Where to Eat for Pittsburgh Restaurant Week? Start Here
It's a time for newcomers and those curious to explore a destination beyond their go-to favorites to try one, or several, Pittsburgh-area restaurants for a very reasonable price.
Photo by Heather Mull
The winter 2016 incarnation of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week is about to get underway. There are “preview” menus available at select restaurants on January 8-10 and then the week will run full-throttle January 11-17. At last count, nearly 70 restaurants have signed up to participate.
Participating restaurants typically offer a 3-course menu at a set price point, though some of the restaurants this year are offering 2-course menus or deals on specialty plates. Seasoned restaurant goers have mixed feelings about Restaurant Week, but it does offer newcomers and those curious to explore a destination beyond their go-to favorites an opportunity to try one, or several, Pittsburgh-area restaurants for a very reasonable price. The maximum price listed this year is $35.16 (with many restaurants offering lower price points), which is a terrific deal for a 3-course meal.
There are a few restaurants that I’d suggest adding to your Pittsburgh Restaurant Week itinerary: The Twisted Frenchmen in East Liberty has a 2-course menu ($35.16) that’ll give guests a chance to experience the modernist yet classically-rooted cuisine of the ambitious chef Andrew Garbarino at a significantly lower price than is typically listed at the restaurant. Kaleidoscope Cafe, a quirky and charming off-the-beaten-path destination in Central Lawrenceville has a 3-course menu ($35.16) that includes a salad course, main course with options such as Michigan chicken pot pie and salmon with cranberry beurre blanc, and three dessert choices; the chai bread pudding with cider cream cheese icing sounds especially good.
For a lower cost option, Union Pig and Chicken has a 3-course “Hawaiian Barbecue Menu” for $25.16 that features a poke bowl, a “Not So Classic Hawaiian Plate” (coffee-smoked pork shoulder, St. Louis ribs with pineapple barbecue sauce, macaroni salad, coconut kimchi and cornbread with macadamia butter) and a dessert of Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream and whoopie pie; a tiki cocktail pairing can be added for an additional $10.
––Hal B. Klein
PHOTO BY RENEE ROSENSTEEL
#Pittsburgh Gets High Ranking for Active Lifestyle
There's always plenty of talk this time of year about exercising more (and eating less), but it appears many Pittsburghers are already working hard at working out.
According to WalletHub, a Web-based personal finance company, Pittsburgh ranks fifth out of 100 large cities in its analysis of “Best & Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle.”
Pittsburgh finished ahead of cities that enjoy warm winter weather such as Tucson, Las Vegas and Honolulu.
The ranking is based on 24 metrics including the number of people who engage in any physical activity, average fitness club costs, the number of outdoor sports and recreation areas and sports leagues.
Here are the top five cities:
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Pittsburgh
––Richard Cook
photo via flickr creative commons
#‘Burgh Brew Brackets
What will our readers select as the best brew in the ‘Burgh? Pittsburgh Magazine invited local and regional breweries to submit a beer of their choice to compete in a bracket-style, readers’ poll tournament. Starting today, 16 locally-brewed beers are going head-to-head. Seeds for the tournament of 16 were randomly selected.
To cast your vote in round one, click here. We’ll let you know when subsequent rounds of voting begin. The winner will be announced in our March issue.
––by PM Staff
