A Very Busy Monday Traveling from Ohio to Pittsburgh to Charlotte

On our way back to the Pittsburgh airport from Ohio, we had time for one more restaurant. Instead of grabbing something in the suburbs, we made a quick trip to the Strip District of the city to pick up some lunch to go from the Caribbean/S. American inspired restaurant Kaya.  We ate some of our lunch/dinner in the car and some at the airport. As a result, we didn't realize we missed the box of toppings for our burger until we had already eaten it!! Oops!

Very tasty black bean dip and tortilla chips

An almost completely eaten burger.

We found the egg that belonged on the burger, just missed the lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

I forgot to take a picture of the fish tacos because I was distracted by trying to keep it all from falling apart. I thought they were really good, but Colin thought they had a strange taste to them.  He really enjoyed the burger and the black bean dip. I thought it was all delicious!

After a jam-packed 3 day trip, I had to get back on the road after our flight from Pittsburgh. So my Monday consisted of a 2 hour drive from Ohio to Pittsburgh, an hour flight to Raleigh, about an hour at home to unpack one bag and re-pack another bag, and then a 3-hour drive from Raleigh to Charlotte for a 2-day training! As you can imagine, it was an exhausting day. But, I was glad to see our friends in Pittsburgh and Ohio and meet their families!

Thankfully, the training in Charlotte was enjoyable and I met people from all over the country.  We ate a delicious dinner at the farm-to-fork restaurant Harvest Moon Grille. There were about 8-9 of us at dinner and most ordered something different off their always changing menu. I really enjoyed my pasta with vegetables and prosciutto. But the highlight of the dinner was the cheese platter with whey crackers and local red pepper jelly. The local cheeses, a brie and cheddar from Chapel Hill Creamery, and a blue cheese from a farm in western NC were AMAZING! Coupled with the red pepper jelly and the crackers, the combination was divine. Several of us at the table enjoyed it so much, and when we asked for a little more red pepper jelly to finish off the cheese, the wonderful server was so kind to have the kitchen add more cheese to our platter as well.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable dining experience which I highly recommend to anyone in Charlotte.  I didn't want to pull out the camera and take pictures, so you will have to imagine the beautiful display in addition to the delicious food.

The second day of training (Wednesday) ended a little early, providing me with some time to visit with my college roommate and friend, Michaela.  Her youngest child, 6-month-old Noelle was born around Thanksgiving and I had yet to meet her.  She was so precious, happy, and calm, even after getting her vaccinations at the doctor!  We all enjoyed a tortellini dinner, filled with story-telling and smiles. My favorite part was when we all got to share what we were thankful for.  I will always be grateful for my friendship with Michaela and the ability to visit with her and her family fairly often.

I was also thankful when I arrived back home Wednesday evening, after 5 days away.  I spent the next 3 days enjoying a somewhat normal routine before getting back on the road again!  More on that trip another day. Stay tuned!

What are your favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh and/or Charlotte, NC?