Favorite Friday - Stack'd

It's Favorite Friday! These are going to be so difficult because I have so many favorite places! However, hands down, my absolute favorite place to go is Stack'd in Shadyside!

Stack'd is very similar to Burgatory in the fact that you can create your own burger and they also have spiked milkshakes. However, I would describe Stack'd as more All-American food, whereas Burgatory is more organic, natural, and "different". Don't get me wrong, I love Burgatory from time-to-time, but there is just something about Stack'd. The atmosphere is laid back with friendly and attentive staff. Since it is in Shadyside, there is typically a younger crowd, but there are people of all ages every time we go. The main floor is fairly small with a few booths, low tops, high tops, and a small bar. Upstairs is much bigger with booths tucked back in their own space, high tops, a dart board, several other booths, and a large U-shaped bar. At a certain point of the night, the upstairs is 21+.

They have a fairly simple menu consisting of appetizers, wings, salads, and BYOS - Build Your Own Stack and everything is pretty inexpensive. Between Shaun and I we have had something from each category:

• Buffalo Potato Skins - Fire. Bacon, buffalo sauce, and cheese - need I say more?
• Fried Pierogies - Amazing. Highly recommend!
• Fried Potstickers - They weren't bad, I think we just like potstickers too much and have had better
• Wings - great, but if you want them crispy, definitely let them know
• Buffalo Chicken Salad - do not get if you are trying to calorie count - Stack'd with tons of toppings
• Fishbowls - we had the Long Island Iced Tea, but I can't imagine any being bad!

 

What keeps us coming back though is the BYOS. Oh, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake that I recently discovered. I can't get enough of it!

I'll take you through one of my BYOS.

Step 1: Meat I don't really eat red meat, so I always get the chicken which is always a very nice sized piece and super juicy. Shaun gets the Big Stack (3/4 lb) burger and it is also juicy.

Step 2: Bread I haven't strayed from the pretzel bun. I can't... I just can't.

Step 3: Cheese Provolone. Again, haven't ever strayed.

Step 4 Sauce. Here's where it gets tricky every time. There are so many.  From Blazin' BBQ to General Tso's to OMFG! there is a sauce for every palette (mayo, mustard, and ketchup too, of course!). I go back and forth between the Garlic Aioli and the Stack'd House Sauce which is like a chipotle sauce.

Step 5 Toppings. Again, so many to choose from. You have your basics, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. Then you have different toppings like Fritos and peanut butter. THEN you have the out of the box toppings like fried banana, fried pierogie, and tater tots. Lettuce is always a must on my sandwich. I've had other toppings like fried jalapeno poppers, Fritos, fried egg, bacon and Shaun has had chicken fingers and onion rings.

Then you can add a type of potato. I always recommend to add the curly fries. I feel like something is off with their ketchup.. I'm think it is not Heinz, so if you are picky like I am, I recommend getting a side of cheese or ranch dressing. The onion rings and old bay fries are also delicious!

It is so much fun to create something new each time! Some of my favorite combos so far are:

 

Ranch + Lettuce + Fried Jalapeno Popper

House Sauce + Lettuce + Fritos + Fried Egg

 

I highly recommend, no I insist, that you put Stack'd on your list of places to try! Make sure you let me know how you liked it!

 

Eat Well & Sparkle!

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel

I get so excited to open my mailbox and see that I received an Influenster VoxBox! It's like I'm a little kid on Christmas! This time I received one from Neutrogena containing Hydro Boost Water Gel.

 

#BehindTheGlow #Neutrogena

The product description from Neutrogena's website reads:

"Hydro Boost Water Gel instantly quenches dry skin and keeps it looking smooth, supple and hydrated day after day. The unique water gel formula absorbs quickly, like a gel, but has the long-lasting, intense moisturizing power of a cream. It boosts skin's hydration level and locks it in all day."

I have been using the Hydro Boost for about two weeks now. I discontinued using my regular skincare regime while testing this product. I will likely not repurchase what I was using previously and add more Neutrogena products. My skin is extremely dry, especially during harsh winter months. I have terrible dry spots throughout my whole T-Zone, but my forehead is the worst. Using only the Hydro Boost has decreased the amount of large dry flakes I typically have. I use the gel in the morning and I love the way my makeup goes on over it. I also use it before I go to bed at night, which makes my skin feel so soft.

I love the lightweight gel texture and that it doesn't leave any type of residue. It has a wonderful refreshing spa smell, but isn't powerful. Also, since it is a gel, less is more! It isn't heavy and is absorbed quickly into the skin leaving it feeling very refreshed!

Very light gel formula.

The lightweight formula glides on the skin.

I did look into other Neutrogena facial moisturizing products and noticed there is a Hydro Boost Water Gel for Extra Dry Skin, so I will be purchasing that in the near future. For people with Normal/Oily/Combination skin, I highly recommend the Hydro Boost Water Gel!

Would you like to receive complimentary products from Influenster too?! Sign up at www.influenster.com/r/830380 and follow all of the necessary steps!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

The Pub Chip Shop

As Lenten season is upon us, I'm sure we are all looking for delicious places to get fish, aside from local fish fries. I first learned of The Pub Chip Shop when I was searching for new places to eat on Yelp. After I read reviews and saw photos, I knew I had to go as soon as possible.

Shaun and I were out during the day and decided we wanted to try it out for dinner. As we almost got into the South Side we realized it was Saturday night and knew this wasn't going to be good. We drove around looking for parking while we were entertained by the sights we saw. When we finally spotted a parking space on the street, Shaun went to back in and I saw a man doing push ups on the street. At that point it wasn't worth it, so we left. A few weeks later we were finally able to get there earlier in the day for dinner. I couldn't believe I waited so long - I can't even explain how good it was!

Since it was my first time there, I had to go with the classic fish and chips. Unbelievable! You definitely get your money's worth as the portions are huge. The fish doesn't taste "fishy" and it melts in your mouth. However, the breading is fried to perfection as well as the "chips". You know the fries that are soft on the inside, yet crispy on the outside? I couldn't get enough of them!

Shaun got the banger (English sausage) and chips. He LOVED the breading, but wasn't quite a fan of the actual sausage. He wouldn't say that it was bad, it just wasn't for him.

The only downside is that there is very limited seating. I haven't taken my food to-go from here, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. Everything is fried so perfectly that I would definitely recommend eating it there!

Pines Tavern - Valentine's Day Dinner

Shaun and I typically don't celebrate Valentine's Day. However, we do love food so we decided to try a new place for dinner. Since we don't make anything big of the day, I told Shaun to find somewhere and keep it a secret for some suspense. He picked me up from work and it felt like we were dating again... I loved it! We started driving north toward Gibsonia. We drove and drove, through back snow covered roads. When he said we were coming up on it, I looked to my left and saw a sign and screamed with excitement "Pines Tavern!". We had done an event with Pines Tavern at work, so I KNEW this was going to be amazing. Shaun was so surprised I knew of the establishment.

From the moment we walked in until the moment we left, we were extremely impressed. Thankfully we had an early reservation, so we were seated right away. The restaurant filled up quite fast soon after we got there.

The hostesses were extremely friendly and cheerful, which is always nice to be greeted with people who seem to love their job! Our server was quite possibly the sweetest I have ever had at any restaurant. She was extremely attentive to us and knowledgeable of the menu. You could hear her excitement with every table she was at.

After we were seated, we started with drinks. They have an extensive beer list, so my husband chose one of their selections and I got the winter sangria. The sangria was delicious and hit the spot.

 

We decided to start with the Baked Pull Apart Blooming Bread, which was very good. The bread was warm and soft inside, yet had a crisp edge. It was garnished with bacon and chives and the cheese was melted in the cuts of the bread, so there was cheese on every bite. Highly recommended!

 

 

I got the Lobster Bisque and my husband got the Snapping Turtle Soup. I loved the lobster bisque. I am not sure if there was a choice between a bowl and cup, but I got a bowl.. it was a huge portion. There were large pieces of lobster and the base was rich and creamy. My husband liked his soup, but was indifferent to the spice that took over the taste.

For our meals, I got the crab and shrimp ravioli and my husband got the filet migon. He ordered it medium, but when it came out it was more like medium well. Not to worry, because it was seasoned very well and was flavorful. By the time my meal came, I could hardly eat anything else. I did have one ravioli and it was so good and even amazing heated up the next day! There were nice sized pieces of shrimp and the crab was plentiful. The sauce it was in was creamy and complimented the dish well.

 I couldn't even look at the dessert menu because I was so stuffed, but we left extremely happy. I highly recommend this restaurant for a nice romantic dinner or even a small family gathering. There were so many other items on the menu that sounded so delicious, so I can't wait to go back!