Pittsburgh 2

I'm obviously behind (yet again) on blogging. But I wanted to fill you in on the rest of our Pittsburgh trip.

I thoroughly enjoyed my break, not having any schedule to follow, and lying around in a hotel room for several days.  I did venture out and explore the town we were staying in, and did a little shopping. I realize it sounds rather boring, but it was just what I needed to relax and recoup from this past semester.

On our second trip into the city we had quite the fancy dinner. Fortunately, Jesse's company covers his meals while on business, so we decided splitting the bill would be like a half-price fancy dinner, and declared it our anniversary dinner (which is next week!). We went to an amazing restaurant that resides on the top floor of an apartment building, which has a perfect view of the city. We arrived during the daylight hours and got to watch the city fall into darkness and light up in all of its glory. I love how cities look at night. It's funny how a city like Pittsburgh - decent, but not the cleanest and best looking city by day, can be so beautiful shining at night. And it's reflections off the adjacent rivers make it even prettier.

Back to the fabulous meal. Because, as you can see, we pretty much just eat good food on vacation. It's our thing. Everything was presented so beautifully, but I tried to refrain from being one of those people that photographs their food. (Although, I am that person.) I mean, I was trying to be a little more fancy than usual. So I just snuck out my phone every now. It seems to be a more accepted and inconspicuous way to capture snapshots of the yummyness before you.
We began with a trio appetizer of shrimp, crab cake, and a skewer of various fish. Then clam chowder, poured table-side into a bowl of the tiniest julienned potatoes I've ever seen. Followed by a house salad with fresh citrus dressing. Finally the entree - Hawaiin Nairagi with a mango chutney with rice and grilled bok-choy (aka - the most expensive fish I've ever consumed).

(I also ate the flower, because I could.) 

And it was on this very day that I ate the most delicious dessert I've ever had. If you know me, you know that says a LOT about this dessert. I sent a picture to a friend, and she questioned my judgement- there was no chocolate - how could this be?! Rightfully so, I told her, but it was true. This decadent dish is apparently "award winning" in this neck of the woods. It's called an Angel Food Cake Grilled Cheese. Which sounds disgusting, I agree. However, it was a "sandwich" made of angel food cake and mascarpone cheese, topped with fresh berries, sliced almonds, vanilla bean ice cream, and a swirl of raspberry sauce. I'm pretty certain the angel food cake was grilled in butter and sugar, which resulted in a nice, thin crunch with every bite.

Across from the restaurant is a lookout point, so we stopped and took in the city one last time.

We also found a local frozen custard shop nearby our hotel. We might have visited it twice during our trip.

One night we were invited to Jesse's friend's house, who he met through the company that is doing this training last time he was in PA. He grilled us steaks and let us sample his homemade wines, then required us to leave with 2 bottles. Not a bad deal.

On Saturday I drove all the way back to Alabama by myself, leaving Jesse to return behind me. It was a long trips, but fun and I was a little proud of myself by the end. And sweet friends made dinner for me upon my arrival, so it was a good day!

Things I did/learned on this trip:
- Turnpike = toll road. Be prepared with lots of change. Then pray you find a toll booth with an actual person to break your only 20-dollar bill so you can continue on your way.
- Kentucky is among the most beautiful states I've seen (plus it has a castle). Miles of green pastures with perfect white fences, horses, and lovely homes in the distance.
- West Virginia is a close second with it's lush, green mountains.
- However, you cannot hold your cellphone in WV. Thanks to one road sign and one concerned citizen who honked at me.
- I drove across the Appalachian Trial somewhere along the way.
- I drove through two mountains (tunnels) as well.  One in West Virginia, then you pop out the other side into Virginia.
- I successfully tried not to get pulled over, carrying two bottles of wine in my front seat cup holders. Not sure if that was unlawful at any point along the way...
- If you look like a cute couple, you might just get your tab picked up. Yep, that happened. A sweet couple at a local pizzeria decided to treat us to dinner one night, unexpectedly, for that very reason. We explained it was a "business meal" and they should not pay, but they insisted. Then the lady told me I had I lovely accent. :)
- I cannot survive a 11.5 hour road trip without gum, water (which leads to frequent pit stops), and Christian radio (gotta keep it positive) or NPR. And phone calls to curb the boredom.