Asiatique opening in Bakery Square
Asiatique, the BYOB Thai bistro that someone is bound to confuse with Eyetique sooner or later, will open in Bakery Square on Sunday, November 16. Itâs the latest restaurant from Ling Robinson, owner of The Green Mango in Monroeville and a former restaurant of the same name in Regent Squareâthe latter was always one of our favorite Thai joints in the city, so our expectations for Asiatique are high going in.
Update (Friday, 3:12 p.m.): a spokesperson for Bakery Square says that Asiatiqueâs opening will be delayed at least a week.
Blowfish Blowout at Brew Gents
Wrapping up the outdoor dining season, Blowfish BBQ will make its final Friday evening appearance of the year at the Brew Gentlemen on November 21 and owner Justin âHootieâ Blakey is pulling out all the stops.
In addition to his usual menu of smoked sausages, drumsticks, vinegar-dressed slaw, smashed red potatoes and that incredible mac & cheese, Hootie plans smoking brisket and ribsâtwo items which donât usually make it onto his regular vending menu because the fluctuations in the meat market make them tougher to consistently price.
âThe brisket is the big one because thatâs my favorite and I think itâs what I do best,â Hootie says.
Heâs not kidding. If youâre a meat-eater we highly recommend it. The Gents have created a Facebook page for the event, and theyâll be posting updates, along with the full menu, as theyâre finalized. Theyâll also be tapping kegs of their Smoked Cayenne Porter and Southern BBQ beers for the evening.
In a related storyâĤ
While some vendors will pack it in for the winter and start planning for next year, Thom Gulish wonât be one of them. He plans to add flaps to his Gyros Nâat tent and soldier on every Saturday outside the brewery through the winter, having developed a loyal following among Braddock residents during his first year on the scene.
âThey love him down there,â Hootie says. âPeople walk by on Friday nights when Iâm there and ask if Iâm the gyro guy.â
The new Willow is ragingly good
On Monday, Eat/Drink lunched at Willow, the decade-old North Hills restaurant from chef Brian Pekarcik and business partner Rick Stern (owners of Spoon, Grit & Grace and BRGR), which reopened in September after being closed for three months for renovations.
If youâre ever going to catch a fine restaurant slightly off its game, chances are itâll happen on a Mondayâthatâs the traditional day off for most service industry employees who labor through hectic weekends in their kitchens and bars.
Not only did Willow bring its A-game on a Monday afternoon, it did so with incredible style. The highlight was a salad of shredded kale and grilled chicken with pecans, chevre, pickled red onion and grapes, dressed with maple and balsamic. The bahn mi sandwich wasnât far behind.
If you havenât been to Willow since its recent overhaul, make a point of getting thereâitâs the new crown jewel in the S+P Restaurant Groupâs empire.
Six years of Mad Elf at Dâs
Normally, we would not jump start the winter holiday season before Thanksgiving, but after hearing about this, we just canât help ourselves. Dâs Six Pax & Dogz in Regent Square has been saving kegs of Troegâs Mad Elf Ale, the Hershey-based breweryâs wildly popular winter seasonal, for each of the last six years.
In addition to rolling out this yearâs version, Dâs will tap Mad Elf which has been mellowing in the cellar since 2008, which is more than enough time to transform it into a completely different beverage. Dâs does this every October with Southern Tierâs Pumking, but this will be a whole different ballgame. Made with Pennsylvania honey, sweet and sour cherries and three kinds of malts, Mad Elf clocks in at an absurd 11 percent alcohol by volumeâjust what you need to get through that long weekend with the extended family.
Harvest Tasting this weekend at the Public Market
The Pittsburgh Public Market and Wigle Whiskey will host the third annual Farm to Table Harvest Tasting on Sunday, November 16 from 3 to 7 p.m. More than 60 vendors will be on hand, lining 24th Street with everything from locally made cheeses and breads to local veggies, sauces, meats, cider, cocktails and beer.
Tickets to the Harvest Tasting are $25 in advance or $35 at the door ($10/$15 for kids ages 2-17), and are available through the event page.
Speaking of WigleâĤ
The Strip District distillery announced last week that it has secured a loan to purchase a new 950 liter still and an additional fermenter, enabling it to produce what experts estimate as âsignificantly more whiskey.â
The still will be made to order in Germany by the CARL Company and be ready to start cranking out new spirits in about a year.
Leonaâs rolls out Thanksgiving set
Sure, pie is the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, but variety never hurts and whatâs better than a touch of Pittsburgh? Leonaâs, the cityâs finest purveyor of handmade ice cream sandwiches, has rolled out Fall Holiday Sampler Sets. Each set contains six ice cream sandwichesâtwo each of pumpkin caramel with shortbread cookies, butter pecan on vanilla cookies, and our personal favorite, apple cinnamon on oatmeal lace.
You can order sets through Leonaâs website and pick them up at 52nd Street Market or Allegheny City Market, or you can arrange for delivery. Leonaâs is planning two similar releases in December to coincide with the winter holidays.
