The traditional dinner-and-a-movie date is alive and well at the Parkway Theater in Stowe.
The movie house at 644 Broadway Ave. is the new home of CFP Café.
Chef Eric Earnest runs City Fresh Pasta business in one corner of the building. In addition to a small, rented kitchen, the space boasts a 43-seat, soundproof theater, Abjuration Brewing Co.’s production facility and taproom and a lounge with a full-service bar, stage and seating for 60. It’s located just a short drive from Downtown, near McKees Rocks.
“It’s the best-kept secret in Pittsburgh,” says Earnest, a veteran of big Burrito Restaurant Group.
CFP Cafe, which also operates a food truck and an eatery inside Nova Place on the North Side, specializes in artisan pasta and gnocchi with homemade sauces, as well as gourmet soups and sandwiches.
Parkway patrons can grab a bite Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m. There are daily specials, including tacos on Tuesdays. Earnest puts an Italian spin on the Mexican staple by wrapping chicken, beef or pork in a lasagna noodle instead of a traditional tortilla.
Wednesdays are good for BBQ pork sandwiches, tuna melts and sliders. Thursdays feature a variety of ravioli dishes, while Fridays are all about mac and cheese. On Saturdays, CFP offers a hodgepodge of menu items. Occasionally, the chef will whip up something to pair with a new Abjuration beer.
Aaron and Jackie Stubna renovated the long-vacant theater several years ago to shine a spotlight on indie flicks, documentaries and classic arthouse films. To attract more customers, they invited brewers Tom Glover and Dave Hallam to set up shop inside the structure, which was built in 1937.
The only thing missing from this blockbuster combination was a consistent food vendor. Since reopening the venue, the Stubnas have relied on food trucks, pop-ups and local pizza shops to feed customers, who come in for movies, live performances and karaoke.
Abjuration recently completed a successful Honeycomb Credit campaign that allowed the business to expand its brewing capacity. Earnest also worked with the web-based crowdfunding platform and the stars aligned.
“We talked on the phone, he came in to look at the space and to see it in action and decided to try it out,” Aaron Stubna says.
He’s excited that all the pieces of the puzzle have finally come together and hopes it will revitalize the area, which also is home to the Roxian Theater and Black Forge Coffee House.