Under a Red Roof

Road Trip: Louisville I

March 18, 2015 in Drinking, Eating, Traveling by Colleen | Permalink

Belated Greetings from the 502! I had every intention of posting yesterday but got caught in a whirlwind of errand after errand and a super fun St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Life is good!

The fact that the Louisville area code is one digit away from Portland’s 503 seems to be more than an interesting coincidence, as they have a very sisterly feel to them: open, friendly, creative, lovely river cities, of which, if you haven’t noticed, I am a rather big fan.

This is Butchertown in NuLu, our most excellent home away from home, with that top photo our abode, a 125 year old building on Main Street. Take a look at those giant doors; the ceilings were twelve feet high. We walked and walked under mostly sunny skies, the rains only coming in earnest, with a most spectacular downpour, on our way to our next destination in Indiana. Heaven!

We ate and drank v e r y well, with bourbon of some sort at nearly every meal. One place put it over pancakes(!), most others by the glass. The jelly jar was a bourbon slushie, a.k.a. the best adult version of a kids drink EVER. Our favorite restaurants were Rye and Feast, with Rye having the most creative and delicious menu we’ve seen since leaving Portland (sorry, Pittsburgh! We’re still looking!). Those are the best rolls I’ve ever had the good fortune to eat, soft, buttery, wow. And that kind of wild looking mess with meringue? A banana crepe! A m a z i n g. Feast was crazy good barbeque and the home of the yummy slushie. It is wonderful to be spoiled by marvelous food and service, peeps. Indeedy.

The neighborhood is super cool, dare I say hip, and full of shopping (check out Why Louisville) and fun; Colonel Sanders and Abe Lincoln photo opportunities, squee-ee; an alley called Billy Goat Strut. Then there are the aforementioned eateries and really great architecture! My goodness, I love beautiful buildings. Oh, and murals and iron work! Choice examples lined the streets. It all makes me so happy. I want exclamation points everywhere! Then to see little bits of history, like the Thomas Edison brick house, and the world feels a bit smaller and more personal. I’m here, and he was here, and think of all we can be and do. It makes a body grateful for the privilege of travel.

More of Louisville on Friday, I hope!

Tags: Traveling

Road Trip: West Virginia & Lexington, Kentucky

March 16, 2015 in Drinking, Eating, Exploring, Traveling by Colleen | Permalink

Wild and wonderful West Virginia fog. I love the way it whispers and hugs the landscape. We could not have asked for better weather on the first leg of our inaugural Pittsburgh based road trip. We left in darkness to beat the traffic, and boy, did we! There was hardly a soul on the road. I still can’t believe my dumb luck to be born in this great nation, with beauty at every turn.

Lexington is a fun town, with much to admire and try. The Parkette has been on my list for some time, mostly because of that fabulous neon sign, though I was terribly sad not to see it in full regalia. In the sci-fi future of my mind, travelers will have the ability to see monuments just as they like, no matter the hour. Sunset? Yup! Bright neon? You got it! Without utility poles and wires? No problem! Anyhoo, the fried chicken, according to the hubster, is good, but not #1 in his book. He likes super duper extra crispy, and this wasn’t that. I can’t fault the man for knowing what he likes. I was charmed by the friendly and fast service, y’all. I must admit that I never imagined Kentucky would sound sooo Southern. Just look at it on the map, the way it skirts that center line.

Being westerners with few original reminders of just how old our relatively young nation is, the hubster and I find ourselves reeling at buildings well over the century mark, with the majority pictured in that category. This last one is also quite historical, being the home where Mary Todd Lincoln was born. Hello Abraham, let’s go back to my house… There’s another of her family homes a couple of blocks away, but, rather sadly, I could not get a decent photo without a garbage can in it, which seemed terribly unseemly, so you will not see it here. I’m sure Mary would approve.

Tomorrow, Louisville!

Tags: Traveling

Hello March!

March 2, 2015 in Eating, Exploring by Colleen | Permalink

The hubster and I are not at all religious, deeply spiritual, absolutely, yes, yes, yes. Coming from Portland, it was rare to encounter anyone overtly religious, but here in Pittsburgh we are blessed by God and passersby for offering a kindly hello, told by locals not to worry about getting lost as long as we know the way to church and the supermarket, utterly surprised to see Giant Eagle television commercials boasting low-low prices on Lenten favorites and entire web pages dedicated to Friday Fish Fry guides. It is a different world, friends. Being of the adventurous, open-hearted, and open-minded ilk, we are rolling with it. When in Rome, right?

So, we walked in the frigid gleam of sunset (past our beloved Bayne Library!) to the Assumption Catholic Church Fish Fry, descended into the bright basement, positively heady with the scent of fish, fried and baked, and were greeted and served by adorably nervous and charming middle schoolers. New to the business, I must admit that we didn’t have very high hopes. Much to our surprise, everything was tasty and very generously portioned. Never in my life have I seen a fish filet so large on a sandwich! The best bit, however, had to be the sweet service. Several adorable kids brought us food and beverages, but our favorite most definitely awaits an illustrious career in the service industry, enquiring, “Is everything to your liking?” And, “Are you satisfied with your meal?” As well as, “Please don’t forget about our delicious desserts!” Such fun, we’ll definitely be back!

The Bellevue Police Department, Mayberry is jealous, I’m sure.

Waffle and Fried Chicken Sandwich at Social. Yum…

Brrr…

Guacamole and apple-grapefruit-strawberry-ginger smoothies, the dinner of champions!

Fire Roasted Veggie Wrap and Pulled Pork Sandwich at B Gourmet in Sewickley. Zehr gut!

…

A fine hello to March, don’t you think?

Tags: Bellevue, Pittsburgh

The Bedroom and Other Stories

February 16, 2015 in Admiring, Cooking + Baking, Decorating, Drinking, Eating, Gardening + Nature by Colleen | Permalink

Our bedroom looks east, and when there is sunshine, either blessedly clear or like the photo, striving to burn a frothy layer of clouds, it fills our eyes upon waking. We are enjoying having a very pared down space, with precious little art (my favorite Goodwill find of the sea!), a few trinkets, and all new furniture from Room & Board. It’s called Calvin and was made in Oregon, of all places. The ties that bind. The wall color is a pale and icy blue, and while we are most definitely in need of a new layer of paint, the shade will remain the same.

The heavens had a riotous pillow fight and the feathers fell as snow. We bundled and braved below zero wind chill to walk to the library and market in the bright white of it, dropping off movies that were too terrible to mention, buying an onion, a jar of pickles, and a 9-volt battery. It is a bummer to be awakened by a chirping fire alarm. It really is.

The onion was for green chile (recipe here – it’s been a while, Paris in the sweet hereafter, me a Pittsburgher, and the Powell Food 4 Less long gone!). This was definitely one of the best batches EVER. I made pinto beans and margaritas, too. The hubster made guacamole. Everything was marvelous and gave our cheeks a rosy-pink glow.

The Weekend that Was

February 9, 2015 in Drinking, Eating, Exploring, Loving by Colleen | Permalink

Boy howdy, was it ever good to feel the sadness of December and January finally lift. So many tears, dear readers, so very many. We celebrated our surfeit of joy by making more, of course, with a stellar weekend of adventure and fun, starting at The Double Wide Friday night. They have TV Dinners! Compartmentalized food rocks! Grits! Portobello mushrooms! Brisket! Sweet potato fries! Shoestring fries! Cornbread! Coleslaw! Eeeek!

Surf Pittsburgh? Maybe I will.

This chest was made in 1760!

An afternoon at The Frick. A scrumptious lunch at the cafe, beautiful art, and positively heady conservatory air. Happiness!

Jason Walker

Elisabeth Higgins O’Connor

Finished the day in The Strip District, with stops at Wigle (pronounced like wiggle) for Sassafras Whiskey and aromatic bitters (organic and delicious), Italian provisions at Penn Mac, and marvelous art at Contemporary Craft. No chemicals were purchased in the making of this last photograph.