This restaurant was an unplanned one - but our tummies were rumbling, and New Year's Day makes it a bit more difficult to find places open. Luckily, Côtes-à-Côtes Resto Grill came through for us.

They actually sent a hostess outside with menus to catch passers-by and let them know they are open. It was so cold, so I felt bad for her - but the strategy worked. We rushed in from out of the cold and were seated at the bar until a table opened up. Once it did, we transitioned.


The menu had some interesting options, but the one that caught my eye was bison carpaccio with parmesan chips and garlic aioli. Bison carpaccio is not something you see on the menu every day, so I was all about it.

Little bites of olives and pretzel thins to start.

And, look how beautiful that display is? There was this nice salad on top, which was perfect for the garlic aioli and slivers of parmesan. There was a balsamic on top, and it all went together quite well. The nice leafy greens, the creamy sauces, fresh veggies and that thin bison was delish.

The only problem is that as I was chomping away, I crunched down on a piece of hard, black plastic. It looked like a piece of plastic cutlery broke off and made its way onto my meal somehow. Not too appetizing, considering I don't know what that came from. But, before that unsettling moment, I was pleased.

Grade: B

My flight out of Boston back to Pittsburgh was really early in the morning, but that wasn't going to stop me from finding something delicious to eat. As I looked around to see what was in my terminal, I decided that Wahlburgers would be my best bet for something that wasn't a HUGE chain.

So, I found the bright green chairs and was seated for breakfast. I didn't get to try an actual burger, so I went for the next best thing: a breakfast sandwich with two eggs, government cheese, housemade tomato jam, with sausage. I also got a side of tater tots because, I dunno, why not?


So, this sandwich was just OK. My biggest problem is the bun is SO light and fluffy, it just gets completely soggy. The tomato jam became the remnants of some tomato-based sauce that just soaked up in the bun. So, definitely a lack of flavor and some texture issues. Tough to say if their burgers would be better - but if they are using this same bun, it can't be that great.

Grade: C

The Winter Blues North Farmers Market was held on Feb. 9.

More than 20 local farmers will gathered to showcase products from West Virginia and the surrounding areas available during cooler months: locally raised meats, eggs, cheeses, fresh produce, breads, jams, jellies, nuts, honey, fruits, woolen products and more.

In addition to our usual folks we see at the market, Birch Root Farms had goats milk soap, lotions and lip balms. The Custard Stand was there with hot dog chili sauce and chili soup. Family Roots Farm had tons of maple products - like syrup, sugar, candy, granola, fudge, cotton candy and nuts. Glascocks Produce had lots of apples, cider, squash, onions, potatoes, and lettuce. Hearts of the Meadow Farm had lamb and mutton. Kreative Artz by Kimberly had soaps, scrubs, balms and lamps. Ridge Roasters brought locally roasted coffee and coffee beans. Rimfire Apiary had honey, and Spring Valley Farm and Orchard had a number of apples, greens, leeks, squash, carrots, cabbage, beets and potatoes.

I'm gonna make this one short and sweet because I didn't spend too much time here, but I did absolutely fall in love with the design and concept.





Sugarfina has this "candy bento" concept where you select one of the perfectly packaged square boxes of candies and put them in a container so you have a nice variety of candies to choose from. I super love this idea because of how beautifully packaged it is and how you can pick and choose.

They have berry-flavored gummy lips, gummy ice cream cones, rose-infused gummy roses, olive-shaped white chocolate almonds, peach-flavored gummy hearts, berry-flavored jellybeans, champagne-flavored gummy bears, apple-flavored caramels and so much more.

So, I tried one of the salted caramel chocolates and fell in love. Granted, this is like my favorite candy. But, it was really, really good.

Eataly has a few locations: Chicago, New York City, LA and Boston. I was first introduced to this concept in Chicago, and then I stumbled upon the Boston location by chance.

So, I walked in and the first section I saw was coffee at Lavazza. When it's cold and rainy, I can think of no better solution than a hot beverage. I ordered a hot chocolate, which was delicious.

Boasting over 120 years of history, Lavazza was created by the tenacious and intuitive Luigi Lavazza, the first to create coffee blends from beans of different origins. In 1895, he acquired a small grocery store in the heart of Turin. The location is still open today, while the company has grown to be the symbol of Italian espresso worldwide. Lavazza shares Eataly’s passion for quality. Our caffè offers a wide menu of Lavazza’s traditional Italian espresso-based drinks, American coffee drinks, and housemade pastries for an authentic “colazione all’italiana,” or Italian breakfast. 

Then, venturing upstairs, there are tons of small counters and open shops that have all sorts of specialty goods: seafood, meat, cheese, breads, cooking utensils, produce, oils, just literally anything you can think of.

And this Boston store is huge! It's so beautiful, and if I lived locally, I would definitely be buying lots of delicious items here.

I wish there was a market like this nearby. I do love the farmers market, but this takes it up a few notches.

They even have prepared foods in addition to ingredients so you can eat AND shop.

Best of both worlds.