Tiny Tales

Blue Apron: Crispy Salmon & Barley-Fennel Risotto

November 23, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

I’ll be honest. This meal was the one I was looking forward to the least out of our most recent Blue Apron shipment. Crispy salmon, sign me up. Barley Risotto, sure, why not! But fennel. Eh. Fennel. I have never liked the taste of anise, which is, unfortunately, exactly what fennel reminds me of. It’s been around forever — literally before the beginning of written history. Just ask Prometheus.

Anyway, I put my faith in this perfectly package meal, and started prepping the ingredients. While thoroughly working through this step, I learned that fennel would be used four different ways in our dinner. One little flowering plant, served in four different ways.

I threw two of the four parts of the fennel into a pot with some olive oil and diced onion, and stirred until they were fragrant. Then, we added in the barley and water, and let it simmer until it turned into, well, risotto. Meanwhile, I toasted the chopped walnuts, and mixed them with fresh parsley, tarragon, fennel fronds (fennel #3) and lemon juice to create a fresh herb and walnut salad.

Then, the salmon. We added salt and pepper to each side, and simply cooked it in some olive oil. When the barley had turned into risotto, we added the leaves of brussel sprouts, lemon juice, and generous amounts of salt and pepper. We topped the dish with fennel pollen (fennel #4) and then, we dug in.

The two parts of the fennel that were cooked in the risotto — the stems and the bulb — lost most of their anise flavor. Unfortunately, I didn’t dice the bulb into small enough pieces, so it was still a little much, but the barley risotto was inventive and, due to my heavy hand, perfectly salted. The salmon was expertly crisped, and simple in flavor, accented only by the soft, herbaceous flavors of the parsley, tarragon and lemon.

This dish wasn’t the best of our Blue Apron experiments (I mostly blame the fennel), but hey – it sure does look pretty on a plate, and that’s just about half the battle.

Dining In, Food

Blue Apron, Take 2: Flank Steak and Creamed Kale With Sunchokes Two Ways.

November 20, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt2 Comments

Our second Blue Apron shipment arrived last week, and we were so excited to dive in. The first meal we cooked was a spicy little number with turkey meatballs, red coconut curry, wilted bok choy and rice noodles, and – despite it’s spice level – it was delicious.

Last night, we tackled meal #2: Flank Steak and Creamed Kale with Sunchokes Two Ways. For anyone who is wondering, I should note that before yesterday, I had literally never even heard of a sunchoke, let alone seen one, cooked one, or eaten one. In fact, it quickly became a running joke between me and my friends, and we learned that the word sunchoke can easily be mistaken for the word sunstroke to a Brit. (However, Blue Apron did mention that sunchokes are the edible root of the North American sunflower.)

Anyway, I spent nearly 30 minutes prepping all of the ingredients for our dinner: I roughly chopped the kale leaves, peeled off the mint leaves, minced some lemon rind, quartered a lemon, cut 1/4 of the sunchokes into matchsticks and tossed them in lemon juice, and diced the remaining sunchokes.

I followed the rest of the perfectly spelled out Blue Apron directions, slowly working my way towards a complete meal, loaded with a food I still knew nothing about. Sunchokes.

A short while later, I plated our dinner. I looked at it quizzically. I know that I enjoy flank steak. I had the best flank steak of my life at my aunt’s house earlier this year. I’ve never had creamed kale, but it was kale and cream, butter and parmesan cheese, all ingredients I knew would make a fantastic combination.

But sunchokes. They look sort of like ginger root, with an earthy brown color and a crisp texture, yet I had no idea what to expect in the taste. We hunkered down at the table with our beautiful looking dinner and cautiously dove in.

The salad that accompanied our flank steak included the raw sunchokes, the baked sunchokes, sunflower seeds, mint and minced lemon rind. The raw matchsticks tasted mostly of lemon, as they had been soaking in the acidic fruit for almost an hour. The baked sunchokes, however, had just been removed from the over, after being doused in olive oil, salt and pepper. The warm, nutty and savory root was hands down incredible. It reminded me of the look and taste of a roasted potato, but had a slightly stringy texture, reminiscent of an artichoke – which, by the way, is the culinary cousin to the sunchoke.

We slurped down our dinner, agreeing that we would incorporate sunchokes into our routine more often. I mean, come on, they were so delicious! (And, by the way, the majority of this post may be about the sunchokes, but let’s be honest: the creamed kale was the real winner.)

After our hilarious night full of – ahem – noisy bodily functions, I decided to look a little deeper into sunchokes. Because I couldn’t morally tell you about the incomparable, incredible, earthy flavor of sunchokes without mentioning their one small drawback, I leave you all with this:

Just saying. I warned you. Thanks, Blue Apron.

Home

Home Improvement: Let Me Upgrade Ya.

November 16, 2014February 1, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

For a few months, I have been mentally redesigning our home. I have a pretty hefty list of upgrades I want to make in order for it to feel more like, well, home. After an embarrassing number of hours watching HGTV and scouring Pinterest, I decided I was ready to begin on our living room.

A few weeks ago, when two of our roommates moved out, taking the living room television and entertainment center with them, we began our overhaul. A quick shopping trip for a big screen TV, sound bar and wall mount allowed us to make better use of the floor space where the entertainment center once lived.

Our next project: upgrading the faux fireplace. Centrally located in our living room is a purely decorative multicolor stone fireplace. Not the worst eye sore, but definitely something we wanted to put a little elbow grease into. So, we headed to our local hardware store, stocked up on some paint and supplies to build our own shelves (coming soon!), and I was all set.

We chose a dark grey paint to cover the stone, because we knew it would look great with the floors we’ve picked out from my dad’s flooring business to span from the entry way and living room into the kitchen.

I let the grey paint dry overnight, and tackled the mantle, grout and the interior of the fireplace the next day. For this, I chose a simple, lightly grey-tinted white paint, and voila — a refreshed fireplace!

Next on our list: building shelves on either side of the fireplace to give us extra storage with some style!

Dining In, Food

Discovering Blue Apron.

November 10, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

I’ll admit that I really appreciate convenience. Example: Today, I ordered a Christmas present from a store that has a brick and mortar location less than 12 miles away from my house. But it will be shipped directly to my doorstep (for free), and with the ease of a few clicks of a button. No heinous traffic involved. My generation is all about convenience.

My dad and Sarah recently gifted me a free week of Blue Apron, a food delivery service that provides you with recipes and exactly the amount of ingredients you need to cook 1-3 meals for 2-6 people each week. So, we took the bait, created an account and ordered 3 meals.

The delivery arrived at work in a refrigerated box, with the ingredients for three complete meals neatly organized inside:

Congee and Carmelized Pork with Crispy Shallots and Black Garlic
Greek-Style Braised Chicken Thighs with Fingerling Potatoes
Pan-Seared Salmon with Arugula, Candy Stripe Beets and Horseradish Sour Cream

We decided to tackle the pork first, but we totally messed it up. Still delicious, but definitely not how it was supposed to turn out. We weren’t off to a great start, so I wanted to cook the chicken thighs one night while I had the house to myself. If it was a success, dinner would be ready when everyone got home. If it wasn’t, no one would ever have to know.

I followed the recipe that was provided much more closely than I did with the pork dinner, preparing all of the ingredients before they were needed. This is an important step that I (unsurprisingly) missed in the first round.

Admittedly, I was grossed out by the bones and innards of my chicken thighs. Home alone with blood on my fingers (literally), I was ready to send my parents a text message saying that I didn’t think that Blue Apron was for us. In fact, I’d much rather prefer the kind of chicken that you can buy in the grocery store. (You know, the chicken breasts that come in pre-packaged plastic wrapped packs of three, even though there are only two of us, and we always put the extra one breast in the freezer and forget about it for a year, and then we throw it away. Every. Time.) So, with this waste of food in mind, I kept cooking, following the fool-proof, picture-by-picture recipe.

It wasn’t a failure. It was delicious, and I made it. With my own hands. No, I didn’t use my incredibly imaginative mind to put the recipe together on my own. But I executed it flawlessly, and it was incredible.

More often than not, when I’m in the kitchen on my own, I choose a simple recipe. Like I said, I enjoy convenience. This dinner was more complex than simple, but it was delicious, and worth the complexity, and something I would not have necessarily chosen for myself from the aisles of the grocery store. And to be honest, the price is much less than I would have spent in the grocery store to make the exact same meal. In fact, I did my research. I would spend $47.56 to duplicate this meal. I would have leftovers of a few random ingredients, and I’d have only a few days to use them before they would begin to go bad. With our busy schedule, it just wouldn’t happen. We would have increased our cost almost 150%, only to throw away a portion of it.

Blue Apron fits our lifestyle. Pittsburgh is an ever-growing city, meaning it takes longer to get everywhere. Specifically, the grocery store. So, every once in a while, having our meals delivered to the office is nice, and stepping outside of the box of our own taste is even better. What’s on next week’s menu?

Flank Steak and Creamed Kale with Sunchokes
Thai Chicken Meatballs with Red Coconut Curry, Bok Choy and Rice Noodles
Crispy Salmon and Barley Fennel Risotto with a Fresh Herb and Walnut Salad

Do you use Blue Apron or a different food delivery service? Tell us about experience!

Dining Out, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: E2.

November 9, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

For 365 days, I lived just a few short blocks from a well-known Highland Park restaurant, e2 (pronounced e squared). In Pittsburgh, they’re infamous for their homestyle vibe — literally, meals are served in the first floor living room of an old home — as well as their commitment to locally sourced food products. It’s small and quaint, and for the 365 days that I lived right around the corner, I never stepped foot inside.

Last Tuesday, we made our way back to my old stomping grounds. He parked where he always used to when he’d come visit me; I even ding-dong-ditched my old roommate, who still lives in that great ol’ apartment. (Sorry, Suze.) We walked down the familiar street, taking in the overwhelming scent of the Thai cuisine wafting from the building across the street, to meet our friends Dani and Brandon for dinner.

We were quickly seated on the left side of what used to be the living room — and, to be perfectly honest, I use the term “quickly” loosely; we were late, so we happened to miss the ten minute wait that Dani and Brandon endured — and the specials were explained to us by the rather clueless hostess. It didn’t matter so much to me that she had no idea what she was talking about — they sounded delicious on their own — but I’m sure someone was mad about ordering goat cheese, only to find out that it did, in fact, come from a cow.

I popped open a bottle of Tempranillo, and Dani and Brandon ordered an appetizer of carrots, goat cheese, sausage (from Penn Mac!) and toasted bread. I truly didn’t pay much attention to the details of the appetizer they ordered because I was so wrapped up in how delicious this random bottle of Tempranillo was, but I really should have, because it was impeccable.

For dinner, I ordered Campanelle with Sage Butter, served with pancetta, melted onion, roasted corn and chicken. He chose Ricotta Ravioli, accompanied by corn, beet greens, jalapeños and hot sausage.

My dish was incredible, and it didn’t take me long to understand how e2 made it’s way onto the list of Pittsburgh’s Best Restaurants for 2014. The sweet corn and the salty pancetta, when paired together in one bite, were a force to be reckoned with. The soft, gummy pasta stood out against the crunch of the bread crumbs that seasoned the top of each bite. Even after I was full, I couldn’t stop nibbling. The other food was delicious, I’m sure. However, spicy foods are not my cup of tea, so I didn’t venture a taste of my own.

For dessert, I opted for a bottle of Syrah for the table and some sort of forgettable seasonal something-or-other. My boyfriend, however, chose beignets, lightly dusted in powder sugar, and they were almost – almost – Cafe du Monde level beignets… which is pretty darn great, if I do say so myself.

Something about dinner that night reminded me of being home. Highland Park is where I lived when I graduated college and officially entered the “real world.” And in those 365 days, it’s where I learned a lot of lessons. We ate dinner in the living room of an old home, with friends who have known us for years. So, something about dinner that night reminded me of being home.

Dining Out, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Waffles, INCaffeinated.

November 1, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

There’s something wonderful about starting your day off on the right foot. Sometimes that means a hot cup of coffee, a good book and a cozy blanket. Other times it means having a good hair day and not being rushed for work. Today, it meant a breakfast date.

When the sun started to peak through the window and Buxton started biting at our toes, we finally cracked open our eyes and started our day.

We put our name on the list for a table at Waffles INCaffeinated, a new-ish waffle shop in Southside, then walked down the street for a cup of coffee from Peet’s.

30 minutes later, we took our seats in the small, bustling restaurant. There’s not much to say about their speed of service or atmosphere, but the Croque Monsieur I ordered is a slightly different story.

In traditional French culture, a Croque Monsieur is a simple grilled ham and cheese sandwich, whose name loosely translates to Mister Crunch. Cute, right? Waffles INCaffeinted transformed this traditional sandwich by pulling it apart to create two open surfaces, where they topped the ham and cheese with roasted asparagus, greens, a fried egg and béchamel sauce. The meeting between the crunch, earthy asparagus with the creamy sauce, and the savory ham with the smoky Swiss cheese, created a well-rounded sensation of flavors in every bite.

After breakfast, we went back to our daily grind, but like I said, there’s just something wonderful about starting your day off on the right foot.

Dining In, Food

The Finest is Fall.

October 26, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

You know that famous quote? The one about living in a world with Octobers? I know that it’s cheesy, but let’s be completely honest: Lucy really knew what she was talking about, and I really am glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

So, let me briefly recap what’s been keeping me so busy this fall: Square Cafe, Foster the People, our new ball of fur – Buxton, my brothers’ football games, Granny and Claude’s 25th Anniversary party, Avenue B, Hofbrauhaus, Triple B Farms, my boss’s wedding, 72 Hour Film Festival, Bassnectar, my birthday (and a deluxe dinner at Casbah), a visit from Megan, Emporio, and Pitt’s Homecoming football game. I’ve been busy this fall.

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What a wonderful fall it’s been.

With fall also comes football season, which is – much to the chagrin of my sports-loving father – something I could take or leave. Sorry ’bout it. My favorite thing about football season, however, is the cooking. The men sits on the couch, soaking in every play of the game, refreshing his fantasy football score every few minutes. He’s entranced by the dancing figures in black and yellow, and he only snaps out of his Steelers-induced stupor during commercials and when dinner is served. So, in an attempt to steal his attention for a few short, lip-smackin’ minutes, I hit the grocery store, shopping list in hand.

On tonight’s menu is angel hair pasta with shrimp and white wine pasta. A light, warm dish for a cool, fall evening.

Ingredients: Angel Hair Pasta / Shrimp / Lemon / Dill / Garlic / White Wine / Cold Butter / Olive Oil / Salt + Pepper

Directions: Cook pasta is heavily salted boil in water according to the package instructions. / Drain, saving some some pasta water for later. / Finely chop dill and garlic. / Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan and sear shrimp for three to four minutes. / Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about two minutes. / Deglaze with white wine. (I suggest a dry, fruity Riesling, the universal companion to seafood cuisine!) / Stir in cold butter to thicken the sauce, then season with salt and pepper. / Toss the pasta in sauce. / Add lemon juice and sprinkle with dill. / Salt and pepper to taste. / Serve warm, with a chilled glass of your leftover Riesling.

And what’s a fall dinner without a seasonally appropriate dessert? Enter: Pumpkin Pie cupcakes. Pumpkins are one of my favorite things about this season. I love the flavor, the smell, the look of mini pumpkins sitting on my mantle, everything. I’ve never liked pumpkin pie, but it’s always been a family favorite. I’d rather have a cupcake. So, here we are.

Ingredients: Flour / Pumpkin Puree / Sugar / Eggs / Vanilla / Evaporated Milk / Pumpkin Pie Spice / Salt / Baking Powder / Baking Soda / Whipped Cream

Directions: Preheat oven to 350˚. / In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. / In a separate large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, vanilla and evaporated milk. / Add in dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. / Fill lined muffin cups 1/2 full. / Bake for 20 minutes, and allow to cool for 20 minutes. / Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. / Top with whipped cream. / Sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, if desired.

Happy Fall, everyone!

Dining Out, Food, Travel

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Nashville Edition.

September 4, 2014August 7, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

Nashville, Tennessee: the home of country’s hottest stars and my very best friend in the whole wide world. I spent Labor Day weekend south of the Mason Dixon, sipping on ‘shine and cheap beers, listening to up-and-coming musicians in hole-in-the-wall dive bars, eating an exorbitant amount of incredible food, and soaking in the best thing about Nashville: quality time with the people I love. Everyone is beautiful, kind and welcoming, and the sun shines hot. But the food – my goodness, the food – is what will keep me coming back to Nashville, even if my best friend isn’t there anymore.

Our first restaurant in town was Sky Blue Cafe, a quaint little place in East Nashville. We enjoyed a late brunch with Nate, a friend of ours from Pittsburgh, laughing at the verbiage of the 80s trivia questions that rested calmly on our table. We ordered mimosas that came with pulpy, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and Nate opted for a heavy-on-the-horseradish Bloody Mary. I had decided on the Eggs Benedict, a classic breakfast dish that I had been craving for days, until the server buttered me up to the idea of their Crabcake Eggs Benedict. Sold. In fact, all three of us were sold, and soon enough, three identical steaming plates were placed in front of us. Scoot over, Trivial Pursuit. The table fell silent as we each shoveled heaping forkfuls of English muffin, seasoned crab cake, poached egg, and creamy Hollandaise sauce into our mouths. We left feeling fat and sassy. (Shout out to you on that one, Memaw.)

Fast forward a few hours later, and we stepped inside the door of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. We had been craving something creamy and cool, and when Autumn mentioned that they were known for their weird flavors, I readily agreed. Boy, was she right. Offerings like Bangkok Peanut, Brambleberry Crisp and Saison with Sunflower Seeds and Golden Flax made me drool. Never in my new-to-food-loving wildest dreams could these combinations exist, let alone in a scoop of ice cream. I was awestruck. I finally – and after some serious debate – decided on a scoop of Brown Butter Almond Brittle ice cream and a scoop of Sweet Cream Biscuit and Peach Jam ice cream. And each of those scoops tasted exactly how you would imagine they would, if you can possibly imagine it. The farm fresh cream comes from grass-fed cows in Ohio, and then each unique ingredient is perfectly layered in, leaving you with a truly creative dessert. (Note: Jeni’s ice cream is sold in select Whole Foods. You’re welcome.)

The next day for lunch, I decided – thanks to Autumn’s recommendation – to check out Edley’s Bar-B-Que. From floor to ceiling, this restaurant evoked a homey, woodsy feel. The tables each had unique imperfections, and the walls were rough to the touch, as if I’d have to dig out a deep splinter if I moved by them the wrong way. (Not to mention, the typeface throughout Edley’s is on point.) We waited in line to place our order at the single, open kitchen. I went for the wholesome southern brisket sandwich with collard greens and potato salad. We walked to an empty table by the bar, placed a plastic 25 identifier high on the table and grabbed a drink menu. Soon enough, I was salivating over my plate with a Southern ‘Shine Cider in my hand. My greens were warm and spicy, and the potato salad was cool and creamy. The juices from my brisket mixed with the red barbecue sauce and ran down my arm, pooling on a napkin under my elbow. I could barely come up for breath. This was – by far – my favorite meal of the whole weekend. Instant food coma.

Fast forward another 24 hours, and I’m are sweaty from the thick, southern heat, seated across from Nate and his girlfriend at a little joint in Midtown called The Row. We wandered in searching for breakfast, but given that it was almost noon, we settled for lunch fare instead. I whet my raging appetites with an order of hot, fresh biscuits, served with homemade strawberry, tomato and blackberry jam, while they opted for fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and some down home Tennessee chow chow. (I’ll be honest, none of us knew what chow chow was. I had to Google it. Answer: relish.) We dug in, stuffing our empty stomaches, and didn’t give it a second thought until our main courses were placed in front of us. I ordered a simple turkey and avocado sandwich and side of cheddar grits. I took a bite or two of my sandwich, already full from my biscuits, and left it behind to nibble on the salty, creamy, grainy grits.

Fast forward three days, and here I am, sitting on my couch in Pittsburgh, with a pint of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream in my hands. The taste of goat cheese and cherries reminds me of the time just a few days ago, a cool dessert on my tongue, my best friend next to me, when I was grinning ear-to-ear, happy as a clam, my heart bursting with love. I know I say it all the time, but the moments I remember the most in life revolve around friends and food, and there’s really nothing better.

Dining In, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

August 31, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail HuntLeave a Comment

Labor Day weekend is here and in full swing. All across the country, summer-lovers are mourning the end of the favorite warm and care free months, while others excitedly await the arrival of fall, a crisp, cool, pumpkin-filled period of time.

I’m fortunate enough to be spending the weekend with my best friend since high school. I’m so excited about my time here in Music City, but for anyone planning a BBQ celebration this weekend, I think you should definitely check out this new recipe.

Last week, we invited our friends Alex and Katie over for dinner. As usual, I was stressing out over what to cook. I wanted something simple, so I wouldn’t be rushed in the one-hour window of time between getting home from work and their arrival, but I also wanted to try out something new. I was – again – browsing through Pinterest, and decided on a crock pot pulled pork concoction.

A few hours later, I’d say our mission was a success. We took the time to throw everything together in the crockpot before work, and I took over when I got home. The food was good, and the company was great. Not to mention, I even won a game of Catan. Score.

Ingredients: (For the Pulled Pork) 2 Lbs. Pork Boneless Shoulder / 1 Onion / 1.5c BBQ Sauce* / .5c Water / 2 Tbsp. Dry Minced Onion / 1 tsp. Allspice / 1 tsp. Ground Mustard / 1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes / .5 tsp. Garlic Powder / .5 tsp. Cinnamon (For the Broccoli Slaw) Bagged Broccoli Coleslaw / .25c Slaw Dressing / .25c Sunflower Seeds

Directions: In a bowl, mix together the spices, and rub the mixture into the pork shoulder. / Place the shoulder into the crockpot, adding the water and the sliced onion. / Cook on low for 8-10 hours. / When the pork has cooked, remove from the crockpot, saving one cup of the juice. / Shred the pork using a fork. / Place the pulled pork back into the crockpot with the cup of juice, and add barbecue sauce. / Cook on low for another half an hour. / Meanwhile, mix the slaw dressing, sunflower seeds and broccoli coleslaw together in a bowl. / Refrigerate for half an hour. / We recommended serving the pulled pork and slaw on toasted buns with a side of grilled corn on the cob. / Enjoy!

*Feel free to use absolutely any kind of BBQ sauce you’d like, but we used Trader Joe’s Kansas City Style Smoky Barbecue Sauce. Unlike most sauces, this one doesn’t use any artificial sweeteners! Its only ingredients are tomato paste, sugar, molasses, vinegar, salt, hickory smoke flavoring, onion and garlic powders, and caramel color. It offers the perfect balance of smoky, sweet and vinegar flavors. You’ve got to try it out!

Dining Out, Food

The Pittsburgh Food Diaries: Franks Who Brunch.

August 28, 2014August 3, 2017by Abigail Hunt1 Comment

We love Franktuary. I’ve raved about it before. We love the creative thought process behind each of their hot dogs, we love their one-of-a-kind cocktails, and we love their unique decor. But most of all, we love their brunch.

This past Sunday, we both woke up slowly. It was one of the few days that neither of us had a pressing commitment first thing in the morning, a beeping alarm rudely yanking us out of a sweet sleep. We were quiet and still, soaking up the sunlight streaming through the window and listening to the calm chirping of the birds outside, when he sleepily croaked, “Want to go to Franktuary for brunch?” I answered with a resounding yes. (Okay, so maybe it was more like a slow nod.)

First thing’s first: order a cocktail. I went with a little concoction called Snoop Lion, and I have to admit, I chose it based solely on its name. Luckily for me, the combination of gin, grapefruit, cucumber and champagne was on point. It was sour and tangy and subtly sweet – a familiar taste of every grapefruit I’ve ever eaten – but it was cooled down by the bubbly brut and crisp cucumber. Delish.

Then, our pre-brunch appetizer. Each Sunday, Franktuary serves up a signature donut. This time, the zebra donut holes came in two flavors: a vanilla donut, coated lightly with a mocha glaze, and a chocolate donut, accompanied by a rum glaze. As someone who much prefers salty to sweet, these bite-size donuts perfectly satisfied my early morning sweet tooth.

Then, our main dishes arrived. He had ordered their waffle sandwich, a pile of sausage, fried egg, greens and cheddar cheese surrounded by a garlic waffle, and accompanied by maple aioli and herb roasted potatoes. Here’s the thing about this dish. It’s pretty much a rule that you dip each bite of your sandwich into the aioli (or get wild and douse the sandwich in the aioli – whichever suits you), so that the sweet and creamy sauce can complement the salty, meaty, herb-filled taste of the sandwich. It’s the best of both worlds, and as soon as he dug into his food, there were nothing but happy grunts of satisfaction coming from his side of the table.

I ordered my Franktuary brunch usual: poutine. Poutine is a classic Canadian dish, traditionally consisting of a giant pile of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. This has always been one of my favorite dishes, but when you transport it from a Canadian dinner table to a Yinzer brunch table, it gets even better. (Disclaimer: I know it looks like a pile of dog food. Just trust me.) A base of salty, herb roasted potatoes hold a pile of fried egg, crispy bacon, and creamy cheese curds, all soaked in a house made brown gravy. Each bite is like a little taste of heaven: it’s all of the most wonderful things that exist in the culinary world. It’s indulgent and gluttonous, and every bite is better than the last.

Spontaneity has always been my thing. I’m exhilarated by the unexpected, even if it’s just something small, like brunch at a joint down the road. Sometimes it’s the smallest moments, like a quick smile as our mouths are stuffed with food, that remind me of some of the best things in life: loved ones, unforeseen moments and incredible food.

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