Matt Katase and Asa Foster

If you’ve never been to Braddock, PA, another one of the great reasons to hightail it there is The Brew Gentlemen. This craft brewery founded by CMU grads, Matt Katase and Asa Foster, produces some of the most inventive beers in the city. The brewery will be featured in a documentary called “Blood, Sweat and Beer” about the trials and tribulations in the craft beer industry.

The brewery is also known for its sold-out events and your next chance to go to one is the “Hitchcock Halloween” the gents are throwing with The Independent Brewing Company. The party will be at the Carrie Furnace  and other “cast members” include Bar Marco, Pgh Taco Truck, Blowfish BBQ, Gyros N’at and many more.

So where do the two founders of The Brew Gentlemen nosh when they’re not crafting one of their amazing brews? Two words: street food.

Matt: Best meal I had last week was definitely Lucy’s Banh Mi in the Strip District.

I ate so much banh mi when I was in Hawaii so it was tough when I moved here. It was hard to find good Asian street food here in Pittsburgh but the day I graduated from CMU, I found Lucy at the same time—so it was definitely a good day. It’s a bummer in the winter though because Lucy closes shop!

Get some banh mi now folks! Lucy sets up shop outside Bar Marco.

Asa: Best meal I had last week was Las Palmas in Brookline. I’m there at least once a week. The best part about Las Palmas is that not only is good – it’s the fact that they have ALL THAT SALSA outside for you. Go there a few times, taste all the salsa and pretty soon you’ll know how to build an amazing taco.

Las Palmas has a cart-full of a variety of house-made salsas and taco fixin’s – more than you’ve ever seen before. The salsas themselves are worth the price of the tacos.

Las Palmas. Posted on Pinterest by Michelle Matthews Price.
Las Palmas. Posted on Pinterest by Michelle Matthews Price.

Leah Lizarondo is a food advocate, writer and speaker. She is also the co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, an organization that seeks to eliminate food waste to make an impact on hunger and the environment. She is the Chief Veghacker, recipe creator and curator at The Brazen Kitchen, where she writes about food and food policy. She writes about the intersection of food, health, innovation and policy.