For the last week, I have been in the Pittsburgh area to help my Mom, who is hospitalized. On Sunday, I took a welcome break to visit the Penzeys Spices store.
You may have noticed their spices in my food prep photos. I have been ordering them for years. They are based in Wisconsin, but have a few stores in major cities.
Turns out the Pittsburgh store moved from Penn Hills to The Strip several years ago --- and now I know why.
Across the street is a sausage place.
And next door is a Middle Eastern Foods grocery.
And there are Steelers' vendors on every corner.
I'll get back to the Penzeys store, but first I must recommend Fortunes for coffee if you visit.
They roast their own coffee on the premises.
And have chocolate covered coffee beans in the gumball machine. 
Old tin ceilings and an excellent barista. 
My cafe au lait hit the spot.
So, back to the Penzeys store where the entire place is just spices and extracts.
Explanations and samples are available in jars for you to smell and so you can learn about the product.
These are cardamon pods.
Isabelle would have been happy to find this European chervil if she were still living in the U.S.
They are known for their varieties of peppercorns, and excellent pepper grinders. I checked them to be sure they were still metal grinders. Plastic grinders are subpar. I learned that from my Dansk days...
They also carry lots of dried peppers and ground peppers, including ancho while I like to use, but this is a new one I'll have to research.
And they carry lots of mixes that I don't use, but this one caught my eye. Could be a good gift for the Sharkeys.
This section of the store is the baking area. Gotta have their Ceylon Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract.
I put back the double strength and went with their single strength. They also carry Mexican Vanilla Extract.
Here's what $100 worth of spices looks like. I am smiling as I drive back to the hospital.
You may have noticed their spices in my food prep photos. I have been ordering them for years. They are based in Wisconsin, but have a few stores in major cities.
Turns out the Pittsburgh store moved from Penn Hills to The Strip several years ago --- and now I know why.
The Strip is located just over the yellow 16th Street bridge in Pittsburgh in an old warehouse district.
Lots of interesting old buildings and food purveyors and fresh produce and kitchen suppliers.
Here's the view looking toward downtown from the outside of the Penzeys door.
Across the street is a sausage place.
And next door is a Middle Eastern Foods grocery.
And there are Steelers' vendors on every corner.
I'll get back to the Penzeys store, but first I must recommend Fortunes for coffee if you visit.
They roast their own coffee on the premises.
And have chocolate covered coffee beans in the gumball machine. Old tin ceilings and an excellent barista. My cafe au lait hit the spot.So, back to the Penzeys store where the entire place is just spices and extracts.Explanations and samples are available in jars for you to smell and so you can learn about the product.These are cardamon pods.
Isabelle would have been happy to find this European chervil if she were still living in the U.S.
They are known for their varieties of peppercorns, and excellent pepper grinders. I checked them to be sure they were still metal grinders. Plastic grinders are subpar. I learned that from my Dansk days...They also carry lots of dried peppers and ground peppers, including ancho while I like to use, but this is a new one I'll have to research.
And they carry lots of mixes that I don't use, but this one caught my eye. Could be a good gift for the Sharkeys.
This section of the store is the baking area. Gotta have their Ceylon Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract.I put back the double strength and went with their single strength. They also carry Mexican Vanilla Extract.
And I bought their two new chili mixes for Tom-- 3000 and 9000 --- so he can experiment with them in his chilis.
Plus I always buy something new, that I have never used before. This time it was Zatar.
Here's what $100 worth of spices looks like. I am smiling as I drive back to the hospital. fyi - Penzeys website is http://www.penzeysspices.com/.
