DE
SI
the
ON
MOMOS ARE LARGE DUMPLINGS WITH A VARIETY OF FILLINGS SERVED STEAMED OR FRIED
DRINK YOUR VEGGIES {BY REBECCA NUTTALL} Juice Up 412 isn’t just trying to capitalize on the increasingly popular juicing trend. The East Liberty establishment’s mission is to bring juicing to those who might need it most: individuals in low-income communities with little access to fresh foods. “When I travelled to other urban areas, seeing health-food stores in other black neighborhoods, I wanted to be able to have something like that here,” says Majestic Lane, one of the venue’s owners. “When you look at the health disparities, to me it’s a no-brainer that we want to give people healthy alternatives.” But getting people who are unaccustomed to health foods to embrace juicing is a special recipe, one that combines increasing awareness of the benefits and making the drinks taste appealing. To that end, Juice Up 412 offers group demonstrations to educate the community about juicing, and also takes its juice mission to demos at local schools. “People have to remember fruits have natural sugar and natural flavors,” Lane says. “So by combining fruits and vegetables, we’re able to provide a high-quality taste and maximum health benefits.” The menu at Juice Up 412 includes: the Green Machine (Granny Smith apples, grapes, spinach and lemons), Orange Sunrise (oranges, carrots and lemons), Blush (beets, carrots, and ginger), and Aloe Zinger (aloe juice, lemon, lime and ginger). Prices for a cup range from $4 to $6.50. RNUTTALL@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
124 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty. Open Mon.-Sat., 11a.m.-3 p.m. www.juiceup412.com
the
FEED
It’s a sign of spring: the annual Farm to Table conference. Meet local farmers and purveyors, attend lectures and demos, nibble at the food tasting, and generally get excited to begin the eat-local-eat-fresh time of year. Fri., March 21, and Sat., March 22. David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. For info and tickets, see www.farmtotablepa.com.
A NEPALESE
JOURNEY
{BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
H
IMALAYAS RESTAURANT in Cran-
berry is a marriage of Indian and Nepalese cuisines — literally. A pair of doctors, one Indian and the other Nepalese, dreamed of starting a restaurant, but the necessary time investment led to the business becoming a family affair. The night we visited, a cousin was serving while a sister served as chef. The friendly, family-run ambience was palpable and most welcome on our first foray into Nepalese cuisine. (The menu features plenty of Indian dishes, too, but we were there for a Nepalese dining experience, and managed to sample nearly everything on the Nepalese list.) This was the first time in a long time that we found ourselves navigating a menu without any frame of prior experience. But our convivial server was a worthy guide, sharing both general knowledge about Nepalese food (vegetables are always cooked; salad is anathema) and specifics about Himalayas’ recipes and preparations. As geography might suggest, Nepalese cooking turned out to be recognizably
{PHOTOS BY HEATHER MULL}
Butter chicken with rice and garlic naan
related to that of both China and India, with the spicing leaning heavily toward the subcontinent. For instance, Himalayas’ chow mein — a dish of thin noodles sautéed in a sauce with super-tender morsels of dark meat chicken — looked like a Chinese stir fry, but the flavor was completely different from Chinese chow mein. The sauce that unified the ingredients was savory and slightly sweet, with just a hint of chili-based spice.
HIMALAYAS 20445 Route 19, Excel Center Plaza, Cranberry. 724-779-4454 HOURS: Tue.-Sun. lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner Tue.-Thu. 4:30-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4:30-10 p.m.; Sun. 4:40-9 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers and soups $4-8; Nepalese dishes $6-11; Indian dishes $11-16 LIQUOR: BYOB
CP APPROVED Our starters were more reminiscent of India, but a number were nonetheless distinctive. For instance, the interior of a samosa was bright green from mint
blended into the creamy, mashed-potatolike filling. Vegetable pakora — fritters — were the best we’ve had at any restaurant, Indian or otherwise, with just enough batter to hold together just-cooked vegetables and chopped greens. Best of all was the texture, with well-fried, crispy crags formed by the rustic mix of ingredients. Strips of chicken and paneer (cheese) came coated in a chickpea-flour-based batter that was puffy and golden, like beer batter; some had a reddish hue that suggested a dash of hot sauce had been added. Hot sauce came on the side with a bowl of noodle soup, allowing us to customize the fieriness of its flavor. The broth, though aromatic with fresh herbs, benefited from the salt as well as the spice of the mixedin sauce. A staple of Nepalese food is momos, large dumplings with a variety of fillings served steamed or fried. Chicken is a standard version, and the vegetable selection at Himalayas changes according to the mood of the maker. We found the wrappers to be exceptionally tender, like CONTINUES ON PG. 18
NEWS
+
TA S T E
+
M A I N F E AT U R E
+
MUSIC
+
SCREEN
+
ARTS
+
EVENTS
+
CLASSIFIEDS
17