Year: 2020

Mercurio’s Review – Italian Wood Fired Pizza and Gelato Done Right

It is hard to beat a good Italian pizza made in a wood fired oven. For the longest time we had heard Mercurio's is the place to be to try out this particular pizza style, but never quite made it out to Shadyside or Fox Chapel to give them a try.

If this intro sounds familiar, you can imagine what comes next. We regret waiting this long.

Mercurio's checked a lot of boxes for us for a good wood fired pizza, namely being well cooked, well priced, and focusing on classic Italian toppings (over some of the more unique counterparts you see at other pizza shops in the city). If these are things you seek out when enjoying a pizza, you really need to check this one out. 

Just be sure to save room when you do visit, as the gelato bar is also a must-try as well!

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Kimpton Hotel Monaco Review – Modern Comforts Downtown

The Kimpton Hotel Monaco in downtown Pittsburgh is often considered to be one of the best value options in the city, but it wasn't until we stayed overnight that we started to understand why that is.

Yes, this one has relatively affordable rooms downtown, but it also backs it up with a high quality stay all around. So after visiting this one for a weekend stay, well, call us fans!

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Big Rig’s BBQ Review – Tender Meats in Monroeville

We regularly get reader recommendations on where to go next. We try and go to all of them, but with the number of places we still have to visit it is hard to prioritize everything. When we hear the same recommendations over and over again, we know we have to hit those immediately, and Big Rig's BBQ in Monroeville was one such recommendation.

This barbecue spot opened in late 2019 and is making waves within the local community, so much so that we went to check it out just a few days after receiving the (admittedly large number of) recommendations to do so.

A few days was too long of a wait for this one.

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Omni William Penn Hotel Review – A Historical Ambiance

I was eagerly anticipating my visit to the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh as this historic hotel is perhaps the most iconic of any in the city. One step in the lobby and you feel transported to a different time.

But sadly, this does not translate over into the room nearly as much, and I have to say- I was fairly let down from my stay here.

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Pierogies Plus Review – Fresh and Frozen Pierogies to Go in McKees Rocks

For many years we heard the renown of Pierogies Plus in McKees Rocks, and we were itching to get out there to enjoy some Eastern European cuisine that has become ingrained in the Pittsburgh diet.

While the food here is cheap and in impressive portion sizes as well, I have to say, something about my meal was a bit off.

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Food Truck-a-Palooza – Pittsburgh’s Largest Food Truck Rally

We're always on the lookout for the best Pittsburgh food truck rallies, and we have to admit that our options for roundups of local food trucks are few and far between.

When they happen, they're often quite small. And when they're free, they often are too crowded or the trucks sell out of food in record time.

So it was with great excitement that we went out to the Monroeville Convention Center one Saturday in winter in order to check out the annual Food Truck-a-Palooza event- the largest food truck rally we've been to yet!

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Maiku Sushi Review – A Hidden Vietnamese Gem in the Strip

Generally when walking through the Strip District, if we pass by one of our favorite restaurants, odds are good we go inside and order something. Over the years, this has meant we missed a few hidden gems located right next door as our craving for something we knew overtook our desire to find something new.

Maiku Sushi is one of those places, as its location next to some of our favorite restaurants made it hard for us to go in. As it turns out, this was a mistake. After trying the Vietnamese food here we have to say it is pretty delicious and worth your visit!

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