Wondering where to go this month, and what to eat when you get there? We’ve got you covered.
1. Treat Yourself to Dessert at Millie’s Homemade
The Shadyside scoop shop has just introduce 8 (!) new flavors for the fall, including Concord Grape sorbet, Cranberry-Granny Smith sorbet, Pumpkin ice cream, Roasted Yam ice cream with marshmallow fluff and graham crackers, Black Walnut & Molasses ice cream, Maple Bourbon ice cream, Coconut-Green Curry ice cream with peanuts and Pear-Ginger ice cream. Plus, they still have lots of their old standbys, including Chad’s Vanilla and The Best Chocolate. Ice cream in October… it’s a beautiful thing.
2. Drink a Local Beer at Scratch Food & Beverage
Join them for their four-course Fork n’ Tap Beer Dinner with Draai Laag Brewery on October 20, featuring an incredible locally-sourced menu, including local cheese + house chutney, lamb with seasonal vegetables, and chocolate genoise with cherry compote. All courses will be paired with a Draai Laag brew, or you could order from their bar menu – each and every beer on tap and on the menu are from breweries within a 311-mile radius from their Troy Hill location.
3. Drop by Pittsburgh Juice Company for a $5 Juice
Fresh-pressed juice can be expensive… but Pittsburgh Juice Company makes it a little easier for the wallet-conscious to get their healthy fill with their $5 juice shelf. Every day, a rotating selection of juices end up there, with a ‘drink it now, or never’ notice. Grab what you can drink that day, and leave the rest for the next deal hunter.
4. Expand Your Spirits Horizon
Tender Bar + Kitchen is beefing up their spirits game with the addition of a few new spirits to their already-stellar menu: Suntory Whiskey ‘Toki’, Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, and St. George Spirits Terroir Gin have all made their way to the bar, and are practically begging for a taste-test. Luckily, Tender offers Tasting Tuesdays, where you can try a half-ounce pour of anything for a third of the regular price.
5. Embrace Pumpkin Spice
‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice. From pumpkin spice cookies to mini pumpkin cheesecakes, Oakmont Bakery has loaded their fall menu with seasonal sweets. Braddock’s Pittsburgh Brasserie is going savory with a Pumpkin puree-stuffed pierogie of the month, topped with duck confit and homemade crème fraiche. And Habitat’s new fall dessert menu has a dish that tastes like a love letter to the Fall season: a Pumpkin spice cake with butter pecan ice cream, rum raisin jam, and honey oatmeal crunch.
6. Raise a Glass to the Beer Museum
A group of beer-lovers really want to bring a national beer museum to Pittsburgh… and they’re launching a funding campaign to make it happen. The team behind Brew: The Museum of Beer is hosting a fundraising launch party at James Street Gastropub & Speakeasy on October 19 with food and beer samples from local breweries.
7. Say a Proper Goodbye to e2
The Highland Park mainstay announced plans to close, but will be serving brunch and dinner through October 9. If you want to book a “Big Table” party, a prix fixe menu for parties of 10-18, you can do that through Wednesday, October 26. So grab some friends, grab some wine, and grab some of the best handmade pasta in the city while you still can.
8. Take a Day Trip to Butler
We are finding some seriously good food in Butler right now, so hop in your car and head north. First, grab a fresh-made doughnut at Valencia Donut Co. Then, pick up a sandwich or two at Freedom Farms Sandwich Shop. See what’s on special at Batch in Saxonburg, and load up on homemade jams, too. Hit up Butler Brew Works for some stellar drafts (they also have a comfort food-heavy food menu, with hearty soups available now). And pick up some fresh-pressed cider (we’re partial to peach) at Golden Apple Farm Market on your way out of town. See? Road trip season isn’t quite over yet.
9. Get Your Fill of Barrel-Aged Beer
Bierport is hosting their first Barrel-Aged Beer Fest on Saturday, October 15, with unlimited pours of some barrel-aged treasures. The draft list includes Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Founders Project Pam, Dark Horse Barrel Aged Scotty Karate, Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme and Arcadia Barrel Aged Shipwreck Porter. Tickets are $22 and include all pours and two tickets to Row House Cinema.
10. Eat Sushi After Hours at Umami
Still haven’t checked out Umami, Roger Li’s Lawrenceville Izakaya? Since opening earlier this year, it’s become one of the to-go late-night spots in town, and now, you can get their full sushi menu until 2:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Late night never tasted so good.
11. Belly Up to the Bar at Allegheny City Brewing
It’s official… Allegheny City Brewing is open. The Deutschtown micro brewery quietly opened its doors last week, serving up a healthy mix of staples and experimental brews. Current brews include GF Imperial IPA, Allegheny Common Ground, Graham Cracker Porter, Funkhauser Farmhouse, Buster Blonde, Nova Gose and their famous Habanero Stout.
12. Drop by Smallman Galley for their New Fall Cocktails
The Strip District’s Smallman Galley’s cocktail game is always on point, and their fall offerings are no exception. Ones to try: Vilified, with brown butter-washed bourbon, sage-sweet potato syrup and black walnut bitters, and Police Truck, with Rittenhouse rye, Aperol, Cappelletti and Lambrusco. With happy hour every Tuesday through Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., you really have no excuse not to go.
13. Get Served the One Millionth Salad at Hello Bistro
It’s official: Hello Bistro is about to serve their one millionth salad. They’re not sure when, but it’s going down sometime during the month of October in one of their four locations… and if you’re in the restaurant when it happens, everyone there gets a free salad on their next visit.
Helen says
I LOVE the season between October and December. It is the time for pumpkin spices and peppermint. Some people are against it, but I agree with your advice to embrace the pumpkin spice. I even found a set of chocolates with all of the fall flavors.