Food & Drink category, Page 65
Small breweries take advantage of liquor laws to create ‘Pennsylvania Loophole’ beer
Small breweries, like so many other businesses, have been hit hard by the health and safety restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic. Those who don’t have the means of selling their beer beyond pints and growlers are in an especially difficult position. “We’re just a small, family-owned brewery with a two-barrel...
Tako restaurant coming to Bakery Square in Pittsburgh’s East End
Taco lovers can soon get their fix at a new East End location. A second Tako restaurant is opening in Bakery Square in Pittsburgh. It joins the Downtown venue owned by the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group. “We are really excited to have a Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group restaurant,” said Gregg...
Hard seltzer remains an ‘it’ drink
I know I am revealing my age when I say that the last time I remember an alcohol craze like this it was wine coolers. I was barely scraping legal when they were super-hot in the 1980s, but I knew there was an “it drink.” The most recent “it drink”...
‘Ultimate’ mac ‘n cheese uses 4 cheeses, crumbled cracker topping
My love of certain cheeses is no secret in this test kitchen, yet I’ve never had much interest in cooking that ultimate comfort food, mac ‘n cheese — well, except for the lobster mac ‘n cheese recipe I shared in April. That’s one great dish. Yet when I stumbled on...
Enjoy these spicy wings this Labor Day weekend
These sweet and spicy chicken wings are baked in the oven and then crisped under the broiler. It’s perfect for the upcoming holiday weekend or anytime. I separated the drumettes from the flats for easier serving. Microwaving the potatoes for the potato salad shortens the cooking time and means there’s...
Taco Bell removing 5 more menu items including Mexican Pizza, but adding some, too
The bad news is Taco Bell is removing five more menu items — in addition to the dozen announced earlier this summer. The good news is the chain also is adding two things and says it won’t revamp the menu anymore this year and teased there may be more “plant-based...
Food Fights Club offers monthly challenges, Pittsburgh dining discounts
Food Fights is cooking up some friendly competition among local restaurants. The new online subscription club will offer exclusive member discounts and host competitions to determine the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. The initiative was created by Diana Rua, a 25-year veteran of the service industry and event producer of Pittsburgh...
Graeter’s Ice Cream hosts ‘Cones For The Cure’ fundraiser for pediatric brain cancerVideo
Six-year-old Elena left notes in her mom’s briefcase and her dad’s backpack. There were many written messages from the little girl before she died from brain cancer in 2007. “She hid some between books on the bookshelf, in the corners of our dresser drawers or between dishes in the china...
Here are some Pittsburgh-area outdoor dining spots to try as summer winds down
Summertime restaurant discussions almost always include a spirited debate over the best outdoor dining spots. In a year when half of Americans have canceled summer vacations, however, it seems appropriate to explore restaurant patios that do more than just provide fresh air. This list gives a nod to Pittsburgh-area restaurants...
East End businesses create Pittsburgh survival kits of beer, coffee and more
Survival is a word that packs a lot of meaning in these covid-addled times. That notion is behind an initiative involving five small businesses in Pittsburgh’s East End: the East Enders’ “Survival Kits.” East End Brewing, Prohibition Pastries, Commonplace Coffee, Kelly’s Bar & Lounge and Barmy Soda Co. are providing...
Chef and writer J. Kenji López-Alt cooks up a kid’s book
NEW YORK — Pipo is a young girl in a new book for kids who insists that pizza is the best food on Earth. Prompted by her mom to prove it, Pipo goes across her neighborhood testing alternatives: tagine, red beans and rice, bibimbap and dumplings. Her new conclusion: Pizza...
What to do with all that squash? Slice it, dice it, bake it, fry it
Most gardeners, from beginners to old pros, plant summer squash because it grows fast and can be harvested early and throughout the growing season. It’s the vegetable plant that keeps on giving. It is close to peak harvesting season for gardeners. That means many have too much zucchini, crookneck or...
Almond flour substitutes in healthier chocolate chip cookie
It can be tough to maintain healthful eating habits in stressful times, when the snack you hanker for probably begins with “chocolate” and ends with “cookie.” Chef Nicole Burgess offers some help through a recipe she developed for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, observed Aug. 4. Burgess, the pastry chef...
Twisted Thistle, Lingrow Farm to host farm-to-table dinner in Gilpin
Two Leechburg-area businesses are partnering to present a rural farm fresh dining experience. The Twisted Thistle in Leechburg and Lingrow Farm in Gilpin will host Farm 2 Table, an al fresco supper event on the grounds of Lingrow Farm on Saturday. “The primary reason that Twisted Thistle ever opened was...
Wiz Khalifa bringing delivery-only restaurant to Pittsburgh
A macaroni and cheese dish called “Mac and Yellow,” a “Taylor Gang turkey burger” and “blazed ends” brisket meal — all homemade dishes designed by Pittsburgh’s own Wiz Khalifa. And they’ll be available Oct. 1 when the multi-platinum recording artist opens Hotbox by Wiz, a chain of delivery-only restaurants coming...
Animal Friends to benefit from sales of BrewDog beer showing adoptable canines
Cheers to your furry friends. Scottish craft brewer BrewDog has teamed locally with Animal Friends in Ohio Township as well as Gigi’s Shelter Services in Ohio to showcase adoptable dogs looking for forever homes. The brewery created Street Dog and Street Dog AF (alcohol free), beers of its Punk IPA...
Brookline’s Menuette reinvented as Oak Hill Post
Brookline’s refined diner, Menuette, had a false start earlier this year, but its second chance comes starting Wednesday as a revamped, quirky and casual spot called Oak Hill Post. Much of Brookline sits atop the 1870s caverns of the Oak (coal) Mine, making “Oak Hill” a natural nickname for the...
Restaurant gambles on Jeannette location, surviving the pandemic
Seeing signs of revival and renewal in downtown Jeannette, Matt and Christine Kuhns picked a Clay Avenue site for their new restaurant venture. The 520 Bar & Grill opened in November, taking its name from the street address. Things went well for the first few months. “We were building up...
How to grill chicken so it’s juicy with charred (not burned!) skin
I grill bone-in chicken the way the tortoise runs the race against the hare in Aesop’s fable: slow and steady. Cooking this way over moderate heat ensures a winning chicken dinner. If you start out too fast and set the chicken over intense heat to try to grill it quickly,...
Better burgers are about the blend
There was a time when I liked burgers based mostly on their toppings. I might order a Swiss cheese and bacon burger, or one topped with blue cheese and caramelized onions, and that, I thought, was where the flavor was. Then I realized I could make my own burger blend...
Potato-crusted tilapia is best prepared in nonstick pan
I tried to make potato-crusted fish once before and it was a disaster, with the grated potatoes sticking much more to the pan than to the fish. I don’t remember if this was the recipe I used, but lesson learned: This seems surer to work in a good non-stick pan....
Shake up quarantine routine with easy-to-make garlic-based pizza
Ordering out for pizza more often during the pandemic? Here’s a pizza that you can make at home and takes only minutes to put together. It has a creamy, garlic sauce and is a nice change from tomato-based pizzas. This recipe calls for a thin crust pizza base you can...
Tarentum’s Hometown Restaurant closed, victim of pandemic restrictions
After over 25 years in business, Tarentum’s Hometown Restaurant has closed. Rebecca Coy owned and operated Hometown Restaurant. She spent 25 years waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get to the restaurant before breakfast at 6 a.m. She made everything, from breakfast to salad dressing. “Everything was homemade,”...
Monroeville restaurants struggle with covid restrictions
Layoffs, sickness and changing rules — it’s all part of the game right now if you own a restaurant or bar. In Monroeville, these types of businesses have been hurting. For some, it’s been tempting to scrap the ever-changing rules and regulations to follow their own. But most have chosen...
2 Pittsburgh-area restaurants closing: Larder of East End and Mt. Lebanon’s The Fairlane
Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene continues to endure losses as Larder of East End and Mt. Lebanon’s The Fairlane will close their doors permanently this weekend. Larder is a collaborative venture between chef Justin Severino and his partner Hilary Prescott, and East End Brewing Co. owner and head brewer Scott Smith. The...
