SQUARE CAFE
I would venture to say the Square Cafe has the BEST coffee mugs in the city. Heavy, with a comfortable handle and they hold A LOT of coffee. In addition to their spectacular coffee mugs and coffee, the food ain’t that bad either.
Square Breakfast: If you want what mom or dad used to make, try the classic eggs (your choice of preparation), meat (or soy sausage), potatoes, and toast. If you are feeling particularly hungry sub in pancakes for the home fries and toast or get BOTH.
If you want what you wished mom and dad would have made, try the cranberry and turkey crepes. Thanksgiving with a French twist (Ooo la la). The cranberry chutney is sweet and tart
and a perfect fit for this dish.
KAYA
When I’d rather start the (middle of the day) with a Vampiro Bloody Mary, I head to Kaya. The drink, made with grapefruit and tequila, is a spicy concoction that screams WAKE me up!
I follow that up with the Chilaquiles: the mix of the gooey Chihuahua cheese, crispy chips, spicy Chorizo sausage, a sunny side up egg and chunky salsa. I want to order it every morning. It never gets old.
Kelly O’s Diner
A newer member of the restaurant family in Pittsburgh, Kelly O’s Diner, formally JoJo’s restaurant, was a pleasant surprise — and even more so once I feasted on my first
breakfast. I found I had too many choices and not enough empty stomach.
So I went with the crab-nasparagus omelet, topped with hollandaise served with home fries or shredded potatoes, and Mancini’s toast. The hollandaise was just the right consistency and provided the perfect dipping sauce for the eggs, asparagus, and potatoes. Then the bread became the scooper for it all. I left feeling satiated and satisfied.
E2
This quaint eatery with local fare changes their brunch menu based on the availability of ingredients. The beignets, though, are available weekly. They are doughy, pleasantly powered with sugar, and come out of the kitchen warm and ready for popping into your mouth.
If it’s on the menu, I recommend the polenta with red pepper and egg. The polenta soaks up the
pepper sauce and egg quite nicely. And what the polenta doesn’t sponge, the side of toasted ciabatta bread will. The roasted red pepper sauce provides just the right amount of tang to the dish without over-powering it.
To spice things up we asked a Pastry Chef and community member, to give us a recipe for a healthy chocolate treat with aphrodisiac properties to share with on Valentine’s Day.
Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup egg substitute
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon hazelnut liqueur
- 1/2 cup 1% low-fat buttermilk
- 1 1/4 ounces dark (64% percent cocoa)
- chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; sift or stir well with a whisk. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined and smooth (about 3 minutes). Add egg substitute, beating well. Beginning with your dry ingredients, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to granulated sugar mixture, fold in chocolate with liqueur and vanilla extract. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with muffin cup liners. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center or until wooden pick
inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar/cocoa mixture for an extra chocolate-y finish.
