Memorial Weekend Fun

  This is definitely my new favorite nail color! It is creamy, thick and so darn perfect! I have been searching for a peachy, summery nail polish and I found it in Essie’s Peachside Babe. And what a lovely name as well. Nicely done, Essie, as always.

  Saturday was a day of treats! I will mention that they are all well deserved because of a long hike the hubs and I did in the nearby Boyce park. We hit up my favorite Pittsburgh neighborhood–Squirrel Hill–and dined at a highly rated restaurant there. I’ve been wanting to try Sichuan Gourmet for a long time and it sure did not disappoint! The menus are works of art and available in Chinese and English. The dishes are all authentic Sichuan classic dishes with a few Southern ones thrown in. I had the flaming rabbit and the hubs ordered the Sichuan style lamb. It was my first time trying rabbit and I counting down until I can try it again! While we both used up a small mountain of paper napkins and 3 glasses full of ice cubes, all the heat and pain was worth it. Until next time! I am already making a list of dishes to try on my subsequent visits :).

  I got this “cheesecake” at the Pink Box bakery and was a little surprised that it was not the traditional creamy dessert that I thought I bought. It’s made in the Asian style of a thick pound cake that tastes like the essence of cheesecake. Still amazing, delicate, rich and made me want a second and third slice.

  On Sunday, we (and it seems like all of NY and OH) traveled to Penn’s Caves to take an adventurous cave tour by boat! We saw HUGE rainbow trout swimming in the slightly translucent turquoise, mineral-rich waters. I had a blast and I’m all about softcore spelunking. This will be my 3rd cave tour, and I hope to go to many more!

 A surprising part of the tour led us out into a man-made reservoir and back into the narrow, dark depths of Penn’s Caves.

What a great Memorial Day weekend! I hope everyone enjoyed their time off!

May Mani & More!

  I’m starting May off with a deep orchid color from H&M and alternated the sparklies from Wet&Wild on every other nail. Both bottles are minis and I love that I can actually use them up one day!  The weather this past weekend was a scorcher! In my solarium, the climate was tropical–nearing mid-90s! My dear friend flew all the way from Madison to spend a great few days together catching up, gossiping, exploring Pittsburgh and enjoying the house! Here is just a snapshot of how merry we were! I felt so flirty and summery in my new floral bodycon dress :).

  For our big dinner on Saturday night, we scarfed down 2 appetizers and an entree each at Squirrel Hill’s Ramen Bar. It cannot light a candle to other Ramen places I’ve been to but it was great as a regular restaurant. It took credit cards, at least. This picture shows “octopus balls.” Yep, there were pieces of octopus rolled into a doughy mixture and deep fried. It was topped with pork flakes and a Sriracha mayo. Delish.

 I ordered the Ajo Ramen, which was some pork strips sauteed with a bunch of garlic. It was not even pork belly, like what I’m used to in real ramen. The soup base was a simple shoyu, and tonkotsu was not even an option. What gives? No seaweed pieces and no braised egg. Seriously, is this even ramen or just a $11 bowl of instant noodles?

Dinner & a Show

  This is one of the best meals I’ve had in a restaurant for all of this year so far.  Holy moly, my food was good! Last Thursday, the hubby took me by surprise and whisked me off downtown as soon as he got back from the airport. We dined at Cambodican Kitchen and it was tasty tasty! I got the signature chicken kabob dish and you can tell by the picture how juicy, fresh and well seasoned the chicken looked. They have “moon” sauce that is to die for! Service was wonderful with them custom cooking me some veggies because the kabob dish didn’t come with any. Yum yum. Portion size was big so both the hubs and I took our yumminess home for a second meal the next day! The only reason I am not back there again is that they are cash only. I know it keeps costs down from the restaurant’s standpoint but it ‘s a major inconvenience for customers. The atmosphere was cramped, stifling and greasy but the food really was extraordinary.   We did it! We bought a whole patio furniture set and had dinner and lunch outside this weekend to enjoy the lovely non-sweltering rays of sunlight. I made a pitcher of iced cucumber water and felt like a million bucks sitting outside my very own solarium. Next step: a chic bistro set to place inside the bigger gazebo.  

The hubs further surprised me by taking me to see Chris Tucker live at Heinz Hall on Friday! These were the best tickets we’ve ever allowed ourselves to buy. I’m so used to sitting in the balcony that these fancy mezzanine seats really made a difference!