I rarely turn down Italian food, so when I was asked to go to Esta Esta last week I happily accepted. I had never been to the Italian eatery in Monroeville, PA, and wasn’t even aware of it’s existence.

I had never ben to El Burro before, but had heard good things. “It’s the first real Mexican food I have had since moving to Pittsburgh,” I overheard at Get-Go while filling my tank with gas.

If you haven’t heard of GoodFellas, you’re not alone. Nestled in a small business district on McCague St., the bar/eatery attracts local clientele with it’s reasonably priced drinks, and excellent homemade food.

When I came upon Peace Love and Little Donuts in Monroeville, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The name threw me a bit, and the building was oddly shaped. I had to investigate.

There are no shortages of Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh. Most of them are good and serve traditional, uncomplicated fare. Pizza, hoagies, subs, and antipasto salads are on the menus. These dishes are designed to be served to lunch customers that are in a rush, and need to get back to work quickly. Down the alley from the club is one such restaurant, Villa Reale.

Drew’s Family Restaurant has been serving the Pittsburgh area for over 100 years. Located at 2060 Ardmore Boulevard, the semi-famous eatery is well known for serving homemade, quality food. We arrived early in the morning for breakfast on a Wednesday, and the place was bustling with a hungry breakfast crowd.

There’s a large selection of burger places in Pittsburgh, and I’ve tried them all. It’s difficult to mess up a hamburger really- all you really need is a good ground meat mixture, proper seasoning, and the right cooking technique.

When it was suggested that we go to Noodles and Company in Monroeville, I was skeptical. It was the middle of the afternoon, and I didn’t want pasta, but something lighter. Turns out, the restaurant has a large selections of light, fresh salads as in addition to a vast selection of pasta.

The Waterfront is always bustling with hungry diners on Saturday night. This particular evening, it was a balmy 91 degrees in the shade, so we weren’t surprised that there were plenty of outside tables available at Uno Chicago Grill.

Growing on the west coast, I became very familiar with authentic Mexican food. After relocating to the east coast, I was surprised that there were so few choices when it came to getting good carne asada, or soft-shelled tacos. In hopes of getting some good Mexican grub, I visited Gran Agave at the Waterfront with my family this weekend.