Dig in With Graver: Cruffins, Cheesesteaks and Clementine’s
New Year’s resolutions were made to be broken — and then remade.
DRIFTWOOD OVEN. PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
I tried, I really did, but my New Year’s resolution to eat healthier dropped faster than the ball in Times Square.
I was strolling (I mean, jogging!) through Lawrenceville when I got a craving for a cruffin.
On weekends, Driftwood Oven on Butler Street bakes a different iteration of the croissant-muffin mash-up. In the past six months, flavors of the Frankensteined desserts have ranged from apple pie, lemon poppyseed and berry parfait to PB&J, pumpkin cheesecake and peppermint mocha.
Unfortunately, my cruffin craving occurred on a Tuesday. I made a vow to return for my sweet treat on a Sunday — and then I (obviously) ordered a slice of classic cheese pizza to get me through the week.
My willpower was also challenged by a sign in front of Little Tony’s Mini Mart on Ross Street Downtown. It advertised a hot sausage sandwich lunch special. After chewing it over for a few seconds, I walked in and placed my order. They had just sold the last link!
Once I regained my professional composure, I asked for a cheesesteak with grilled peppers and onions and white cheddar cheese sauce on a six-inch Breadworks hoagie roll. Wrapped in foil, it kept me warm during the walk back to my car, tantalized me from the passenger seat on the ride home and was gone mere moments after I snapped an obligatory picture of my meal.
Little Tony’s, which opened in 2023, bills itself as the original Pittsburgh bodega — a place where you can grab a quick lunch, a cup of coffee, a pack of smokes or a lottery ticket. You’ll also meet a lot of friendly people there. Before I left, I was cracking jokes with the staff and admiring a fellow customer’s beautiful photography, which is much better than mine.
Another promise I made to myself was to cut back on buying coffee every time I leave my house, but, at this point, my resolutions are breaking like a Kit Kat bar.
I was at The Block Northway in McCandless, putting groceries (including probiotic tea) into my trunk, when I saw what looked like a large, rectangular orange looming above the packed parking lot. I took this as a sign to get more Vitamin C.
Turns out the strange object was the Clementine’s Coffee trailer; I took this as a sign to buy a latte. A lot of shoppers felt the same way and we all made a beeline for the rolling fruit at the same time.
Despite the freezing temperatures, I ordered two iced lattes, although they can also be prepared hot. The iced versions are served in sealed plastic cans, so you can save them for later and even juggle them without spilling a drop. I had a Banana Brulee with espresso, white mocha syrup, mocha drizzle, milk and chocolate cold foam and a Let’s Get Toasty, a combination of espresso, toasted marshmallow syrup, mocha drizzle, milk and toasted marshmallow cold foam. Downing both of them in rapid succession should keep me going well into 2027.
The multitude of flavored syrups — which are used in the dirty sodas they sell as well — are housemade with certified vegan pure cane sugar and no artificial dyes.
The inspiration behind Clementine’s Coffee is Clementine Blackham, a local girl who was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation and underwent chemotherapy and a life-saving bone marrow transplant in 2023. Through the mobile business, her family raises money and awareness, hosts events (including a holiday toy drive benefitting UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s hematology/oncology inpatient unit) and assists others in need.
Reading that humbled me and got my health-related goals back on track — but I’ll definitely spring for a Clementine’s Coffee each time I see that adorable orange trailer. My fellow latte lovers should resolve to do the same.
