Pittsburgh- A Weekend of Food

It's been a week since I moved into my dorm, and the first week of life in Pittsburgh has brought quite a few exciting foods.

During the week, CMU provided basically all of our meals. This was nice and everything, but having to stand in line with 1,400 other people at every meal got kind of old kind of fast.

So on our first morning of freedom (Saturday), a group of us went to a Pittsburgh favorite- Pamela's.

I think I've probably written about Pamela's before (see a previous post from June) but it's so good that I  feel totally justified in writing about it again.

While my favorite is their Strawberry hotcakes, I decided to go for something different this time.

Their special of the day was a Caramel Apple hotcake. Sounds very fall-ish, right? I thought so, and I was kind of in the mood for something different.

So when the waitress recommended the special, I knew I was in for a treat.

These were so delicious! First, Pamela's pancakes are pretty much the most wonderful creation ever. They're thin and kind of spongy and just really awesome. The Caramel Apple ones were filled with a sort of apple-pie-filling apple. (So it was all cinnamon and sugary and sweet!) They also had a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of walnuts.

It was like biting into an autumnal heaven! Think brisk weather and clear blue skies. It was so good. And it was nice to be able to bring some of my new friends to one of my favorite Pittsburgh places. (And one that will hopefully become one of their favorites, too!)

The next day (though it seems like it was months later) I went to lunch with a friend of mine who's a year ahead of me at CMU. 

We went to a little crepe place that was just a short walk from school. Although it looked tiny on the outside, it turned out to be rather spacious- and rather busy- on the inside. 

Joining the line, we perused the menu. They offered a whole host of crepes, paninis, coffees, and other light fare. But I've learned that when you go to a crepe place, you should probably get a crepe, so that's exactly what I did. 

Although I LOVE a Nutella and Banana crepe, I thought I'd step out of my box and try something different. New school year, new foods, right? 

I present to you... the Banana and Brown Sugar Crepe! (Topped with whipped cream and walnuts.)

This was SO GOOD!!! There's something really awesome about using brown sugar in things. Pamela's uses it in their Strawberry pancakes, which is why I knew I'd like it in the crepe. It's just so sweet and a little crunchy and just plain perfection! 

The consistency of the crepe itself was a little unusual. I mean, it was a thicker batter than what I'm used to, but it didn't negatively impact my opinion of the crepe itself. Actually, it was helpful in that it prevented all of the crepe filling from gushing out everywhere, but it was different enough that I found the need to mention it here. 

My friend ordered the Nutella and Banana crepe, which she really enjoyed as well. And her boyfriend had a panini. (Sorry about the lack of picture on this one.) They approved of both the crepe and panini, so you'll have to take their word for it.

Nutella + Banana = Yum

So if you ever are in Pittsburgh and would like a crepe, I'd definitely recommend going to this place on South Craig Street. 

That afternoon, a few of my friends and I went to the local Whole Foods. I have loved Whole Foods since the very first time I tasted their mac and cheese in the Time Warner Building in New York City. It was truly love at first bite. (See a post from December for more words on my obsession with that mac and cheese.)

I had been wanting to go to the Whole Foods for a while because I really needed breakfast foods, and wanted to stock up before classes started. I mean, I guess I could have gone to another grocery store, but I had my heart set on Whole Foods.

Thankfully, a few of my friends agreed to come with me. Thus, we set out on a mission. Have you ever used google maps on an iPhone? I'm more of a Mapquest girl myself, but I had my phone and it was going to tell us which bus route to take, so I thought, why not? 

After walking about 10 minutes, we realized that we'd just crossed over the street on which we needed to catch the bus, so we turned around and headed back in the right direction.

Then came the tricky task of figuring out which side of the street to stand on. Once we'd found the spot, we stood for a while. We kept standing. My phone claimed that the bus had come and gone. It had not. So Su (one of the girls I was with) asked a nice couple carrying grocery bags how to get to the Whole Foods. They explained that the busses only come about once every hour on the weekends (so convenient...not) but that it was a nice walk. 

Kaytie, Su, and I were all up for the walk, so we decided to forget about the bus and just make an adventure out of it. The evening was really pleasant anyway, so it was fine.

About 10 minutes into our walk, we did see a bus speed by (perhaps the one we would have taken), but we were already well on our way.

After crossing a magical bridge, we walked down a flight of stairs and arrived at our destination!

Magical Bridge

The grocery store was busy with normal Pittsburg-ians filling their carts for the week. It was surprisingly refreshing to be surrounded by normal people. (And by normal I mean not college students. Not that college students aren't normal, but, well, you get what I mean....) 

Anyway, we filled up our plates and headed to the checkout so we wouldn't be famished as we shopped for groceries. 

The first thing I did was go straight for the mac and cheese. Theirs was a little different from the Whole Foods mac I'm used to in NYC, (maybe a little more peppery than what I'm used to) but it was still scrumptious! I also got coconut veggies and beans and rice. Both of which were really good. And for my drink, a yerba mate passion tea that was highly recommended by Kaytie. The tea was really refreshing with a hint of sweetness- definitely a good call. 

One of my favorite things about Whole Foods is the amount of variety they have. The three of us were all able to choose very different cuisines without having to go to 10 different places. It was very convenient and very tasty.

We sat outside, enjoying the perfect weather as we ate. I think I might have mentioned my love of outdoor eating before, so you can imagine that I was in my element. 

Once we were finished, we headed inside to shop for a few essentials. Or, in my case, yogurt. Here's a quick overview of what I bought. Mind you, this is a small sample I set up for visual purposes.

Not pictured: a loaf of whole wheat bread and granola.

So, you can see a whole host of yogurts. Shout out to my mom who would love the fact that I was able to find grapefruit yogurt! (It was her favorite in Poland.) I also purchased some chocolate milk. (A personal favorite of mine...plus it came in a refillable glass bottle- cool, right?!?!) And in the back, peeking over the stack of yogurts are two containers of fruit. As a side note, please ignore the towels to the right of the picture. I just did laundry and still need to fold them.....

Here's a look at my breakfast this morning.

The peach did not come from Whole Foods, but the other fruit and yogurt did. I actually acquired the peach yesterday in a swap with one of the girls on my floor. I had an orange from my breakfast block, but I don't really like oranges. She had a lot of peaches that she brought with her and isn't eating them, but she loves oranges. So, I traded my orange for her peach and everyone was happy! And this is how friendships are formed....

Peaches are my FAVORITE, so I was super excited to bite into it. I gripped the peach, momentarily wondering if it was okay to eat the skin or not (what?! it had been a while since I'd eaten any....). Once my roommate assured me that peach skin is completely safe, I took a big bite. 

As soon as my teeth pierced the flesh, peach juice spurted out everywhere. (Sorry for the graphic detail.) Panicked, I reached for my trashcan so I could hover over it and avoid getting juice all over my first-day-of-class outfit. 

It was really messy and I drooled all over the place, but eventually I was able to compose myself again and decided that from now on, peaches will be eaten in a bowl with a fork and a knife. 

I thoroughly enjoyed having familiar foods for breakfast. The yogurt was really delicious! (Plus, I felt special since it was from a Swiss company.) It was a little tart, a little sweet, and very creamy. 

Overall, it was a wonderful breakfast! My first day of classes is definitely off to a great start!