STRIP GUIDE TO THE HOLIDAYS
Yum’s Guide to Holiday Dining & Entertaining
Yum ’s Guid e to Holiday Dining an d Entertaining
If you are one of Yum’s faithful readers you already know that the Strip is THE place to go in Pittsburgh for everything from Fine Dining to just Plain Old Good Food. Even if you get your news from places like CNN, instead of the NITS-egram, you know that the Strip’s reputation as an epicurean paradise is growing – and recent visits by The Food Network and the Travel Channel have ensured the Strip’s presence on the Foodie Map. So, whether you’re planning a corporate or group event, just want a great meal, or intend to introduce a friend to a favorite dining spot with a gift card, the restaurants in the Strip are a great place to start. Because we know you’re busy and can use all the help you can get planning for the holidays, Yum has compiled information on some of the YUM-YUM-YUMMIEST places in the Strip and here they are for your consideration, in no particular order: Spaghetti Warehouse. Spaghetti Warehouse can solve multiple holiday quandaries. For gift giving, through January 1 receive a free $5.00 gift card with every $25 gift card purchased. How great is that! Not only do you have a gift, but you get a stocking stuffer too! For group events, the Spaghetti Warehouse offers affordable holiday celebration packages. Private rooms are available at no cost and parking is free too! Best of all, Spaghetti Warehouse offers food that everyone likes at a venue that appeals to all ages. So, if you’ve been anointed as this year’s party planner, get on the phone to Spaghetti Warehouse. For a special treat, enjoy a fine meal, accompanied by MURDER, as Mystery’s Most Wanted fills the holidays with peril. Shows will be held on December 12, 19 and 20, as well as New Year’s Eve. Yum just attended one of these free-foralls with some co-workers and can assure you that this would make a great group activity.
Spaghetti Warehouse is located at 2601 Smallman Street; for more information visit www.meatballs.com or call 412261-6511 Eleven is located at 1150 Smallman Street; for more information visit www.bigburrito.com/eleven or to plan an event call Ron Ausnehmer at 412-201-5656
Kaya. To brighten a dreary winter days, head to Kaya, where the cuisine, inspired by the sun and sea, and festive tropical drinks have made Kaya an award-winning dining destination for more than a decade. And, unlike many restaurants, as much attention is paid to the vegetarian options on the menu as to the nonvegetarian, so all diners can find something wonderfully delicious. Take a vacation in the tropics, without leaving the Strip!
Kaya is located at 2000 Smallman Street; for more information visit www.bigburrito.com/kaya or call 412-261-6565
Eleven. Eleven’s innovative contemporary American Cuisine and sophisticated urban style make it a favorite for events from business meetings to romantic rendezvous. Dishes are prepared with fresh, local ingredients, complemented with an amazing wine selection. As a gift to a special someone, sign on for Eleven’s 2009 Lunacy Dinner Series – five remarkable meals prepared to coincide with phases of the moon, culminating in the Blue Moon Dinner on New Year’s Eve 2009.
Lidia’s Pittsburgh. Lidia’s has become a Pittsburgh institution for “special occasion” dinners, but one of the secrets of the Strip is that Lidia’s is laid back and reasonable enough for a casual lunch while shopping in the Strip. Treat your favorite culinary show junkie to a gift card for one of the numerous food and wine events held throughout the year, accompany it with a basket of Lidia’s cookbooks and sauces available at the restaurant, and you will have the gift that keeps on giving! Lidia’s loft overlooking the restaurant provides a delightful spot for a private party too!
Lidia’s Pittsburgh is located at 1400 Smallman Street; for more information visit www.lidias-pittsburgh.com or call 412-552-0150
More Dining Options in the Strip
Lots more places to find a feast in the Strip. You might also want to consider: Pamela’s P&G Diner. The best breakfast in Pittsburgh according to many ‘best of’’ lists. Pamela’s Diner Dollars make great stocking stuffers!
Pamela’s is located at 60 21st Street; for more information call 412-281-6366
Café Raymond. A small café with killer sandwiches on freshly baked bread.
Café Raymond is located at 2103 Penn Avenue; for more information call 412-281-4670
Home Entertaining
If your family or workplace holiday celebration is being held in-house, never fear! Great prepared food is available in the Strip. Many of the restaurants and markets in the Strip provide catering services; some deliver and some require pick up. Call for information. In addition to the restaurants and markets included in the Restaurant Guide and in Chum’s Guide to a Festival of Holiday Food, you might also like: Two Louies Market. A modern version of the old-time neighborhood grocery, with a twist. Two Louies offers great sandwiches, salads and daily specials, prepared fresh. Pick up a copy of their catering menu at the market
Two Louies Market is located at 1233 Penn Avenue; for more information or to place an order, call 412-586-5593
Reymer’s Old Fashioned Deli. Inside the Heinz History Center, but open to all. Great deli sandwiches and daily specials.
Reymers Old Fashioned Deli, 1212 Smallman Street, in the Heinz History Center, for more information call 412-454 6310
DeLuca’s. A Pittsburgh tradition for breakfast. A diner for those who love the nostalgia of a diner.
DeLuca’s is located at 2015 Penn Avenue; for more information call 412566-2195
Smallman Street Deli. Kosher-style deli with signature sandwiches.
Smallman Street Deli is located at 2840 Smallman Street; for more information call 412-434-5800
JoJo’s. Part of the breakfast triumvirate in the Strip. Monster size breakfasts in a bustling diner. Open midnight to noon, so it’s great for late night munchies.
JoJo’s is located at 110 24th Street; for more information call 412-261-4644
Big Mama’s House of Soul. Barbecue and soul food at it’s best. Save room for the peach cobbler!
Big Mama’s House of Soul is located at 1603 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.bigmamashouseofsoul.com or call 412-471-2910
Sushi Kim. Huge selection of Korean and Japanese dishes in addition to sushi. Spacious private party rooms available for holiday celebrations.
Sushi Kim is located at 1241 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.sushikim.com or call 412-2819956
Chicken Latino. Peruvian chicken. A recent and welcome addition to the ethnic flavor of the Strip
Chicken Latino is located at 2101 Penn Ave; for more information call (412) 246-0974
Don’t forget party decorations and supplies! Schorins and Mike Feinbergs can provide whatever you need from paper products, to party hats, to balloons.
Schorins is located at 1800 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.schorin.com or call 412-281-0650 Mike Feinberg’s is located at 1736 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.mikefeinbergcompany.com or call 412-471-4922
Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor. Nostalgia to the “nth” degree. This is no copy of ‘Ye Olde Ice Cream Parlor’ – this is the real thing, right down to the handlebar mustache on owner Ray Klavon!
Klavon’s is located at 2801 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.klavonsicecream.com or call 412434-0451
NEW THIS YEAR!
Check these additions to the Strip’s culinary scene: Brazero Grill. Authentic Mexican tacos and a new dish every weekend.
Located on the sidewalk outside Leaf on Bean on 22nd Street Fridays and Saturdays
If you need help with your party plans, contact Big Day Entertainment. Since 1995 Big Day is your one-stop source for the best entertainment, video and photography services.
Big Day is located at 2549 Penn Avenue; for more information call 412-5662900 or visit www.bigdayentertainment.com
Bella Notte. A perennial contender for the best Pizza in Pittsburgh. Great salads and subs too!
Bella Notte Pizza, Pasta and More is located at 1914 Penn Avenue; for more information call 412-281-4488
Napoleon and Josephine. A new enterprise by those talented individuals who bring you La Prima Espresso. Delicious CREPES! Located at 2107
Penn Avenue
M YU Happy Holidays!
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Strip Guide to the Holidays
Yum ’s Guid e to Holiday Dining an d Entertaining
Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle. The Harp & Fiddle provides a rollicking good time for folks of all ages. Whether you’re interested in Irish ceili dancing, live music, karaoke and trivia nights, the Notre Dame game watch, or one of the many special events held throughout the year, you may walk in as a stranger, but you’re bound to leave with some new friends. Or, if you’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places, try the annual Lisdoonvarna festival where experienced matchmakers will help you find the mate of your dreams. Visit once and you’ll become a regular. The Harp & Fiddle is available for private parties as well; call early for the best dates!
Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle is located at 2329 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.harpandfiddle.com or call David Regan at 412-642-6622
missed, however, is the tiny café hidden behind the bakery. Before anyone else in Pittsburgh ever thought of it, the ‘Paris to Pittsburgh’ concept existed in the Strip at Enrico Biscotti. The atmosphere is rugged and charming, like no other place in the city, the food is fresh, rustic and local, and the service is firstrate. Enjoy a quiet lunch while shopping in the Strip, or gather a group of family, friends, or colleagues for a cozy, familystyle First Friday Dinner.
Enrico Biscotti Café is located at 2022 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.enricobiscotti.com or call 412281-2602
Crystal. Crystal is a meeting, eating and drinking place where after one visit, everybody knows your name. Recently featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, with Guy Fieri, owner Crystal Joseph shows why her little neighborhood bar and restaurant attracts a varied and fiercely loyal following for her “family favorites,” a tantalizing list of Mediterranean dishes from hummus and kibbee, to Norrae’s Favorite, a Greek-style salad on steroids. Visit Crystal with a group of co-workers for a Holiday Happy Hour and feel like part of the family.
Crystal is located at 1211 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.crystalonpenn.com or call 412-434-0480
Cioppino’s. Cioppino’s is the most recent addition to the “fine dining” category in the Strip. The Tuscantinged American cuisine provides one of the novel touches to this seafood and chophouse and the wood paneled clubbiness of the Cigar Bar provides another. Host a very special holiday event at Cioppino’s, treat a friend to an outstanding dining experience, or just take a break from the holiday frenzy and relax with friends in the comfortable ambiance of the Cigar Bar
Cioppino’s is located at 2350 Railroad Street, at the Cork Factory; for more information visit www.cioppinopittsburgh.com or call 412-281-6593
Roland’s Seafood Grill. Good food, good drinks, good times at Roland’s Seafood Grille in the heart of the Strip. They must be doing something right because they celebrated their 50th anniversary last year. With over 500 imported beers and the best patio and deck for peoplewatching in the Strip, this lively bar and grill offers a raw bar and wide selection of seafood favorites that will make you think you’re in New England. There are plenty of fish in the Strip, but Roland’s is a great place to cast your net! For fans of Roland’s a gift certificate accompanied by Roland’s logo merchandise would make a great gift.
Roland’s Seafood Grill is located at 1904 Penn Avenue; for more information visit www.rolandsseafoodgrill.com or call 412-261-3401
Primanti Brothers. People travel from far and wide to visit the original Primanti Brothers in the Strip. It is as much a MUST for visitors to the city as a trip to see the view from Mt. Washington. Everyone has someone on their gift list who can’t live without this mammoth meal between two slices of bread, so give in to the inevitable and when all the chickens return to the roost for the holidays, take the whole flock to Primanti Brothers and find out what all the cackling is about. And, if you’ve never been to Primanti’s and want to learn a little more, it will be featured on The Travel Channel’s Food Paradise ( Debut: November 19, 2008)
Primanti Brothers is located at 46 18th Street; for more information visit www.primantibrothers.com or call 412765-2701
Enrico Biscotti Café. When you visit the Strip it’s difficult to miss Enrico Biscotti, since the delicious scent of biscotti drifts through the door and drags you inside. What you may have
Strip Guide to the Holidays
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