Fine Dining: Pechins Firehouse

This ain't your mama's Pechin's cafeteria.

Obviously, my cousin Adam is a big fan. Pechin's praise on his Facebook is actually pretty common, but then again, anyone who's been there can and should agree with him.

Pechin's is known for its dirt-cheap cafeteria (among other things), but that was lost in the move from Old Pechin's to what was once a Shop 'N' Save. I think. Its residency was so short-lived, I can't be sure. But the point is that Shop 'N' Save couldn't compete with Pechin's and Wal-Mart, so when it left, Pechin's took the empty building. But instead of the cafeteria, we got the Firehouse restaurant.

Not only is the Firehouse nothing at all like Pechin's famous cafeteria, but it's actually one of the Connellsville/Dunbar area's nicest places. For once, Uniontown doesn't have everything.

True to form, I can't comment too much on the food because I order pasta everywhere I go. I can tell you that I enjoy their catering and I wasn't thrilled with their alfredo for some reason--I had that over a year ago, so I don't remember why--but their gnocchi is pretty great. Now, it's not on Meloni's level--Meloni's has achieved a level of perfection most can only aspire to--but it's probably your best bet if you're not venturing into Uniontown.

I also hear good things about their burgers and pizzas. Some say their fried zucchini is among the county's best, but my heart forever lies with Bud Murphy's there. Some also say their faces break out within hours of eating the zucchini. I say that's a small price to pay. God help me if I ever need to go on a restricted diet for health reasons.

Also true to form, I've never made it to try their desserts. But this is a close second.

Instagram comment from HGB: "Enjoy those black market strawberries and contraband milk products"

They were all out of fresh mint, so I couldn't get a mojito, but this strawberry shortcake cocktail is amazing. Goes kinda weird with gnocchi, but still, amazing.

Fine Dining: Nguyen's Dessert (Finally!)

Okay, truth be told, I crave Nguyen's sushi at least once a month. It goes something like this: my boyfriend will ask where I want to go eat, I get what I imagine is a stupid look on my face, and he says, "Nguyen's." Sometimes I accept my appetite's limitations and just get sushi and soup, which I love, and other times I ignore it and boyfriend's pleas of "YOU WILL NEVER FINISH THAT. YOU WILL BE FULL AFTER TWO BITES" and get pad thai. Except the one time I got the Saigon shrimp, which was good, but I miss my pad thai.

The advantage to not ignoring biology and my literal voice of reason, though, is that sometimes if I stick to sushi and soup, I have room for dessert. By "sometimes" I mean "this one time."

I made my boyfriend pick because I would eat every single item on that dessert menu without hesitation. They all sound delicious. He chose mango fried ice cream, which is strangely low on my list of preferred desserts considering my love of ice cream and fried food. I mean, Bud Murphy's fried zucchini has got to be the most unhealthy in the world, but that might be why I think it's the best.

Of course, mango fried ice cream tastes amazing. But one of my favorite things about Nguyen's is how damn pretty they make everything.

And how about some bonus pretty sushi?

This was the day I decided to branch out and try a roll other than my beloved cucumber. I believe the one on the right is the veggie roll, which has all kinds of stuff in it like cream cheese, tofu, and avocado and has kind of a sweeter taste and more substance.

The Nam on Twitter: Creative Snowmen

Thanks to HeraldStandard.com reporter Josh Krysak for this gem.

jktypist Snowman built in the bed of a pickup truck in Stewart Twp. http://t.co/aTfE9vaG 2/6/13 10:43 PM

Beautiful.

Fine Dining: Fiesta Azteca

My brother went out to Fiesta Azteca the other night, and since I haven't been there yet because I crave sushi more than Mexican and am a vegetarian, I said, "Hey, kid, write a guest post on it and do my work for me." Or something like that.

I am not a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, but I must say, my opinion of it may possibly be changing.

Saturday, I went to the new Mexican restaurant in Uniontown, Fiesta Azteca, in celebration of my girlfriend’s mother’s birthday and I was delightfully pleased. When you first walk in, the décor is reminiscent of Legends of the Hidden Temple’s set (and yes, there is an Omack painted on the wall much to my approval), but it was really nice and beautifully done.

As we were being escorted to our table, I started to become vigilant--very vigilant--for potential hidden Temple Guards. What made it worse: I didn’t have ANY pendants of life. Not even a half of one. Fuck.

We made it our table safely, Temple Guard free, and our meal started out with homemade nachos and salsa dip. I enjoyed the nacho chips very much, though not a fan of salsa, but according to the company I was with, it was good though a bit spicy for some to handle. For a drink, I got Modello, a Mexican beer, which is good especially if served with lemon or lime, preferably lime.

For the main course, most of us got quesadillas. Mine was filled with cheese, Mexican sausage, and beef and came with rice and lettuce with guacamole. It was absolutely delicious and very filling. I need to go on an empty stomach so I can grab dessert next time. Deep-fried ice cream anyone?

The service was excellent. Our waiter was hilarious--well actually, the entire wait staff was funny and friendly.

I personally would love to go on Cinco de Mayo, and it may or may not be because of some awesome specialty deals they have on beer and liquor that I cannot recall exactly, but exist none the less.

I look forward to my next visit very much. Hopefully it is soon.

The Nam on Facebook: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures Pt. II

Need a job? The prospect of being forced into working at Pechins got you down? Never fear! Bud Murphy's may be your saving grace. Especially if it means discounts on pizza and those beastly goblet-sized drinks.

Now, only time will tell which establishment results in the best stories of Fayette County's finest.

Behold Your King and Queen

In an interesting, coincidental turn of events, my dad and The Steel Trap's HGB were crowned Mardi Gras King and Queen.

I can only imagine the sorts of things my dad said, most likely things like, "My coworkers can't believe the stuff that happens here." Neither can Nam residents, for that matter.

PS: This blog made my dad text me while I was at work, asking for an explanation of "YOLO."

The Nam on Twitter: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Most who work at Pechin's end up forever changed. Best of luck, job hunters. May you have better prospects.