Breakfast with Elvis at Dozen Cupcakes

They hit it big with a cameo on Sex and the City. An invasive species, they traveled coast to coast in a reproductive whirlwind. They've been touted as symbols of Creative-Class-style economic development (and angst). By god, they've even got their own blog.

I'm talking about cupcakes, and there's no one better than James Gray to discuss these diminutive delights. Owner of the Squirrel Hill bakery Dozen, James was one father of Pittsburgh's cupcake renaissance in December 2006.

Dozen sits on Murray Avenue near the intersection with Forbes in the heart of Squirrel Hill. On opening day last year, three people were waiting in Dozen's tiny foyer to buy cupcakes... or at least, that's what James thought. He couldn't see the line of people snaking around the block to get a taste of Pittsburgh's newest baked good.

Those lucky customers were the first to experience Dozen's country-cool store front, which features old-fashioned egg beaters among its simplistic decor. Dozen manages to be intensely cute without being frilly. It's a testament to James' more swanky culinary past and to the benefits of starting a new kind of business here in the 'Burgh.

"We aimed for a home-style feel in the bakery and in the food," said 33-year-old James, who opened the bakery instead of becoming an English teacher. "We want Dozen to be a inviting place where everyone feels comfortable."

Dozen's claim to fame is its innovation in cupcake flavors, which take draw from confection classics, breakfast cereals, happy hour, potpourri and celebrity combinations. As we discussed how Dozen got its start, James offered me my choice of the day's flavors. Up for adventure, and of course, second breakfast, I went for the Elvis: a banana cupcake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with peanut butter buttercream frosting. I'll admit, I was skeptical, but I have learned enough to know that you can usually trust a baker. True to his namesake, Elvis was a hit.

Dozen features more than 20 other chart-topping flavors weekly, like lavender lemon, ganache-covered Mint Meltaway, Cosmo (cocktail, not Kramer), and key lime pie. Dozen's rotating menu is posted online and is updated seasonally. Just imagine what they're doing with holiday flavors like pumpkin and pecan when they get the chance.

But even with these unique flavor combinations at his disposal, James comes back to the basics. Premium ingredients are the basis of any great baked good, and Dozen doesn't scrimp. For instance, bakery's goods feature a variety of top-shelf Nielsen-Massey vanillas, the exact selection determined by the vanilla's role in the recipe. You can even see tiny flecks of vanilla bean in James' classic vanilla buttercream (check out the photo above, courtesy of Matthew).

"Our most popular cupcake is vanilla with vanilla frosting," he explains, "and I'd have to say that it's my favorite, as well. There's something pure and timeless about a simple vanilla cupcake, and that's what Dozen is all about."

Dozen Cupcakes
1707 Murray Avenue
Squirrel Hill

Eating Well on the Cheap n'At

My taste is filet mignon, but my budget is Steak'ums. I keep a secret list of Pittsburgh restaurants to try - near-mythical places like Eleven and Le Pommier. But since I like to eat out more often than once every six months - that's how often my parents visit - I'm always on the lookout for cheap and tasty eats. So when I saw a PG article on a new guidebook on low-budget eateries in Pittsburgh, I grabbed a copy. Once I read it, I had to meet the authors.

Gail Nesbitt Jones and Marsha Dugan Kolbe met me last month to discuss their tiny masterpiece, Where We Like to Eat n'At. This spiral-bound volume contains profiles on 57 distinctive area restaurants that will spark conversation but won't break the bank.

Where We Like to Eat n'At features Pittsburgh classics like DeLuca's, Tessaro's, Pamela's and Ritter's, but it also goes off the beaten path. Take Marsha's favorite pick, the Monterey Pub in the Mexican War Streets. You won't find this Irish pub in any guide books, and you'd probably never drive up Monterey Street looking for a restaurant. It's the kind of place you only learn about on an inside tip, and it's exactly what the authors were trying to find: neighborhood joints where locals go to enjoy conversation and a friendly atmosphere.

As Gail put it, "The places we included all have decent and affordable food, but more importantly, they are all uniquely Pittsburgh." That means that you won't find any chain restaurants in the book, but it also means that you're in for a whirlwind tour of some of Pittsburgh's lesser-known neighborhoods and suburbs. For instance, according to Gail, Bob's Garage in Blawnox pulls off astronomical levels of tackiness that you've just got to see. Marsha doesn't think anyone should miss the pristine Boston Waterfront, hidden on the banks of the Youghiogheny in McKeesport. And I wholeheartedly agree that you must try My Brick Oven, an unassuming woodfire pizza shop on Banksville Road with an astonishing patio and herb-crusted wings that knock my socks off every three days.

So if you're ready to find new favorite restaurant that you will actually be able to patronize, you can pick up a copy of Where We Like to Eat n'At online or at many local bookstores. Rumor has it that some adventurous types are even getting their copies autographed by staff at each of the 57 eateries profiled. Best of all, it's only $10, which even I can afford.

And if you're not convinced, heed to the wise words of Gail and Marsha: There's no excuse for eating at the same places all the time, and there's no excuse for not exploring the city you call home.

Now get out there!

Caffe Intermezzo: Snob-Proof Gourmet Coffee

Lauren and Matthew visit Caffe Intermezzo, a coffee shop in the Strip serving Intelligentsia coffee.

“Can I please put your macchiato in ceramic?”

That little sentence started it all. Matthew is, of course, a coffee expert, and he even used to run his own coffee business. Now, it’s rubbing off: I’m becoming a bit of a coffee aficionado myself. At first, I couldn’t tell the difference between the watered-down swill that comes out of the machine at work and Matthew’s French-pressed Costa-Rican fancy-schmancy super-roast. A few months later, I’m having heart palpitations over my mom’s instant coffee granules. This is a real moral challenge for me, since I’m already in danger of becoming a total snob.

So when Matthew ordered a macchiato at Caffe Intermezzo in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and was greeted with the question above from owner Lucas Shaffer, I could tell right away that he was intrigued. After all, for most people a macchiato is a caramel-coated Starbucks confection, not a concentrated shot of espresso marked with a touch of foamed milk.

Lucas’ wife Alexis pulled the shot with care, grinding the beans, cutting and compressing the grounds by hand, inspecting the finished shot for quality and topping it with a tiny dab of milk foamed moments before. Matthew’s eyes sparkled.

Thirty-year-old Pittsburgh boomerangs Alexis and Lucas Shaffer have opened a real gem in their Strip District location, a tiny coffee bar that’s intimate, approachable and completely snob-free. Their menu is simple: a classic selection of hot and iced espresso drinks, drip coffee, gourmet teas and coffee-friendly nibbles.

Caffe Intermezzo serves Intelligentsia coffee, which Lucas proudly calls “the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.” Intelligentsia is a direct-trade coffee company that works with individual growers to find the best sustainably-grown coffee in the world. The company works equally with the coffee shops who sell its wares, providing training, education and assistance to ensure the best-possible espresso.

“Coffee’s just like wine, olive oil or cheese,” said Alexis. “You can get it just about anywhere, but some is definitely of higher quality. Our hope is to help people recognize when they’re getting a coffee that is truly spectacular.”

And whether you’re a coffee snob or you can’t tell really good coffee from crude oil, Caffe Intermezzo offers a punch-card that rewards you with a free drink after 10 visits. Don’t be surprised if Lucas and Alexis encourage you to try a new offering with your no-risk freebie—that’s one of their signature moves.

“We’ve had plenty of customers who just drink drip coffee or cappuccino or something else, because it’s what they know they like,” explains Alexis. “They don’t want to spend money on something they’re not sure they’ll like. The punch card program gives us the opportunity to educate people about coffee and expand their horizons. Frequently the new drink we suggest as the freebie becomes a customer’s new regular drink!”

And it’s really that attitude, one of sharing and conversation and community, that makes Caffe Intermezzo so unique. And best of all, even after a handmade macchiato of my own, I am not a snob (yet).

Caffe Intermezzo
2048 Smallman Street
Strip District, 15222

… and a (sort-of) new second location
Frick Building
437 Grant Street
Downtown, 15219