if you haven't seen the newest youtube trend - spinoffs of "sh*t girls say" you must check them out, i'm sure there is one out there geared to your profession (i know of 3 geared to the advertising agencyers!).  Anywho, this one about things Chicagoans say definitely struck a chord, since that's where a's love of BYOB restaurants all started!... too funny

We're Back!  Sorry for the delay, school ending, busy work, out of town and a little crowd surfing at the Weezer concert kept us from BYO-ing!

But we're back with a really great review of Cafe Zhino.

Place: Cafe Zhino
Date: 6/29/11
BYO'd: The Shepard Sauvignon Blanc
Corkage Fee:  $5 total for wine bottle

BYO Buzz: All around EXCELLENT

Atmosphere: Super cute - think it was an old garage renovated into a tiny little restaurant.  We sat outside - sidewalk by street and enjoyed the great weather.  There is something about chilled white wine and a restaurant patio the screams summer to us.  I took a peek inside and it was tempting since it was so homey and quaint, but ultimately the  gorgeous weather won in the end.    (i mean we do live in Pittsburgh, gotta make use of those weather days when we get them!)

Service: Fantastic - great delivery of the specials (we fully bought into the Figs stuffed with bleu cheese and soup of the day - chilled melon)  and our server's recommendation to "chase the fig with our melon soup". 
They also went out of their way to split everything on separate plates for us (we went halvsies on everything this time because we couldn't decide on one thing and it was a great idea!)  Take a look at this menu and tell me if you could pick just one.

So this place has a Mediterranean feel right, but then, out of nowhere, cornbread.  And, not just any cornbread, like the best I've had.  It was a very pleasant surprise. We give it 2 corny thumbs up    :) 

Bleu cheese stuffed fig with a balsamic glaze coupled with a cold melon soup.  The way that these two dishes of opposite taste and distinction work together is like a promotion of world peace.  If a fig with both tart cheese and glaze works so well with a sweet mouthwatering cold soup, can't we all just get along?  And now that we've got you thinking so deeply, let us ask you another plaguing question.....What the heck is the difference between a fig and a date?

Wild mushroom ravioli with an amazing zesty tomato sauce, when going halvsies, three a piece.  We could have had 12 each. With a sauce so brightly orange we wondered if perhaps carrots might have been involved?

Think this picture sums up our feelings towards the main dish (and wine).  You know the dish is good when you barely talk while eating it.  Although not actually pictured, this is the second appearance of the cornbread.  We didn't feel embarrassed swiping the remainder of sauce up with my cornbread, L is the President of THE Clean Plate Club and A is the VP.

Lavender cheesecake with a berry and vanilla glaze.  In the words of Ned Flanders it was "scrumditaly-umptious".  Our rationale for getting this dessert was the pure fact that it had lavender in it and we needed it to help us get to sleep later that night.....like the whole bottle of wine wouldn't do the trick.  (L was out by 9 o'clock that night, A made it to 9:30)

L might be the President of the Clean Plate Club, but A is the President of the Empty Bottle Club.  Together they have co-founded the CPAEBC otherwise known as the......uhh see above :)

What a lovely surprise "The Shepherd" was.  From the Napa region and flavorful, yet light, this was a not too sweet with a tad more than a hint of tart wine.  Went great with all of our selections and warm sunny day.  I'd definitely buy this wine again, a good white (for A anyway) is kind of hard to come by. I could try to guess the fruit -ish flavors, but i'd be making it up... lets just say it was emptied quickly.

Have you ever felt a little less than classy carrying the evening’s brews in your purse?
Maybe you decided not to go with the forty in the paperbag this time.
Maybe it’s more of a small bag/clutch kind of night. 
Maybe you’re worried about a purse full of beer/wine and a wet phone should you be trying to run in the rain while wearing flip flops (we've all attempted that one, 50/50 chance of a fall) while carrying your precious cargo in your bag of the day.
You never can tell.

Fear not, as a gift from my mom (she knows me too well) solves the problem. Enter the “wine purse.” This stealth cylinder can hold 1 bottle of wine or 2 bottles of beer under the guise of a fashion accessory.

Complete with it's own opener (we can't be left waiting for a server to stop by! Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands) and "seat belt" for your beverage

In the lovely “snakeskin” model… may your adult beverages be safe.

My mom purchased this one from a store in Stow, OH, but a little googling led me to this site and of course, the greatest website ever for finding something - amazon.com also carries them.


-Ashley

Place: Smiling Banana Leaf (Highland Park)
Date: 4/27/11
BYO'd: 1 bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin + L's bottle of cab
(the cab somehow went unopened...although it was a school night)

"Bottom Line": Great week night spot, value, tasty, and just enough spice

For our "company kick-off" / launch of first BYO review, we thought it would only be fitting to choose a lovely, close to one of the "Head Quarters" of BYOBurgh, and of course, have it be BYO.  Smiling Banana Leaf fit the bill on all accounts.  Located in HP, delish and won't put a dent in your "i need new summer shoes" budget.

Long members of the SBL fan club, typically a run down for quick take out, but for this special event, We chose to dine in.

Atmosphere:The recent renovations from late 2010 make the tiny space very welcoming, light airy and with a modern feel.
Service: Wonderful!

Appetizer: Fresh Spring Rolls with Chicken, comes with a sweet peanut sauce

Definitely fresh, enough to share for two, and sauce to finish it off

Entrees:
L (Left): Tom Yum Soup with Noodles and Veggies(carrots, broccoli, onions, celery, scallions, and baby corn) Medium Spice. 
YUM is right! It was very tasty and the right amount of spicy that made you want to keep on eating it. (If that makes sense.)
My new favorite Tom Yum in the 'Burgh.

A (Right): Green Curry, Medium Spice.  Great flavor of curry mixed with the coconut milk, good amount of chicken, broccoli, beans and eggplant.  Cooked so it melts in your mouth.   Plus leftovers for the next day!

And everyone's favorite part - the Wine!
Gnarly Head's Old Vine Zin

We won't claim to be wine snobs, in fact we just discussed over our dinner how much of the choice when shopping for wine falls greatly on the label (note to wine makers, invest in some good graphic designers), name, and of course price.

I think this bottle recently sold for the under $9.99 range at our local Wine & Spirits on Penn Circle.
It was good, easily drinkable, not a ton of flavor, but went well with our choice of the Thai Food spice level.