@necromancerbrewing Not gonna lie; this month’s Pittsburgh food news is pretty boozy. We’re pouring updates including some fancy new openings, intriguing changes of the guard and the end of the line for an Oakland favorite. Digest it all below. Welcome City Winery opens this month in the Terminal. Patrons of the New York-based establishment will find a dozen house wines on tap and an ample stage for performances, plus private rooms for events and an outdoor patio. (Strip District) Geppetto’s has a new Bloomfield outpost. The breakfast, brunch and pastry spot will have some new offerings a ..read more

Welcome to our May 16, 2023 primary guide, Pittsburgh! Your ballot this election will look different depending on your party affiliation (or lack thereof) because of our closed primary system. Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Tool is a good way to see what yours will look like. City Paper and WESA already have election guides ready for more depth on each race, and each of the candidate’s names below will link directly to their campaign websites or policy platforms when possible. We’ve tried to list candidates in the order in which they’ll appear. Away we go! State judicial races A death, a promo ..read more

@anyonecantakeapicture Restaurant news came in at a more modest pace for May. In addition to a few openings, there have been some menu changes and teasers for summer additions that you can read about below. Welcome Crumbl Cookies is baking in Bethel. The national chain has fresh cookies ready at its South Road shop as of late April. (Bethel Park) El Pollon is now roasting chicken in Carnegie. The Peruvian spot already has several locations in West Virginia and Florida and now welcomes diners from morning to evening with charcoal-roasted rotisserie chicken, lomo saltado and ceviche. (Carne ..read more

Today’s Local to Know has a history of combining circus arts with science. This might sound like an unusual combination, but Lindsay Surmacz has turned it into a one-person educational extravaganza, all while being a good Southside neighbor and sharing her circus skills with the city—take it away, Lindsay! Hi, Lindsay! Tell us a bit about how you combine circus and science for The Starry Messenger. That’s a fantastic question, and, to be honest, it’s tough to answer it without a snapshot of my background. Growing up, my family was heavily active in the performing arts – especially theater an ..read more

Earth Day is this Saturday, April 22, and I thought I’d share a few moves I’ve made to cut back on plastic waste and generally be a better steward of the only planet we’ll ever call home. Read on for more! Easy ways to poo-poo plastic Groom greener. I’ve raved about local soap in this newsletter before, but it’s honestly great, and there are tons of places to get it. My personal-care favorites right now are Lovett Sundries, Hip Modern Soap, Trail Botanica and the Refillery. Everything in the photo above is from those shops and 100% plastic-free. You can also look for items like plastic ..read more

Larry B (Snappr) Today’s Local to Know has a unique story on how he fell in love with drinking coffee at a later age. His passion eventually led to the creation of his own coffee shop. In a city full of coffeeshops, he is continuing to take steps to ensure his business becomes a space where people can feel warmth and a sense of community. Meet Milo Speranzo, the owner of Vault Coffeehouse. Read on for more of Milo! What made you want to get into the coffee business?  I was not a coffee drinker prior to joining the military. I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in Colombia, and ..read more

Styled by Quelcy Kogel shot by Matt Dayak Hi, Nik! Pittsburgh isn’t usually thought of as a Nordic hotspot — tell us about the origins of the Fet-Fisk concept. Hi Colin! No, it isn’t — but it’s funny how many Scandinavians have come out of the woodwork to connect with me after hearing about the project. Fet-Fisk sprung out of a conversation with my dear friend and Fet-Fisk co-founder Sarah LaPonte. We had been throwing a number of parties featuring a raw bar, with fresh oysters. She suggested we try our hand at hosting a speakeasy-style pop-up restaurant. We settled on a Nordic theme, due in ..read more

@bitesbrewsbridges The café and coffee shop scene continues to grow, while a longstanding fast food place downtown is closing. As always, there will be some fun new options to check out soon, plus, an Eat’n Park staple was a casualty of the same bakery closure that 86’ed Lemon Blennd. Without further ado, here is your restaurant roundup for April! Welcome Back Alley Brewing brings beer to Dormont. The long-planned beer operation out of the borough’s former municipal building opened their doors in time for St. Paddy’s after a year of can sales, and they’ve built a friendly relationship with ..read more

Alan Freed/Ambridge Connection Shell’s chemical plant in Potter Township has alarmed some locals. With a potentially explosive combination of petrochemical infrastructure, dense housing and lax regulation, some fear environmental disasters on the scale of February’s Norfolk Southern derailment could happen here. In response, individuals and advocacy groups have adopted low-lift strategies to monitor pollution — in some cases, simply by watching smoke rise from factory chimneys. Smoke reading is a simple way to see if polluters are following the rules. By checking the opacity of the plumes ..read more

Today’s Local to Know interview was sponsored by Pittsburgh Opera. Catch Marianne in “Il Trovatore” March 28, 31 and April 2 at the Benedum Center. Today’s Local to Know has sung the national anthem at Pittsburgh sports games and graces the stage as Azucena in Pittsburgh Opera’s production of “Il Trovatore.” Meet Marianne Cornetti, opera singer, volunteer and Pittsburgh sports superfan. Take it away, Marianne! Tell us how you got started in opera. I have a very long lineage on my mom’s side of singers and musicians. My great-great-grandmother and great-grandmothers sang, my grandmother coul ..read more