In my town, I have discovered there to be a very distinct line. In the East End, there are numerous local dining and shopping establishments (I'm all about supporting the little guy) that can be defined, among other things, as "cute and quaint." In the West End, generally speaking, there are very few things that fit into this category. There are definitely some (and, to be fair, there are plenty of things in the South Hills that I haven't yet visited), but it seems that there are so many more on the other side of town. Maybe it's just that they're condensed into a small area.
Nevertheless, today I happened upon a fun new place that fits the bill: Zoe's Herbs and Teas, right smack dab in the West End Circle. I walked in to find lots of locally-made pottery, homemade biscotti in both sweet and savory varieties, and a number of other treats for all the senses. Then, I went to the back of the store to choose a tea--it is available as an immediate beverage or just in loose tea form--and was overwhelmed by my choices. Then, when I asked about one, I was excited to be presented with the tea, allowed the opportunity to sniff the loose "stuff", and given a full rundown. Also, I drank some--delightful. It was called Firefly Chai, and it is most distinctly different from other chai teas because it is made with red tea, rather than black. It was yummy. Add to that a slice of freshly-baked from scratch blueberry bread with a few walnuts and pumpkin seeds thrown in for an added bonus, and I was sold. Plus, it was only $2.50 for the whole kit (and kaboodle!) Additionally, it's directly across the street from one branch of the Carnegie library system, which means that I can totally justify going there after a morning of book-reading with El Kiddo. Three cheers for efficiency!
Speaking of hidden treasures and things in this quaint city that are exciting, here's an (abridged) list of places that I would like to try (or, try again, in a few cases):
Abay
Casbah
Harris Grill
New Chop Sticks
Palomino
The Carlton
Capital Grille
Mallorca
Le Pommier
Azteca
Cuzamil
Grand Concourse
The Elbow Room
Spice Island Tea House
India Garden
Walnut Grill
Le Mont
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto
The Tin Angel
Um, I am going to need a lot of people to volunteer to take me out to dinner if I'm ever going to get to some of these places. They don't all exactly fall under either the "inexpensive" or "family friendly" categories. And, there are about 20 more that I know of, but can't remember their names (like the creperie in Shadyside. I must get back there. And soon.)
I'm still not a fan of the athletics in this town, but I can get on board with pretty much everything else.
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I will gladly accompany you to any of these establishments...minus the kids of course!
ReplyDeleteI have been to none of those places. Pick me, Pick me!
ReplyDeleteWow. I've actually been to quite a few of those and all were good except Le Mont which was way overrates, had terrible service and in no way justified the absolutely ridiculous price tags on the menu.
ReplyDeleteWhich crepe place are you thinking of? There's one in Shadyside proper and a new French bistro on Penn Circle in East Lib. that's phenomenal. Paris 66. Go immediately. Ellie loved it too, incidentally.