Food & Drink category, Page 68

Carmella Salem and Michael Alberter, co-owners of Carmella’s Plates and Pints on East Carson Street, South Side, know how to beat winter’s chill with a hearty bowl of homemade soup. They also know how to beat the competition in two out of four categories in the South Side Soup Contest,...

Pittsburgh might seem an unlikely epicenter for America’s education on South African wines, but that doesn’t faze Certified Sommelier and wine “translator” Adam Knoerzer. A Pittsburgh resident for the last nine years, Knoerzer in 2019 won the Wines of South Africa Sommelier Cup national competition in New York and then...

I sometimes joke and say that as a Southern cook, I use pecans like other chefs use salt and pepper. That is to say, on just about everything. I love pecans and every other nut because they add a crunchy texture and an earthy sweet — nuttier — flavor to...

Sitting down to eat this dinner will be about more than food for the body. It’s about feeding the spirit. The St. Joseph High School athletic association is hosting a fundraising dinner to support Eli Swierczewski, a senior three-sport athlete. The Harrison resident has been diagnosed with a recurrence of...

The new Big Burrito Group restaurant coming to Lower Lawrenceville will be a sister to the group’s Italian restaurant concept, Alta Via, with a focus on pizza. The details of the restaurant, tentatively named Alta Via Pizza, were announced by Big Burrito’s president and chef, Bill Fuller, at a Lawrenceville...

Cracker Barrel restaurants are known for hearty meals, folksy decor and front porch rockers. The New Stanton restaurant, at 154 W. Pennsylvania Ave., also is basking in a special accolade these days. Its parent company has declared the site the chain’s “Restaurant Store of the Year” for fiscal year 2019....

McKeesport Candy Co. hit the Clark Bar lottery. Only a select number of businesses were chosen by Boyer Candy Co. for distribution of the sweet piece of Pittsburgh history. Jon H. Prince, owner of McKeesport Candy Co. and candyfavorites.com, said customers won’t be able to buy the bar there, as...

Lower Lawrenceville will be the recipient of Big Burrito Group’s newest restaurant concept come early fall. “We’re working on the final details,” said Big Burrito Restaurant Group CEO Cary Klein. “As soon as we get zoning approval, we’ll be full-blast.” The restaurant group has leased the first floor space at...

Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food, an adult treat that harkens back to childhood. I never met a grilled cheese sandwich I didn’t like. Where I grew up, there was an old-fashioned drug store with a lunch counter. When the weather was good, my best friend and I would...

Somerset County will soon have a new distillery. By spring 2021, Maximilian Merrill plans to open Ponfeigh Distillery Inc. in Somerset Township. “This is a $3.4 million project,” he says. The distillery will be located along Stoystown Road, following renovation of a long-closed 84 Lumber site. “There will be a...

How about a few, new brews to warm up these gloomy February days? The Pittsburgh Winter Beerfest is once again being presented by Fat Head’s Brewery and will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center Feb. 28-29. Tickets are on sale now. Thousands of people will attend and proceeds...

They are as much a part of the taste of Pittsburgh as Iron City Beer, Primanti’s sandwiches and Heinz ketchup. The Clark Bar, with its crispy peanut butter and spun taffy core, coated in milk chocolate, is back. The bars are returning to Steel City candy stores on Valentine’s Day...

Primanti Bros. and East End Brewing are pairing for another beer just in time for Valentine’s Day. The new brew, “Almost in Love,” is to be released Tuesday morning at the Primanti Bros. restaurant in Market Square. Diners will be able to crack open cans of the chocolate-cherry stout flavored...

Veteran Pittsburgh chef Kevin Watson has launched his latest venture in Ross Township — Chef’s Table, which he dubs as the area’s “first restaurant with a heart.” Chef’s Table combines Watson’s generational African-American cooking traditions, love of herbs and spices, and influences from cuisines around the world to create healthy,...

Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is rescheduling its Soup’s On! event for April 18. Ticket holders who cannot attend on April 18 can contact the chamber office at 724-238-4200. One pleasure among winter’s chill is the enjoyment of comfort foods, perhaps chief...

Sauces, dressings, salsas, mustards, honeys, international ingredients. The selection of condiments at grocery stores has expanded dramatically in recent years. Some are hardly new, except to those unfamiliar with certain cuisines. Others are contemporary twists on classic products, or hybrids. Here’s an assortment of condiments that have nestled themselves happily...

If you are planning an Oscar viewing party, it’s crunch time. With the Academy Awards broadcasting at 8 p.m. Feb. 9 on ABC, hosts in need of libation suggestions might find it fun to pair a few of the nominated films with matching cocktails. Each year entertaining expert Mark Addison,...

East Carson Street’s Le Petit Chocolat & Cafe will look a little different by the end of February, adding an oasis of healthful eating options to the indulgent South Side. Le Petit currently offers several health-conscious, quick-bite items, but the menu is about to expand to what the owners, Amanda...

East End Brewing is hosting a “Crafts and Drafts: Date Night” on Saturday. Larder of East End, the brewery’s in-house restaurant, also will be open for dinner. Alternate Histories and artist Matthew Buchholz is co-hosting the event, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. “We talked about options and thought...

Eight Pennsylvania eateries made OpenTable’s list of most romantic dining spots in the country. One of them is in Pittsburgh. Altius, perched atop Mt. Washington, was included in the restaurant booking service’s 100 recommended places to dine with your date. But if you’re thinking of trying Altius on Valentine’s Day,...

Chatham University is creating a new baker training program combining practical instruction and education. The effort is a collaboration of its Center for Regional Agriculture, Food and Transformation and Community Kitchen Pittsburgh. A pilot cohort, expected to be a 12 to 14 week commitment, will launch in May. A $215,000...