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| - YUM. My mom and I had gone to the History Center for the "Pittsburgh Treasures" event and were heading out of the Strip to go to one of my favorite brunch places, Coca Cafe. As we cruised down Smallman Street, we noticed the new market and glimpsed some table seating. I was curious to see what they had to offer and the lack of a line appealed to my grumbling tummy.
I got a free meter spot right out front and we walked in one of the open garage doors. The store is nicely arranged and the cafe area is airy and inviting. The menu looked good and the prices not unreasonable for similar type places. I ordered the sweet polenta with dried fruit and slivered almonds and, because my eyes were bigger than my stomach, a side of eggs over easy with some potatoes. My mom went with the brioche french toast with cinnamon butter and maple syrup. I had a few bites of hers and it was nicely done and very tasty. I loved my polenta. I'm not sure exactly how they made it, but it had a distinct cinnamon flavor and what I thought was a taste of orange. It was sweet, but not too sweet, so the fruit was just the perfect addition and not too much. The eggs and potatoes were perfectly fine, though I think they could season up the potatoes a bit more. The coffee was drinkable, which is saying a lot coming from me. Mom had tea which appeared to come in a hand-filled tea bag. They lose huge points for serving it with a hot cup of water rather than a lidded pot to avoid heat loss. She was away from the table when it arrived, so I promptly put the bag in the water and used the saucer for a lid. Mom, nonetheless thought it was a good cup of tea, so that's the important point.
The woman who took our order at the cash register was very friendly and pleasant and the subsequent table service was good. I will definitely come back here when I find myself hungry in the Strip.
We did wander into the store to see what they had to offer, and I echo the sentiments I've read from others--extremely overpriced and limited selection. I don't shop at Whole Foods, but if they're not beating their prices then that's a serious problem. I did note that they had a lot of gluten free products, which might be a reason to go if you'd like a wider variety of options than you may find elsewhere. There were a number of interesting items that I haven't seen elsewhere, but I would never do any "regular" shopping here. They may do well to focus nearly exclusively on unique specialty products that other similar groceries don't carry, or lower some of their prices for more staple options.
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