Flour Bakery is an iconic bakery in Boston, run by James Beard Chef Joanne Chang.

Chang's diet growing up consisted of traditional Chinese cuisine, but always enjoyed baking chocolate chip cookies with her mother. She went to Harvard (majoring applied mathematics and economics) when she began selling chocolate chip cookies and became known as the "Chocolate Chip Cookie Girl." Fast-forward to 2000 when she opened her first Flour Bakery in Boston's South End.

In 2007, she challenged Bobby Flay with her famous sticky buns on Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay and won. (Wikipedia)

Crusty, crackling baguettes warm from the steaming oven . . . buttery, raisin-filled brioche shaped in a swirl and drizzled with sweet icing…silky-smooth chocolate cream pies…lemon curd cakes filled with crushed raspberries…fresh, made-to-order salads and sandwiches. Flour’s concept was born out of a passionate desire to share the simple pleasures that mouth-watering pastries and foods can bring. Imagine enjoying a muffin still warm from the oven, made with real butter and fresh fruit, alongside a steaming cappuccino. For lunch, choose among daily specials such as three cheese pizza with spicy tomato sauce and fresh herbs or an oven-baked asparagus and country ham quiche with a side salad. Bring home a beautifully decorated birthday cake made with flourless chocolate cake layers, rich chocolate mousse, and ganache. We offer buttery breakfast pastries, grand homemade cookies, luscious tarts, delicious pies, gorgeous cakes, and fresh, made-to-order sandwiches, soups, and salads. Everything is prepared in-house by our professional kitchen staff. Our business includes morning commuters stopping in for breakfast, area employees and neighbors enjoying lunch, friends meeting for coffee and talk, office workers seeking to satisfy their 3pm sugar craving, regulars picking up bread, salad, take-out dinner specials or dessert for their evening meal. Along with our quality product, our success depends on a well-trained, professional service staff. We strive to be constantly and consistently friendly, attentive, hospitable and courteous. We want each guest’s experience to be an enjoyable one, therefore we focus on all aspects involved: great food, gracious service, warm atmosphere, heady aromas, and irresistible displays.

This bakery + cafe is absolutely lovey. Cases full of fresh baked goods greet you as soon as you enter. Playful - yet refined - small touches graced the space. Modern lighting, friendly staff and a bustling young professional community lined the interior. I instantly fell in love.

So, I went up to the case to browse my options. A few things stuck out to me, so we ended up getting a mini sampler to try a few items - lemon ginger scone, parmesan garlic scone and a mushroom and parmesan savory brioche spiral. They also have a whole host of sandwiches and salads available and tons of other goodies.

And, I sipped my hot chocolate (which was also quite tasty) while waiting for our goodies to be done. Wow, I had no idea what I was about to devour.

The lemon ginger scone - with such a delicate flavors - was still bursting with goodness. Perfect texture: just a bit crumbly but moist and rich.

The parmesan and chive scone was divine. Perfectly bready and moist and cheesy. This is everything I want in a scone and rarely get.

The last - the savory brioche - had ground up bits of actual mushroom inside. The slightly crisp and umami bit of heaven was also complemented with some creamy cheesy flavor.

So. I mean, I don't know what else you could ask for in a bakery + cafe. The vibe here is relaxing, yet very cool. There are so many deliciously tempting items, it's difficult to choose. I could come here for scones and coffee, stay here for sandwiches and salads and if they served wine, I may never leave.

My only regret is that I didn't try a sticky bun, because I didn't know that was a ~thing.~ But, next time.

Grade: A

But, it's time we talk about another Pittsburgh specialty: the french fry salad.


That's right. A pile of greens, veggies, chicken or steak and french fries. I took my latest visit to the Clarksburg Primanti's location where I met up with best friend and college roommate Kayla (and that new baby!) to espouse the greatness that is the french fry salad.

One possible origin for the salad, as noted in Serious Eats’ culinary history of Pittsburgh, is Jerry’s Curb Service, a drive-in originally located just north of the city, which claims that "on a fateful night in the early 1960s… a customer placed a rather unusual order — a steak sandwich, hold the bun, add fries and salad dressing." Donna Reed, Jerry’s wife, made a version for herself but "placed her sliced steak, fries, and salad dressing atop a fresh bed of lettuce." Jerry’s however, simply calls this "staple in the restaurant industry" a "Steak Salad." Like any restaurant dish whose highly convenient origin story involves a quirky customer order or a chef/owner’s inventive use of constrained ingredients — see: the negroni, the Caesar salad, Buffalo wings — the tale is hard to definitively disprove, but of course, no one really knows (Eater).

This Primanti's location is fairly new, and modern - like most of the branch locations. A nice open area, dark colors and the same humongous sandwiches (and french fry salads!) that the area has come to love.

So, I ordered the Sirloin Steak Salad with Fries - seasoned strips of sirloin steak, house salad mix, tomato, chopped egg, roasted peppers, bacon, crumbled and creamy bleu cheese and housemade croutons.

The salad came out on a humongous plate with a flat grilled beef amalgamation covering the bed of iceberg lettuce, slivered tomatoes, red onions, and not-quite-crispy fries. For the most part, I'm super into this salad. I feel like it's reasonably healthy with a bit of indulgence. The nice salty fries make for a tasty combination with the creamy dressing and crunchy veggies. It's a classic of the Pittsburgh area, and I know some friends who even specifically seek out this dish at restaurants. Gotta try it - at least once!

Grade: B

The Davis/Thomas area is one of my favorites, and when I went there recently to do some research for an upcoming column, I walked along East Street in Thomas (one of the coolest streets in the entire state) taking in all the amazing shops.

There are some great artist galleries like The White Room Art Gallery, Lamplight Gallery and Creature (which I have fallen in love with). I also gotta mention nearby Davis has the WV Highlands Artisans Gallery, which is also great. There's Three Castle Antique and the Christmas Shoppe & More. There are also a bunch of shops that cater to all your foodie needs.




Thomasyard is a florist, with garden and gifts, and also has lots of specialty food items - chocolates, fresh produce, wine, cheese, crackers, cookies, honey, apple cider, apple juice, apple butter, apple sauce. Plus, yummy samples and popcorn!









Riverfront Antiques has West Virginia wines - and tastings! - in addition to other local novelties.

And, then, I stopped by the smallest church in 48 states because why not! :)

So, I have a soft spot for Americanized Chinese food -- I always will. That first bite of an eggroll in Pittsburgh as a kid opened my eyes to a whole different world of food ... one that didn't exist in Wellsburg at the time.

So when nearby Follansbee got New Hong Kong, I was ecstatic that some sweet & sour chicken, eggrolls and General Tso's chicken were at my fingertips. And, yes, I understand there are other dishes besides these ultra artificial ones -- but let's be honest, we're not going for authentic here. We're going for tasty. It's sweet, sticky, comforting and makes me happy.

They have your typical dishes: chow mein, foo young, sweet & sour chicken, lo mein, beef & broccoli, General Tso's, Sesame Chicken, etc. You know, what you'd expect from a standard Chinese joint.

They have a dine-in area, as well. This came in handy when I wanted to meet up with Kaitlynn on Christmas Eve to exchange presents. We came in, browsed the menu overhead, and I decided on one of their specials: honey chicken.

And, it sounds overly sweet, salty and everything I wanted. Perfect. We walked around to the back, sat at one of the booths and awaited the food. A few minutes later, we were presented with tasty dinners - and this is perhaps the first time I've seen their food on real dishes and not just the plastic take-out containers.

Fried hunks of chicken tossed in a sweet sauce? I mean, it doesn't take much to make me happy. It essentially tasted like a diluted honey was coating the dish. I'm not complaining; it hit all the right spots. The eggroll on the side was just fine - a bit too crunchy on the outside, and no real exciting filling inside, but fine.

So, no, this is definitely not the best Chinese food I've had. However, bonus points for the fact that it's the only game in town. Also, I got exactly what I wanted, so how can I complain? Plus, I got to spend a portion of my Christmas Eve at a Chinese restaurant. It only seems fitting.

Grade: B