Food & Drink category, Page 66
Irwin restaurant opens amid pandemic; state restrictions hurt eateriesVideo
Candy Zambo says it was just her luck that she tried to open a restaurant in downtown Irwin in midst of a pandemic. “I’ve wanted to do this. I’ve always loved the restaurant industry,” Zambo said, undeterred by the circumstances surrounding the opening of Candy’s Corner Cafe at 435 Main...
Big Burrito Restaurant Group reopens some locations
Chef Bill Fuller, president of Big Burrito Restaurant Group, has reopened restaurants Kaya, Soba and Umi. The nine Mad Mex locations in the region have stayed open during the pandemic, Fuller said Thursday, because of the Mar-GO-ritas, takeout and outdoor dining. The restaurants Alta Via and Casbah might open soon...
Greensburg Restaurant Week strives to provide ‘sense of normalcy’
Necessity is the mother of invention — or reinvention, in the case of this summer’s Greensburg Restaurant Week, running Monday through Aug. 30. “This Restaurant Week is less about an exclusive dining experience and more about driving business back to restaurants,” said Ashley Kertes, executive director of the Greensburg Community...
Owners of DiAnoia’s to open Pane è Pronto, a bakery and takeout spot, in Strip District
Pane è Pronto translates to “bread is ready.” Or in this case, almost ready. A new Italian takeout, bread and catering kitchen is planning to open by the end of September or beginning of October in Pittsburgh’s Strip District by the owners of DiAnoia’s Eatery and Pizzeria Davide. Located at...
Taco Bell to launch new Go Mobile sites in 2021 — with ‘bellhops’
Taco Bell is innovating again. This time, the Mexican fast food chain is planning new sites that take advantage of its mobile ordering app. Starting in 2021, the chain said in a press release it will open new smaller restaurants — called Taco Bell Go Mobile — which are 1,325...
Music and food return to The Palace for Greensburg Restaurant Week
The courtyard of The Palace Theatre in Greensburg has been quiet this summer, with the move of the Thursday TGIS concerts to the grounds of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. But live music — and food — will return during Greensburg Restaurant Week. The Westmoreland Cultural Trust, which operates...
Move over pumpkin spice, Primanti’s and East End Brewing bring back pickle beer
Primanti Bros. and East End Brewing Co. are bringing back their “Almost Famous Pickle Beer” collaboration. They hope the second serving is as good as the first. “Last year, it was bonkers how fast it went,” said Scott Smith, owner of East End Brewing in Larimer. “People came to the...
Champagne makers fix harvest quotas, as virus kills the fizz
PARIS — French Champagne producers decided Tuesday to put unprecedented limits on the quantity of grapes they’ll harvest this year in hopes of propping up prices and containing damage from the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, record amounts of grapes may need to be destroyed or sold to distilleries at...
Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice – tasty blend returns early this year
Is mid-August too early for pumpkin spice flavors to make their annual appearance? Not according to Dunkin’ and Starbucks. Fall products from Dunkin’ will be on the menu beginning Wednesday, their earliest-ever rollout. The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte will return Aug. 25, according to Business Insider. Are people craving cooler...
Family owners hope the public will gallop in to El Vaquero Mexicano on the Diamond in Ligonier
When a prime spot became available on The Diamond in Ligonier, Stephanie and Alfredo Hernandez knew they couldn’t pass it up, even during a pandemic. They’ve had their eye on it for awhile, hoping one day they would be able to open a restaurant in town after nine years of...
The Coop Chicken & Waffles opens brick-and-mortar spot in Pittsburgh
The Coop Chicken & Waffles, which operates a local food truck, on Friday opened a brick-and-mortar location in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Nicki Cardilli and her partner started with a food truck about four years ago. Business steadily increased every year, Cardilli said, prompting them to open their new location at...
Boyd & Blair vodka, rum both named best in worldwide competition
“Make that a double” has new meaning for Boyd & Blair spirits. Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries’ Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka and BLY Silver Rum have both been named the number one spirits in their respective categories by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, an annual evaluation and recognition of high quality spirits...
Pittsburgh restaurant closed for week after violating covid-19 regulations
Seven, a restaurant and nightclub in Downtown Pittsburgh, was ordered by the Allegheny County Health Department to close for seven days for violating covid-19 regulations. The health department’s report cited several violations of covid-19 mandates, including employees not wearing masks — a violation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandate for universal...
Pittsburgh’s North Shore restaurants endure summer without sports fans
Rico Lunardi opened the third location of Slice on Broadway, his local pizza chain in 2016 at PNC Park. He guesses he missed only five or six Pirates game nights since he opened the spot with a street entrance on Federal Street. “I will never be a professional athlete, but...
St. Clair Social gastropub opens at old Sharp Edge spot in Friendship
Friendship has a new neighborhood bar. St. Clair Social gastropub is open on South St. Clair Street in the former location of Sharp Edge, a pioneering craft beer venue that closed in 2018 after nearly three decades. SYN Bar & Taqueria + Pizzeria later operated in the space but closed...
Pittsburgh athletes get their fair share of food endorsements over the yearsVideo
If you drank the same soda as Mean Joe Greene, would you be able to strike fear into the hearts of 1970s NFL quarterbacks, too? It’s doubtful, but that certainly didn’t stop Pittsburgh sports stars from getting their fair share of product endorsements over the years. From Jaromir Jagr’s peanut...
Bill Mazeroski goes to bat for New Stanton’s Poulich Pit BBQ sauceVideo
Sitting on his neighbor’s porch having a drink, Angelo Poulich talked about marketing his barbecue sauce. His neighbor asked if there was anything he could do, such as use his photo or name to help promote the product. “I almost spit out my whiskey when he said that,” said Poulich,...
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week offers 2 weeks of dining delights
Discerning diners are in luck during the Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Summer 2020 edition, starting today. Many participating restaurants are extending their usual week-long special menus an extra week, through Aug. 23, to make them available to additional patrons and still abide by occupancy restrictions. Restaurants and their specials listed on...
Easy Thai-inspired dish has a slightly spicy edge
Here’s a taste of Thai cuisine. Peanut-flavored sauce with a slight spicy edge coats chicken for this quick meal. Skewers are filled with the chicken and vegetables. All that’s needed to complete this easy meal is to boil some noodles for a minute. Leave about ¼-inch between ingredients on the...
Selena Gomez takes the heat in new cooking showVideo
Selena Gomez is taking the heat in the kitchen. The singer-actress slices and dices in “Selena + Chef,” debuting Aug. 13 on the new HBO Max streaming service. The 10-episode series was shot in the kitchen of Gomez’s new Los Angeles- area house. Her grandparents and two friends, who have been...
Poached salmon, fresh vegetables make a perfect summer supper
Poaching salmon in white wine produces a moist, flavorful result. Broccoli, carrots and potatoes poached with the salmon add to the flavor and the resulting sauce. Sauteed grape tomatoes complete the dish. Helpful hints: — Cherry tomatoes can be used instead of grape tomatoes. — Use the same pan to...
Stale bread? Don’t throw it away; make this treat
Perhaps you’ve made loaves of delicious challah or sourdough bread during the coronavirus lockdown or picked up crispy baguettes from your favorite bakery. White bread is so amazingly good when it’s fresh from the oven; sadly it goes stale very quickly. Of course, leftover bread can be ground into crumbs...
Chef Kevin Sousa makes house calls with fancy meals
Many people slogging through the pandemic deeply miss going out to a fancy restaurant. While some are open at reduced capacity, the fine-dining establishment Superior Motors in Braddock is among those closed for the foreseeable future. So Superior Motors’ chef Kevin Sousa has decided if people can’t come to the...
Burgh’ers Brewery creates ‘Black is Beautiful’ beer, helps Urban League
The beer can reads: “Brewed to support justice and equality for people of color.” “I have been around a long time and I have seen a lot of things but I have never seen anything this strong on a product,” said Esther Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League...
Caliente Pizza & Draft House offers taste of camping with S’mores pizza
Pittsburghers who associate S’mores with camping, but haven’t been able to sit around the campfire this summer, can still get their S’mores fix at a local pizza restaurant. Caliente Pizza & Draft House, with locations in Aspinwall, Bloomfield, Hampton, Monroeville and Mt. Lebanon, has invented a gourmet S’mores pizza. While...
