PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACE BREWING

Remember in June 2023 when I reported on Trace Echo, Trace Brewing’s new satellite location in Uptown that doubles as Ghost Coffee Collab’s official haunt?

Well, allow me to repeat myself.

Trace Echo and Ghost Coffee Collab will open Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Miltenberger Street. The 120-year-old building once housed Stutz Pharmacy (you can still see the hand-painted sign for “Cut Rate Drugs” above the door) and, later, a beer distributor.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACE BREWING

History repeats itself, too.

The renovation project’s taken longer than expected. During the downtime, Trace bartender Ted Kondrich was able to hike 2,197.4 miles from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail. But it was worth the wait.

Designed by Epic Development, the 800-square-foot space has a simple elegance to it: large windows, wood furniture, tan booths, hunter green walls, crown molding and a long, tile bar that runs nearly the entire length of the taproom.

Local woodworker Hanna Dausch of Han Studio created a one-of-a-kind piece that hangs behind the bar.

“My style is very mid-century modern and I wanted to give this space a nod to a mid-century take on an old pharmacy — keep the history of what it used to be but also make it modern and familiar, a place you walked into and felt like it was always your neighborhood bar,” she says. “I also wanted to include components of old time ‘traditional’ bars which is where the idea for the mirror came from. I love a bar with a mirror along the back, it makes the space feel bigger and more alive with people. The old timey bar features, combined with the history of the pharmacy in my mid-century style, make what you see behind the bar at Echo today.”

The shelves hold brass knickknacks, a nod to Trace’s Bloomfield site, which was built in 1910 as a foundry. Neon accents are another design element that echo the Little Italy location and add futuristic flair to the historic structures.

Two years ago in Bloomfield, Ghost Coffee Collab took over the cafe operations. Redhawk Coffee, Trace’s original caffeine partner, now has a beautiful Uptown space at 1715 Fifth Ave.

Ghost co-owner Riley Moon says now that the company has its own designated space and state-of-the-art equipment, they can focus more on educating customers about their exotic products. Ghost’s Paolo Melendez recently took home third place at the Guatemalan National Barista Championship in Guatemala City and his winning beverage will be in rotation at Trace Echo.

There are 12 taps pouring beer, coffee and kegged libations from Goodlander Cocktail Brewery. Pittsburgh Winery products, cider from A Few Bad Apples and Pennsylvania-made booze will also be available. Since Rolling Rock beer was first sold and distributed a few blocks away from Echo, the taproom will serve pony bottles of the lager.

The building, which has two apartments upstairs and a small outdoor area, is located in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood. It’s within walking distance of Duquesne University and PPG Paints Arena, which is gearing up for hockey season. Parking can be tricky, but there’s a covered bus stop and bike lane in front of the building.

In addition to neighboring restaurants, including Uptown Kitchen, guests can soon get grub from Trace Echo’s food partner Sahar’s Food Lab.

In November 2023, Sahar Roofeh and Jeremy Paterson launched the pop-up and started making the rounds at local breweries, including Trace in Bloomfield. The menu rotates every six to eight weeks, but doesn’t highlight a particular region or genre.

“We call it a lab because everything we make is a product of experiments, accidents and genuine scientific play. The goal is imaginative flavors derived from the depths of ‘What if?’,” says Roofeh, who was born in Iran and grew up in New York City, where she attended culinary school and met Seattle native Paterson. They moved to Pittsburgh two years ago.

Each menu offers a variety of both meat and plant-based options inspired by every corner of the globe. While Roofeh’s Persian background influences her cooking, her passion for the craft was developed in the Big Apple.

Sahar’s Food Lab is booked at other spots throughout the winter and will intermittently pop-up at Echo until a permanent schedule is set in the spring. The pair are excited to branch out into weekday lunches and weekend brunches.

“As new arrivals to Pittsburgh, we’re still learning the city, and running a food truck has been a great way to do that,” Roofeh says. “We’re hoping that our menu’s diversity and enthusiasm for culinary exploration will reflect and enhance the complex history and population of Uptown. When we mention Uptown, it’s surprising how many people don’t know where it is. We’d like to help change that.”