Solera Wine Co.
4839 Butler St., Lawrenceville. solerapgh.com
Solera Wine Co. celebrates Chilean wines with a menu takeover. Join the recently opened neighborhood wine bar on Tue., Jan. 21 from 5-8 p.m. when winemaker Derek Mossman of Garage Wine Company pours “an awesome selection” from his vineyard in San Javier, Chile. Bottles will be available for purchase in-house or to-go.
Poodle Doodle Cafe
504 Larimer Ave., Larimer. instagram.com/poodledoodlecafe
Poodle Doodle Cafe, a pop-up cafe and family craft space, returns for its third event. On Sat., Jan. 25 from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m., experience a “morning of messy fun and creative magic” pairing family-friendly, age-appropriate crafts with cafe beverages and sweet treats for purchase. Started in October, the pop-up’s past activities have included coloring, painting, and decorating dioramas. The event is free. Follow Poodle Doodle’s Instagram for updates.
Millvale Market
524 Grant Ave., Millvale. millvalemarket.com
Millvale Market celebrates its second anniversary with beer, Italian treats, and a storewide sale. On Sat., Jan. 25 from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m., stop by the neighborhood grocery store to enjoy “a little nip of beer” from Two Frays Brewery, treats from a Sprezzatura pop-up, sandwiches, coffee, and more. The celebration also features live entertainment and discounts throughout the store.
Grand Concourse Restaurant
100 W. Station Square Dr., Station Square. grandconcourserestaurant.com
Experience the Roaring Twenties at Grand Concourse with a Bourbon and Bubbles event. The historic restaurant — formerly a railroad station in the 1920s — travels back in time on Fri., Jan. 31 from 6-8p.m. with “an evening of decadent libations, exquisite cuisine, and Gatsby-era elegance.” Guests partake in a “tasting experience” traveling between food stations serving chef selections including braised short rib gnocchi, jumbo shrimp cocktail, Korean octopus, charcuterie, and hand-rolled sushi. Pair the food with a special drink menu of bourbon libations and bubbly cocktails. The evening will also include live Gatsby-era music, with partygoers encouraged to “dress in their finest Gatsby-inspired attire.” Tickets cost $125 (includes tax and gratuity) and can be purchased through Eventbrite.
Dry January Specials
We’re more than halfway through the month, but the Dry January deals are still going strong (even if the drinks aren’t).
Pins Mechanical embraces “mindful drinking” with new zero- and low-proof libations. The Aperol Splash, the adult arcade’s take on an Aperol spritz, combines the orange aperitif with pomegranate, rosemary, lemon, and rose, all topped with an orange gummy slice. The low-proof Shroom Raider is an “earthy and indulgent mix” of mushroom coffee, Rumchata, Ancho Reyes, and chocolate mole bitters with whipped cream and cocoa powder. Fan-favorites return including the NA Smashing Berries (Lyre’s American Malt, blackberry, and mint), and My Little Mule, a spin on the classic mule with Lyre’s Dry London (a gin alternative), ube, winter citrus, and ginger.
The Dog Penn, Pittsburgh’s off-leash dog park and bar, rolls out a “mock-tail” menu of “bevs that will still make your butt wiggle.” Bring your dog and try the Watermelon Pawgarita (watermelon, orange, sparkling water, and lime) or the Barkberry Spritz, combining cranberry, lemon, sparkling water, and grenadine.
Barcelona Wine Bar celebrates Dry and “Damp” January with a line-up of non-alcoholic drinks. Offerings include a NA version of the restaurant’s signature Sangria, available by the glass or pitcher, and crafted using red La Naturel Zero. Bees and Bays was designed to deliver a “cocktail-like complexity without the alcohol,” and the “sweet, spicy, and citrusy sipper” mixes lime, salted honey syrup, and cardamom, all topped with sparkling water and garnished with torched smoky bay leaves. Tea Time refreshes Earl Grey tea by using its “tannic depth” to balance it with a tangy blueberry shrub, topped with aquafaba for froth.
Polska Laska
1100 N. Canal St., Sharpsburg. instagram.com/polskalaskapgh
Sharpsburg welcomed Polska Laska, a Polish cafe, on Jan. 16. As reported by Good Food Pittsburgh, owner Olive Visco first launched the business by selling homemade pierogis on Instagram during the pandemic. The new 18-seat cafe offers counter service, pierogis by the dozen, special pieorgis, and other Polish dishes including, spaetzle, cabbage rolls, soups, and cucumber salad for dine-in or take-out. Polska Laska is now open Wed.- Sat. from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Title 9
5997 Centre Ave., East Liberty. instagram.com/title9pgh
Title 9, touted as Pittsburgh’s first women’s sports bar, will open in February. The concept was developed by Square Cafe owner Sherree Goldstein and will be located directly next to the East Liberty restaurant.
Goldstein said in a press release she was inspired to open the bar after “see[ing] these incredible athletes finally getting the viewership they deserve.” Title 9 guests will be able to watch their favorite games at a full bar with eight televisions, garage windows open to the street, and a rooftop bar. The menu includes “some fun twists on bar food,” with crossovers from Square Cafe like tots and wraps, alongside snacks and handhelds with vegetarian and vegan options. Drinks including cocktails and mocktails will highlight local brewers.
Follow the Title 9 Instagram page for updates about pop-ups before the opening.
Wegmans
8000 Cranberry Springs Dr., Cranberry Township. wegmans.com
Wegmans, the grocery store with a cult following, has set its sights on Pittsburgh. The Rochester, N.Y.-based chain announced plans to open its first Pittsburgh-area store in Cranberry Township following “thousands of requests” over the years, according to a Wegmans press release.
The new Wegmans will be part of the Cranberry Springs development, adjacent to the UPMC Lemieux Sport Complex. A planned 115,000-square-foot store will feature “all the traditional departments Wegmans customers have come to know and love,” the chain said, including a produce department, seafood, meat, bakery, deli, and cheese options, along with wine and beer. Executives told TribLive they are eyeing late 2027 as an opening date and hinted at the possibility of more Pittsburgh stores.
Community Kitchen Pittsburgh
107 Flowers Ave., Hazelwood. ckpgh.org
Community Kitchen Pittsburgh won a $10,000 grant from the Jacques Pépin Foundation. Selected as one of 16 recipients nationwide and the only site in Pennsylvania, the grant will help the nonprofit “continue its mission” to combat food insecurity and provide no-cost culinary training and job placement to underserved populations in Pittsburgh, according to a press release. In addition to the grant funds, Community Kitchen will receive branded aprons for students and a group membership to the Jacques Pépin Foundation.
A press release from the Foundation, which supports culinary education, praised Community Kitchen’s “impressive curriculum” that incorporates food justice, and its community-based training. “We’re proud to support this impactful program and its commitment to creating pathways to success,” they said.
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2025.
