#168: Eureka Gifts and Chocolates - Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Best Place for Chocolate Euphoria

After our second failed attempt to go to Hey Betty!, Emily and I ventured over to Eureka Gifts and Chocolates located on Copeland Street in Shadyside. Eureka is a small store filled with greeting cards, trinkets, scarves, and of course, chocolate.

We browsed the display of chocolate treasures in search of something that would satisfy a sweet tooth. Emily prefers dark chocolate where as I prefer white chocolate. Ironic? I think so. "Ebony and Ivory live together in perfect harmony." Emily decided on a piece of dark chocolate caramel and a piece of chocolate crunch (peanuts, toffee, and chocolate) and I selected a piece of white pretzel delight and a piece of white chocolate caramel. For $1.95 from the each of us, I think we made off pretty good.

-Michelle

24 down, 341 to go.

#144: Charles Lewis Memorial Park - Oh Mural Where Art Thou?

Best Walking Art Tour

On Monday evening Emily and I drove up to Mt. Washington in search of the Charles Lewis Memorial Park. Our Google search of the park was unsuccessful, so we went out with a tank full of gas but with little direction. Emily and I both have been to Mt. Washington on several occasions but we did not recall ever seeing murals.

Much of our time was spent saying "Ok, go left." "Now go right." "Ughhh...I don't know." We did come across Olympia park, a closed school that I would like to buy and open as a college, and a breath taking view of the city. We eventually stopped at the Mt. Washington Gulf Gas Station to ask for directions. The attendant had never heard of the park or the murals and was very little help. As we began to leave for home, Emily noticed something on the building behind the gas station. It was mural.

Cross it off the list.

-Michelle

23 down, 342 to go.

#1: Razzy Fresh - Just Plain Delicious

The Best Fro-yo

On our way to see Bridesmaids (excellent movie - you should see it) on a warm Sunday evening, Michelle and I decided to stop off and check out Razzy Fresh on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. Similar to Cuzzins Yogurt in Columbus, Razzy Fresh allows you to pick how much frozen yogurt and toppings you want. You select from a bunch of different flavors of yogurts (common flavors include Taro, Mango, Passion Fruit, Cookies & Cream, etc.) and a wide variety of toppings (fresh fruits, candies, chocolates, sauces, whipped cream...) and pile it as high as you can afford. When you're done, the cup of goodness is weighed and you pay a set price per ounce. The fun part is the freedom of choice. The downside is you really have no idea how much you will spend.
 
I typically prefer real ice cream to frozen yogurt and I know Michelle is a huge fan of Dave and Andy's in Oakland, but we both have found Razzy Fresh to be pretty darn good. Following the suggestion from LivingSocial and adding a little bit of "Emily" flavor, I had a wonderful combination of raspberry, mango and original tart fro-yo (the papaya was not available at the time) topped with mango, strawberries, kiwi, crushed graham cracker, and one white chocolate chip. I'm really not a fan of white chocolate, but the rest of this snack was to die for. Perfect end to a weekend!

- Emily

 22 down, 343 to go.

#197: Freak Show Mikey - Tweet Tweet

Best Pittsburgh Personality on Twitter

Done.

21 down, 344 to go.

#93: Fat Head's - For When You're Really, Really Hungry

Best Place to Chill with a Brewski After Work

Last Friday, Michelle and I joined our friends Jason and Amanda to kick off the weekend with a post-work dinner and drinks at Fat Head's Saloon on Carson Street in the South Side. I was the only one who had been there before and was excited to see the others' reactions at the portion sizes.

We felt lucky to be seated quickly for a Friday afternoon Happy Hour. From my previous experience, I knew to check out the menu online a head of time (see it here). The other three needed a little extra time to figure out what they wanted to order from the six page menu. To no surprise, Jason ordered the Baco Jalapeno Burger (he's a burger cconnoisseur) with bacon, mozzarella, jalapenos, goat cheese, and chipotle mayo. Amanda ordered the Chick'N Little. Do not let the name deceive you - this thing is HUGE. It comes with chicken fingers, provolone cheese, two fried eggs, American cheese, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, and hot pepper mayo. Whew! Michelle opted for the McMinn's Chicken Dance. A bit smaller than Amanda's sandwich, this one had chicken, a fried egg, sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, a pickle, and hot pepper mayo. My Divine Swine Headwich may have been the smallest in the group - it was a simple yet delicious pulled pork sandwich with bacon and BBQ sauce. All of our meals came with more than generous portions of chips or fries (don't ask for a substitution - they won't give it to you).

Michelle and I each also tried one of their many brews on tap. Michelle had the Paulaner Hefe-Weizen from Munich, Germany while I had Pittsburgh's own White Lightening Wit. Both were delicious and refreshing. Overall, I had a great time and a great meal and I am already looking forward to my next trip. Good work, LivingSocial.

- Emily

20 down, 345 to go.

#11: Aladdin's Eatery - Dessert Heaven

Best Place for Lebanese in Squirrel Hill

When we arrived at Aladdin's Eatery we were greeted by a display of delicatible treats. Cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, and white cakes starred at us from their glass prison begging for us to set them free. Our next stop was Razzy Fresh, so a slice of cake was out of the question. Disappointment set it.

Aladdin's was fairly crowded with a diverse group of patrons varying from families with children to couples on dates. We openly browsed neighboring diners' plates for ideas of what to order. The giant salad pockets grabbed Emily's attention and I was hoping to order mezze but neither were on our list.

LivingSocial recommended the Pita Pitza, so Emily ordered the Aladdin's Chicken Pitza and I ordered the Greek Pitza. We placed an order of hummos to start. Our waiter brought us a basket of pita bread and we immediately began tearing at the bread as if it were our last meal. Our waiter soon returned with hummos and with a surprised look on his face asked if we wanted more pita bread when he realized the basket was empty.

The neighboring couple had just finished their salads and the waiter asked if they would like to order dessert. They ordered a slice of cheesecake to share and I immediately realized that we were doomed. Emily asked the couple if the cheesecake was good and they responded with "Yes, we always order a lighter meal in order to have room for dessert." That was not what Emily wanted to hear. We agreed that we would split a slice of cake and go to Razzy Fresh another day.

Our food later arrived and Emily wasn't exactly impressed with the chicken pitza. She immediately remembered that she wasn't the biggest fan of honey mustard and prefered more honey than mustard. I enjoyed the Greek Pitza especially the feta cheese. I could have done without the olives though. Not really a big fan.

After we finished our meal our waiter asked if we wanted to order dessert and would like a tour of the cakes. Of course. The options seemed endless (ok, there were only three rows of cakes). Our waiter identified each of the cakes and asked if we had any questions. We asked what he would recommend and he suggested the Oreo cake with the white cream filling or the Oreo cheesecake with a layer of chocolate. We agreed on the Oreo cake.

We returned to our table and were served a slice of cake. Unfortunately the cake was dry and we tried to mask the texture with the cream filling. We agreed that we would order the Oreo cheesecake next time.

- Michelle

19 down, 346 to go.