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Sewickley Valley Historical Society
200 Broad St., Sewickley. sewickleyhistory.org
The Sewickley Valley Historical Society travels back to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with a lecture and culinary event. On Wed., Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m., join the A Bite of History event featuring “a light dinner of 1893-affiliated food fares and delights.” Attendees are treated to a mini-lecture and displays, then assemble a plate of food that debuted or was served at the historic World’s Fair, which, as Devil in the White City fans know, also included a notorious serial killer. The fair food menu includes hot dogs, Cracker Jack, Cream of Wheat, Hershey’s chocolate, and more, along with “a few special items” for guests to take home. Tickets cost $17.49 and advance registration is required.
Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
The beginning of November marks the Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos), a Mexican holiday where friends and family gather to honor departed loved ones through food, drink, and celebration. Pittsburgh celebrates with festivities across the region.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust kicks off a week of Día de Los Muertos celebrations with a special Ofrenda Happy Hour. Taking place at the Greer Cabaret Theater on Thu., Oct. 24 from 6-9 p.m., the event and cultural celebration is hosted in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Create ornaments for two “mural-like” community ofrendas, altars that commemorate loved ones. Enjoy a taco bar, signature Mexican- and Latin-inspired cocktails, and “lively beats” from DJ Mateo Mattos. The event page notes that the happy hour is “more than just a gathering” and invites the community to “share stories, and toast to life, memory, and connection” in appreciation of Día de Los Muertos. Tickets cost $10 for Cultural Trust members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required.
Tepache Mexican Kitchen & Bar marks the “day of joy” with parties at the chain’s Cranberry and Fox Chapel locations. On Sat. Oct. 26 at 5 p.m., join the Mexican restaurant (also celebrating its third anniversary) for music, face painting, giveaways, and more. See their ofrenda, and toast with a marigold margarita, aka a Margarita de Muertos.
A family-friendly Día de los Muertos Festival comes to Squirrel Hill. Head to the post office parklet at the corner of Darlington Rd. and Murray Ave. on Sat., Nov. 2 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for a community celebration with crafts, face painting, food trucks, and traditional Mexican dishes including pan de muerto (“bread of the dead”) and tamales. Riverstone Books will display a community altar.
Food Rescue Hero
foodrescuehero.org
The Food Rescue Conference, hosted by the Food Rescue Hero tech platform and its parent company, 412 Food Rescue, returns for two days of talks and demonstrations addressing food waste and recovery. From Thu., Oct. 24-Fri., Oct. 25, the conference looks at “actionable and innovative food recovery solutions,” with a press release noting that food waste is a key contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and that discarded food could be reallocated to help people facing hunger. Conference speakers include “industry leaders from food recovery, food retail, nutrition security, healthcare, and academia” and will cover topics ranging from expanding food distribution to legislation and social trends. View the full conference schedule and register online. Select sessions will be publicly live-streamed.
Solera Wine Co.
4839 Butler St., Lawrenceville. solerapgh.com
Solera Wine Co., a neighborhood wine shop and cafe, will open on Fri., Oct. 25 in Lawrenceville. Launched by Aaron Gottesman and Tyler Borne, formerly of Meat & Potatoes, the new wine bar will offer wine by the glass and bottle, feature cocktails, highballs, and spritzes, and serve small snacks. According to a press release, Solera patrons can enjoy an indoor cafe space that seats 30, or relax on a larger outdoor patio. A grand opening celebration runs from 12-9 p.m. on Oct. 25, after which the wine bar will be open Wed.-Sat. from 12-9 p.m. and Sun. 12-5 p.m. Follow its Instagram or Facebook for updates.
Chantal’s Cheese Shop
4402 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. chantalscheese.com
Get cheesy this Halloween when Mimolette Day returns to Chantal’s Cheese Shop. The annual event celebrates the ultra-autumnal Mimolette cheese, a bright orange delicacy that originated in seventeenth-century France. From 11 a.m.- 6 p.m., stop by the shop — winner of Best Cheesemonger in CP’s Best Of PGH Readers’ Poll — to try some Mimolette cheese, enter a “haunted raffle,” and win prizes from French dairy Isigny Ste-Mère.
Scratch & Co.
1720 Lowrie St., Troy Hill. scratchandcopgh.com
Starting on Tue., Oct. 29, Scratch & Co. patrons can partake in a “choose-your-own-adventure” style of dining meant to promote “great conversation, thoughtful food, and a one-of-a-kind drink experience.” Compliments, a new dinner series at Scratch, offers a rotating selection of tapas-style bites and no set drink menu, with bartenders creating custom cocktails based on diners’ preferences. With Compliments, Scratch seeks to “[reinvent] the tavern side of the restaurant as an open space to encourage mingling” by removing bar seating and creating a “lounge ambiance” using tables and booths, the restaurant wrote. The experience runs on Tuesdays from 5-10 p.m. and is walk-in only.
Heinz History Center x GoodTaste! Pittsburgh
1212 Smallman St., Strip District. heinzhistorycenter.org
Sample all the city’s favorite foods in one place when, on Sat., Nov. 2 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Hometown-Homegrown food festival returns to Heinz History Center. Presented in partnership with GoodTaste! Pittsburgh, the event features more than 35 local food and drink vendors ranging from Pittsburgh classics Isaly’s and Wholey’s to emerging businesses Evanly Bakes and Mezclado Sauce Co. Visitors can enjoy artisan talks about knife skills, cheese etiquette, and more, and cooking demonstrations, including a session led by Doug Heilman of The Great American Recipe. Hometown-Homegrown is included with regular admission to the History Center, alongside access to the museum, special exhibitions, and library and archives. Kids 17 and under are admitted free.
Bar Crawl Nation
1707 E. Carson St., South Side. barcrawlnation.com
Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, but Bar Crawl Nation stretches the festivities into the Day of the Dead with a Boos Fest Halloween Bar Crawl. On Sat., Nov. 2 from 5-10 p.m., Pittsburghers are invited to “a Halloween party spanning multiple themed bars” promising spooky cocktails, prizes, a haunted red carpet, and “hundreds” of costumes. The crawl kicks off at Jimmy D’s and continues along East Carson Street with participating venues including The Urban Tap, Twelve Whiskey Barbecue, Mario’s South Side Saloon, and more. Buy tickets (starting at $22.49) and view the schedule on Bar Crawl Nation’s website.
Trace Brewing
1738 Forbes Ave., Uptown. tracebloomfield.com/trace-echo
Trace Brewing’s long-awaited second location opened on Oct. 4. Trace Echo, the brewery’s satellite taproom, launched at the corner of Forbes Ave. and Miltenberger St. in Uptown following 16 months of renovation. Formerly home to Stutz Pharmacy, Trace wrote on its website that it worked with designer Epic Development to “preserve as much of the original charm of the more than 100-year-old space as possible,” and the new taproom features a tile bar, “cozy indoor tables,” wraparound windows, and an outdoor patio for a “retro yet modern” neighborhood bar. Trace Echo is also the new headquarters for partners Ghost Coffee Collab.
Pittsburgh Magazine reports that Trace Echo features 12 taps pouring beer, coffee, and “kegged libations.” The taproom also offers a limited menu with meat and vegetarian options, with food trucks, including Sahar’s Food Lab, popping up intermittently.
Trace Echo is now open seven days a week; follow Trace’s Instagram for updates.
North Homewood Pizza
531 N. Homewood Ave., Homewood.
Homewood made local history with a new pizza shop. Launched by 26-year-old Homewood native Keith Calhoun, North Homewood Pizza opened on Oct. 19, and TribLive reports it’s the neighborhood’s first Black-owned pizza shop. It also added a pizzeria to the neighborhood for the first time since the 1990s.
North Homewood Pizza uses a from-scratch system and does not own a freezer, preparing a signature thin-crust focaccia bread each morning, with other fresh ingredients delivered daily. Serving lunch and dinner, other specialties include a lamb pepperoni pie — touted as the only one sold in the country — a Homewood Hero with beef and banana pepper relish served in a hoagie roll, and pressure-fried wings and potato buds with a mustard sauce.
The pizza shop also features a “Homewood heroes” wall with portraits of Drew Allen of Showcase Barbecue, rapper J Biggz, and Splashy Styles owner Tazhe Johnson.
Follow North Homewood Pizza’s Facebook page for updates.
Raising Cane’s
Multiple locations. raisingcanes.com
Post Malone fans can score some exclusive merch with their chicken tenders at Raising Cane’s across the United States, including Pittsburgh. As part of the restaurant’s partnership with the singer, Cane’s customers can add a limited-edition, double-sided collector’s poster to any combo order (excluding kid’s meals) for $1.99. The first of two posters dropped on Oct. 20 and is available through Sat., Nov. 2., and the second poster will be available for two weeks starting Sun., Nov. 3. Proceeds from both posters benefit Notes for Notes, a nonprofit selected by Post Malone that provides youth with free access to musical instruments and recording studios.
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2024.
