You will be pleasantly surprised by how much Pittsburgh has grown and matured while remaining true to its character.

Smallman Street in the Strip District from the Terminal Building.

If you have some photos of Pittsburgh to share, email them to me and I will post them here and give you credit. burghgourmand@gmail.com

9AM a few days later.

Some iconic KIDS grafitti. Looking South to the city along the Allegheny River from the Strip District.

Clemente Bridge. February 25, 7:40AM.

Smallman Street, February 25. 7:45AM.

Crossing the 16th Street Bridge to the North Side in the rain. Heinz plant in the background.

Just look at this f*cking hamburger. Did you expect there not to be food? Winghart's, Market Square.

Paris Memories

Paris sunset over wine by near the Palais Royal.

Paris is in my thoughts a lot recently. Not so much because I miss the city, but because I miss the friends I met there, and the people I love who've shared the city with me. Some of them I can talk to or email, some would not want to, and others I have no clue how to reach.

A sandwich I made often--thin Basque ham, brie, honey soaked apricot on sliced boule.

Hemingway said: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." This is not hyperbole or fetish. Paris is a feast for the senses and the spirit. One is nourished twice; once there and then through enduring memories of everything. The food, the friends, the art and architecture, the conversations of life in other lands, politics, philosophy...too many rich experiences to collect into one sentence.

Sacre Couer

So I will have to go by memory and pictures. I can close my eyes and taste the honey soaked apricots and baguette that I shared with friends for breakfast in front of an alley cafe near the Seine. I can ruminate on hints of musty ripened cheeses on display at the outdoor markets where I shopped each week. Often I've been downtown and felt the same feeling of being alone in an empty metro station late at night; mechanical clanking sounds in the distance and dirty air breezing through the tunnels as the last trains of the night glided past. I remember informal gatherings of friends and strangers for conversation on the street near St. Michel or outside Shakespeare & Co. at dusk. My heart is filled with the lifelong friendships I formed with others there, searching as I, to feast on Paris.

From inside the Musee D'Orsay looking onto the Sacre Coeur on the hill of Montmartre (left).

This may sound like so much pomp, and it is perhaps in the grand scheme of things. I am a writer and I consider many more things than food. But food is sometimes where it all starts. Food is essential. Food is a counterpoint to living as well as a necessity to sustain life.


I also wrote about my time in the city of lights here.

Montmartre

Tuileries

A good place to eat: the Seine just near the Louvre.

A particular view from Montmartre.

Luxembourg Gardens

Pere Lachaise Cemetery, 2002. There was a young girl being buried up this hill.

Recent eats

Pho at Vietnam's Pho on Penn Ave. mmm pho.

I've been taking a break from the blog lately. I'm still eating though. Here are some photos from my new camera, to keep you abreast of my recent exploits.

Firstly, Killian's Pub on 531 Freeport Rd., Creighton, PA (724)226-8111
Great ribs, wonderful hosts, and special place overall:

A rack of amazing ribs at Killian's, not to mention their delicious home fries.

Chris' chicken sandwich and a heap of home fries at Killian's.

Chef Shawn, manning the charcoal grill at Killian's.

The couple behind the food: Shawn & Dawn. Thank you two.

Some food I cooked at home:

Eggs, pancetta, spinach, crimini mushroom & grilled toast.

Two chicken breasts, stuffed and searing in the pan.

Chicken w/ goat Brie, asparagus & white asparagus shallot puree.

Crab cakes & asparagus. White asparagus puree, roasted red pepper puree & crispy pancetta.

The most amazing cheesecake ever:

An amazing cheesecake at my friend Jeff's.
His blog can be found here: www.culinaryphilosopher.com

Where you should be eating, right now: 

An amazing $19 chicken entree from Salt of the Earth. Best meal I've eaten out, in recent memory.

And back out again to eat:

Kway Teow noodles w/ Chinese sausage & shrimp last night at Spice Island on Atwood.

Enrico Biscotti in the Strip on Penn Avenue.

Those nice biscotti w/ coffee & cream in front of a snowy window at my house.

Rainy day Pittsburgh, Thursday 3/10/11.