The Beer Snob Visits the Cambod-Ican Kitchen

Mine and Beer Snob Sr.'s adventure last Friday night didn't conclude after we left Piper's Pub. Even after all of that dark beer from across the pond and an order of sausage rolls we were still hungry. He knew of some place on the South Side that served chicken on a stick.

The bartender at Piper's overheard our discussion and said to go to the Cambod-Ican Kitchen just down Carson Street. Our hunger needs were definitely satisfied. Beer Snob Sr. posted an interesting description of these events on a social media account of his that went like this:

Oh yes. He enjoyed it.

"There were legs all over the South Side Friday night, but my interest was kept by the breasts. The grilled chicken variety that is, covered in moon sauce and paired with seafood wontons at the Cambo-Ican Kitchen. After a good night of drinking the dark beer (you know the one I mean) with Beer Snob Jr. at Piper's, we found this place down the street. It looked like a live version of Craig's List inside as they were looking to fireplace mantels and looking to buy your used iPhones and iPods. Despite this secondary effort to make an extra buck, the focus was on the food. If it's 1 a.m. and you still haven't found someone to go home with don't go to Jack's. Go here and go home with a full belly and a smile."

I couldn't have crafted this experience into words any more perfectly. I can confirm that there were signs asking for used iPhones and iPods. I felt like I was in Apocalypse Now for a few minutes, but that might have been due to the Guinness I consumed just minutes before.

We initially just wanted the chicken breast with the moon sauce, but the guy at the register insisted that we pay a few more bucks to get it with more moon sauce and with seafood wontons. We agreed to the addition of wonton and moon sauce.

Remember the old SNL skit called "Food, Sex or the Car?"

What we got in return was rocked worlds. If you're the type of person that likes grilled meat with that perfect amount of charring, this is the place to go. The chicken was grilled perfectly for my taste, the seafood wontons were a delicious adventure and the moon sauce was heavenly. It tasted like a perfect combination of sweetness and saltiness. My guess is that it's soy-based.

If you're ever around this place. Stop in and get the moon sauce. It tastes like it can go on pretty much any oriental cuisine out there.

1,250 Wing Flavors. You Read That Correctly

A friend of mine took a trip to Johnstown over the weekend and sent me a link to a small place that produced more chicken wing flavors than your typical wing pub with a weekly wing special.

Your average place has anywhere from four to eight flavors to choose from. CK's Wings-n-Things has 1,250 wing flavors to choose from. It's been well documented that my favorite wing special and wings belong to The Library on Pittsburgh's South Side, but their selection of flavors and sauces in no way compare to what I found on CK's website.

Flavors such as "Hot Honey Garlic Ranch," Hot Sweet and Sour" and "Lemon Pepper Honey Mustard Ranch" make my mouth water just by reading them. I thought I was the genius when started mixing honey mustard sauce with ranch just a few months ago. Apparently someone has beaten me to it and went public already.

From what the website says there's just one stipulation at CK's. The food there is take-out and delivery only.

This place was immediately put on my bucket list. If any of you have been there or eventually get there before I do let me know. I'm definitely interested in seeing how good some of these flavors are.

If You Want Chinese Get to the Sesame Inn

A few months ago my dad brought home Chinese leftovers which I consumed like a vacuum once I dug into it. The dish was General Tso's Chicken. The source was the Sesame Inn in Mt. Lebanon.

Before I ate that, some of the best Chinese/Oriental cuisine I've had was from Me Lyng in Homestead. Up until last night it was a very even debate on which place cooked up the best Chinese food to its customers.

I paid a visit to the Sesame Inn at Station Square last night and was blown away, as I seem to be when it comes to food and beer. I started off my meal with a good beer, as I usually do, the choice being a Tsing Tao. That review is another story for another day.

A point I want to quickly make is that this place also served domestic beers aside from the few foreign ones. I just want to let you know that if you're the type that goes to a foreign restaurant and refuses to try the local drinks then you might not have a pulse. That never makes sense to me.

Anyways, there is a plethora of food on the menu. You can pick from any type of concoction such as orange, amazing, lemon etc. along with the type of meat/seafood you wish to enjoy it with.

That definitely isn't butter.

One interesting addition this place had on its menu that I've never seen before is the option of some Thai foods. Yet another reason to return to the Sesame Inn.

I went with the lemon chicken and was very pleased. When you get a chicken dish at your typical Chinese restaurant the chicken always looks the same. Not with this one.

My dish came out as fried chicken strips. You had to put the sauce on it yourself. The difference in taste was amazing. Make a note that not every meat dish is like this. The General Tso's I tried and my date's sesame chicken looked like you'd expect it.

Get to the Sesame Inn at either Station Square or Mt. Lebanon and try it out. Let me know what you think.