stripping

Pittsburgh's strip district is not what it sounds like at all. It's a great place to get seafood, fresh produce, cheese, pasta, espresso. I could go on and on and never do it justice. I needed to go to Penzey's so a friend and I arranged to meet there and then have lunch. I happened to find a great parking space (and you know what a feat that is in Pittsburgh) right across from Enrico Biscotti. That seemed like a sign pointing me to where we should have lunch.

It's not an overly kid-friendly place, with just a few tightly-packed tables and no high chairs, but they were accommodating. I was trying to decide what to order that I could share with Eleanor when the waitress said they could bring her a small portion of something. That solved my dilemma nicely. Polenta for Eleanor and beans & greens for me. The beans & greens were not as good as Pino's (not enough garlic, too much with the kale) but Eleanor scarfed down lots of polenta and bread, clearly enjoying all of it. [Side note about this child and food: She loves everything. In the last few days we have found that she likes blueberries, cantaloupe, blueberry pancakes, pears. You name it, she'll eat it. Nearly 11 months old and still feeling the need to show me she is not her brother.]

Being in the neighborhood not nearly as often as I would like, I had to take advantage of the biscotti. And check out the new Pittsburgh Popcorn Company.  And have an espresso at La Prima, home to the best espresso I have ever had in the US. As much as I like what I make myself, La Prima reminds me that what makes my espresso good is that it's in my house and I can have it anytime I want without having to find a parking space. 

It was a really good little outing, even if I didn't get any seafood or cheese.