Food & Wine Archives - Pittsburgh Quarterly

Apple orchards have always been a part of my family’s life. My dad grew up on an apple orchard in Cincinnati, helping to pick bushel baskets of apples each fall. My grandfather used an old cider press to make gallons of fresh cider, and my grandmother baked apples into pies and other treats. I never …

Fall in the Apple Orchard Read More »

Food & Wine

A Simple Summer Treat

by Lidey Heuck

Farm fresh cherry tomatoes are one of summer’s most special and fleeting treats. It’s tough to beat eating them straight from the vine, but when I want to dress them up for company, I make these roasted tomato crostini, with creamy fresh ricotta cheese and a hint of heat from calabrian chili oil. While these …

A Simple Summer Treat Read More »

Food & Wine

The Great Chocolate Eating Contest of Kathmandu

by Bill Zlatos

Rhododendrons blazed scarlet on the trail to Mt. Everest Base Camp, and the snow-capped Himalayas pierced the sky like Bowie blades. I was hiking in Nepal with my friend David Edgerton of Erie in the time before Covid. On such adventures, my guides and I often open our souls. On this occasion I found that …

The Great Chocolate Eating Contest of Kathmandu Read More »

Food & Wine Home & Lifestyle

Hyeholde

by Barbara McKenna

Being almost 88 and having spent three-quarters of my life at Hyeholde, writing the story of the restaurant my parents created is a piece of cake for me, and a delicious piece at that. In 1931, my parents bought six acres of farmland and, with income from working three months each year at a lovely …

Hyeholde Read More »

Food & Wine Home & Lifestyle

A Fresh Take on a French Classic

by Lidey Heuck

Salade Niçoise, that most famous of French salads, has become ubiquitous far beyond the reaches of the French Riviera. It is both a humble and elegant dish: a collection of everyday ingredients — tomatoes, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and often anchovy fillets or canned tuna — arranged beautifully and simply. Variations abound, and for good …

A Fresh Take on a French Classic Read More »

Food & Wine

How About a Delicious Peach Cobbler (and more)?

by Barbara Eichenlaub

There is something about comfort food that evokes a feeling of old-fashioned delight. And when it comes to dessert, there’s nothing like fruit cobbler, bread pudding, gobs or banana pudding to transport you to a time when calories didn’t count and a big scoop of dessert made everything better. Today, not everyone has time to …

How About a Delicious Peach Cobbler (and more)? Read More »

Food & Wine

Holiday Temptations

by PQ Staff

As the festive spirit creeps slowly back into our lives, there’s a new appreciation for the simple pleasures of dining out. Take out was great during the pandemic, or at least it offered some variety and relief to homebound cooks. But not all foods travel well and some of Pittsburgh’s better restaurants chose not to …

Holiday Temptations Read More »

Food & Wine

A Festive Sidekick

by Lidey Heuck

Hearty, comforting dishes might be the backbone of winter home cooking, but every stew or roast needs a trusty sidekick to balance and complete the menu. This salad fits the bill perfectly. Full of color, crunch and zing, it’s a breath of fresh air and flavor on even the coldest winter night. Brussels sprouts make …

A Festive Sidekick Read More »

Food & Wine

A New Old Fashioned

by Lidey Heuck

As far as cocktails are concerned, it doesn’t get more classic than the Old Fashioned, a libation made with bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube and a few dashes of bitters. The drink was supposedly invented by a bartender in Louisville, Ky. in 1880 and has become a staple in American bars. This play …

A New Old Fashioned Read More »

Food & Wine

Buckle Up!

by Lidey Heuck

Pie, crisp, cobbler, crumble, betty or buckle, the most beloved summer desserts are the ones that highlight ripe summer fruit, with a little bit of butter, sugar and flour to bring everything together. (And most, if not at all, are made even better with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.) Versions of …

Buckle Up! Read More »

Food & Wine

Pusadee’s Garden of Delights

by Marylynn Uricchio

Pusadee’s Garden closed even before the virus shuttered restaurants across the globe, and like a butterfly leaving its cocoon, it has emerged from hibernation with a resplendent new look. It took close to four years for the transformation, but the popular Lawrenceville Thai restaurant that once boasted a pretty garden and a small indoor space …

Pusadee’s Garden of Delights Read More »

Food & Wine

Spring Greenery

by Lidey Heuck

After a long winter, the arrival of early spring, however damp and cool, is always welcome. This year especially so, as warmer weather on the horizon promises a reprieve after another pandemic winter. What better way to celebrate the cheerfulness of spring than with a pasta bursting with the bright, crisp flavors of spring’s early …

Spring Greenery Read More »

Food & Wine

A Passion for Cheese

by Barbara Eichenlaub

Frequently in life, the people who are most successful are those who have a passion for what they do. When you cross the threshold of Chantal’s, the tiny cheese shop across the street from Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville, the passion is palpable. These are people who love cheese! Anaïs Saint-André Loughran was born and raised …

A Passion for Cheese Read More »

Food & Wine

A Cozy Winter Dinner

by Lidey Heuck

It’s been the year of cooking at home. When COVID hit, there was a mad dash for canned items and other pantry goods. We cooked and cooked and cooked, then went out and restocked, and cooked some more. Sourdough, banana bread, homemade pizza, the list goes on. And yet after so many months and so …

A Cozy Winter Dinner Read More »

Food & Wine

A Hearty Fall Favorite

by Lidey Heuck

The arrival of autumn means cooler nights, shorter days and the return of warm, comforting dinners. Few dishes fit the bill better than risotto, especially when made with a favorite fall vegetable: butternut squash. Traditional Italian risotto is made by slowly cooking the rice, adding broth as the rice absorbs it, and stirring frequently. When …

A Hearty Fall Favorite Read More »

Food & Wine

Here’s to a Summer Night

by Lidey Heuck

The long, rainy spring is finally gone, the sun is shining and summer’s here. It’s still unclear how much we’ll be able to socialize this summer, but rather than dwell on all the things we may not be able to do in the coming months, I’m reminding myself of the summer traditions we can still …

Here’s to a Summer Night Read More »

Food & Wine

The Gentle Maven of Burgundy

by Dave DeSimone

It’s fashionable to stereotype Burgundy wines as overly complicated and too expensive. Becky Wasserman-Hone simply doesn’t buy it. She has heard it all before over her forty-year career as an expatriate-American working as an export-wine broker in Burgundy, but she refuses to let it derail her dedicated promotion of the wines and growers of her …

The Gentle Maven of Burgundy Read More »

Food & Wine

New & Noteworthy: Spirits & Tales

by Tatiana

If you ascend to the tenth floor of the newly constructed Oaklander Hotel on Bigelow Boulevard near the University of Pittsburgh, you’ll find Spirits & Tales. This French-influenced restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Oakland, with sweeping vistas that include the exquisite rooftop of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and its manicured gardens. To the east …

New & Noteworthy: Spirits & Tales Read More »

Food & Wine

New & Noteworthy: Alta Via

by Tatiana

Alta Via, named for a footpath through the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy, is big Burrito’s first new concept in 15 years. The food is a unique fusion of the fresh, clean vegetable plates and wood-fired entrees one might experience in the California wine country with classic Italian cooking such as homemade pasta and gelato. …

New & Noteworthy: Alta Via Read More »

Food & Wine

An All-American Tradition

by Cody McDevitt

Everyone has their favorite hot dog shop, the ones they swear by because they spent their youth eating there. Western Pennsylvania has a number of them. In a culinary landscape dominated by high-profile chefs, these nostalgic hot dog counters remind people of the type of food their ancestors ate while leaving the mills or mines. …

An All-American Tradition Read More »

Food & Wine

Steak Night at the Firehouse

by Kate Benz

Sunday dinner at Station 17 in Homewood was supposed to be around 5:30. Maybe 6 at the latest. Because this is Steak Night. They almost never get to do Steak Night. Which is why John and Bill started peeling onions, slicing mushrooms, getting the meat and the baked potatoes and the green beans ready almost …

Steak Night at the Firehouse Read More »

Food & Wine

New & Noteworthy: Siempre Algo

by Tatiana

Siempre Algo is the main attraction on a developing block on the North Side’s East Ohio Street. In a historic building with a pressed tin ceiling and sporting an open kitchen underscored with an accenting geometric pattern, this funky establishment exudes warmth. At Siempre Algo (Spanish for “Always Something”) there is “always something” sublime and …

New & Noteworthy: Siempre Algo Read More »