The Happy Wanderer

Review - La Casa - Restaurant in Shadyside

La Casa, at 5884 Ellsworth Avenue, is a Tapas and Wine Bar with a richly layered sense of charm.  A Koi pond bubbles in the back patio.  The interior is a romantic burgundy and even the waitress had a Spanish accent and a smoldering flair to her hospitality.

On Saturday, September 27th, I ordered four hot tapas dishes to share with the Travel Boyfriend.  We had chorizo sausage mixed with steamed spinach, stuffed zuchini, potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce and chicken spring rolls.

The spring rolls were delicious, but not much different from a chinese style roll.  However,if you want stand out quality and new flavors, the complimentary bread was warm, soft and came with a sweet, thick balsamic vinegar drenched in olive oil.

The four tapas filled us up.  The price was reasonable for the exotic amount of choices and the appealing atmosphere.  Individual plates run from 4 to 15 dollars.  Main courses are closer to 20 to 25.

I would recommend La Casa for a romantic interlude or an internationally flavored adventure.  They are open for dinner Sundays through Fridays.  Saturday they serve both dinner and lunch.  You can visit their website or contact them at 412-441-3090

Sights to See at the Shadyside Arts Festival

Artistic talent sometimes runs in the family, especially for the family of Dave Rizzo Studios.  The dad displayed elegant, heart-achingly beautiful sculptures while his daughters sat nearby and drew.  The older girl, Kristen, is already a professional, selling her designs for a dollar.

This is Kayte Strong from Nashville.  She traveled up to Pittsburgh to share her relaxing music with us.  Katye has a gentle way about her.  As people bought her CD's, she was genuinely nice to them.  Not fake nice.  Then when the paying customers left, she went right on being fun.  Chatty and sweet, I wanted her to sell lots of music.  That way she'll bring her sunshine personality back to us very soon.
I'm particularly proud of the Shadyside Arts Festival.  After all, it is MY main street.  I live just three blocks away.  Normally this view would be full of cars cruising through to find parking spaces.  Walnut Street is always popular with it's up scale stores and eclectic dining opportunities.  But once a year we turn ourselves into a Bazaar and everyone floods our streets to buy new treasures.

We even have chicken street vendors during the festival!  When I've been to New York City, I've seen snack stands everywhere.  On Walnut Street we have one hot dog vendor who sets up for a few hours on Saturdays during nice weather.  So it's a treat for me to see someone grilling chicken in front of our freshly painted tree mural.  I just had to snap a picture.

And there you have it, chicken, a sweet singer and children artists.  Just like I promised.  This may be one of the last outdoor activities I chronicle for a while.  A Festival of Lights here and a Autumn celebration there, but mostly I'll be featuring indoor events for a while.  I hope you're ready to get cozy with all the holidays coming up.  This Happy Wanderer intends to celebrate with all kinds of cool weather enthusiasm.