The people who settled Western Pennsylvania were a resourceful lot, making use of everything at their disposal and wasting nothing. Those characteristics are still present in residents here today. The first settlers in this area faced a savage wilderness. They were isolated; they warred with the native peoples they were displacing; and their lives depended upon scratching out an existence from the untamed land. Most of
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In 2003, CBS News ran a segment on a California wine called Charles Shaw that was selling phenomenally well. The reason? Prior to the report, Charles Shaw’s Shiraz had beaten out 2,300 other wines to garner the gold medal at the Annual International Eastern Wine Competition. The wine was pretty tasty and cost a mere $1.99 a bottle. When CBS spotlighted the inexpensive wine, its
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In 1955, a butcher shop opened on East Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Sixty years later, that same shop can now be found nestled at the intersection of California and Termon Avenues in Brighton Heights. Tom Friday’s Market has been going strong for decades. The current owner, aptly named Tom Friday, is the third generation of butchers from his family. The store is founded on
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Everyone talks about the California wine country, but for oenophiles and those who just like a nip of the grape every now and then, you don’t have to travel all the way to the West Coast for a fun and an informative day of visiting wineries. Pennsylvania is the fifth largest producer of grapes in the country and is ranked seventh nationally in the number
Read the Full Article →It’s enhanced more hamburgers than Hamburger Helper. With French fries it has formed as perfect a union as peanut butter and chocolate, and it’s made the inedible edible. What is this marvelous, miraculous substance? Why, it’s none other than Heinz Ketchup, the taste loved ’round the world. Pittsburgh’s Henry J. Heinz Henry J. Heinz, the son of German immigrants Frederick and Margaretta (Schmit) Heinz, was
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Before making a visit to The Wooden Nickel in Monroeville, I looked at their menu and prices online. While the entrees looked to be top shelf, the cost was somewhat more than this frugal diner is accustomed to spending. “Is it a value?” I asked myself, as I often do. In order to find out, it’s off to The Wooden Nickel. Located at 4006 Berger
Read the Full Article →As it seems that every culture likes soup, soup may be the lingua franca (common language) of the culinary world. Pittsburgh is fortunate to have two remarkable cooks, Linzee Mihalcin and Sara Raszewski, who speak soup language better than anyone else. The women are the owners of Soup Nancys, and their business has been “piping hot” since they arrived on the scene at the Pittsburgh
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For decades, Pittsburgh has been known as a “shot-and-a-beer” town, but that reputation may be changing as more people are turning to wine for their alcoholic beverage of choice. More wineries are opening in the area to accommodate this changing palate. Wine consumption is increasing all over the nation. According to the Wine Institute, consumption was up 5.4 percent in 2010 over 2009, with each
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When tough times come, where do you turn? If you live in Pittsburgh, there are numerous charitable and community services ready to help. One of our favorites is the Rainbow Kitchen Community Services, founded in 1984. The Steel City is no stranger to economic turmoil. In the 1980s the bottom fell out of Pittsburgh’s industrial base when the steel industry collapsed, displacing thousands of workers
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The sign outside the restaurant read, “Our Reuben Sandwich is good enough to go to jail for.” Ridiculous? Silly? A bold marketing ploy? Well…it is said that each legend holds a kernel of truth. The Reuben Incident While in the process of committing a few, what might be considered “minor” crimes, a man entered Seib’s Pub one day and sat at a table. After receiving
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