Lawrenceville

WSET Level 2 Wine Class Review with Palate Partners

If you've spent any amount of time on this site, you're likely well aware that we like wine. Not only do we have a quest to check out the best Pittsburgh wineries, but we're also visiting all the best wine bars in Pittsburgh too.

But perhaps one of our favorite experiences in Pittsburgh comes from the wine education company Palate Partners with their informal First and Third Friday feature which includes several wine samples, education about the grape and region, all at a fairly attractive price point. 

We knew that Palate Partners offered many wine classes beyond these, and their offering of the multi-week Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses caught our eye. This is an international, standardized wine program (with four levels) and the folks at Palate Partners are certified to teach the first two levels (plus bringing in a guest instructor for Level 3).

Our favorite wine instructors teaching an international wine course that is highly regarded the world over? Sign us up. 

But in being ones who always like to go big, we skipped Level 1 and jumped straight into the eight-week Level 2 course. While challenging, we also had a rather great time in this one.

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Pita My Shawarma Review – Food Truck Turned Restaurant

Although we love our Pittsburgh food truck scene, we always enjoy hearing that our favorite trucks open up brick-and-mortar restaurants in the city. Why? So we can get their food all the time!

It is always a treat to find a favorite food truck at a brewery or event, but sometimes we cannot drive far across town to grab an order from a favorite. When they open a dedicated storefront, that problem is solved as we know where to get them all the time.

Pita My Shawarma was one such food truck that moved to a dedicated location, and now that they're in the heart of Lawrenceville, we see placing many orders from this one in the future.

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Mi Empanada Review – Empanadas and Sandwiches in Lawrenceville

Mi Empanada has been on the Pittsburgh food scene for a few years now slinging their Argentinian empanadas at local events and brewery pop-ups. Now they have their own storefront in Lawrenceville where you can order takeout empanadas, sandwiches, and sides.

We were well-acquainted with Mi Empanada having tried them at several of their pop-ups around town over the past few years. At events they always had long lines and it's no secret why – their empanadas have a rich, tender dough and the fillings are a mix of traditional and creative options, including a lot of vegetarian options as well.

Needless to say, we were ecstatic to learn they were opening up a storefront in Lawrenceville. The spot is takeout only, but they offer ready-to-eat empanadas or a “take and bake” option which we haven't tried but also sounds delicious. Sandwich options include a steak or chicken milanesa, and they also offer sides like salads, rice, and polenta.

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Lola’s Eatery Review – Affordable Brunch at Engine House 25

We'll never say no to more options for brunch in Pittsburgh, and in late 2019 Lola's Eatery opened in the stunning Engine House 25 in Lawrenceville (home to the winery of the same name as well as the Clemente Museum) to help satisfy that need.

Naturally, I had to check this one out as soon as possible and was joined with a friend for a rather affordable, and delicious, dining experience.     

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First and Third Friday Wine Tasting at Palate Partners

If you've spent any time driving through Lawrenceville, specifically up Liberty Avenue from the Strip District, odds are good you've seen Dreadnought Wines (just a few blocks from Church Brew Works).

Odds are good you've also never checked this one out besides seeing it in passing.

The reason for this is because Dreadnought Wines is not a winery, but rather a specialty wine importer that serves many restaurants, wine shops, and other businesses in the state. But their sister business, Palate Partners, is for the public- and this one holds wine tasting events and more formal wine classes at the same location.

We recently visited for one of their informal First and Third Friday wine tastings events and wondered why it took us this long to go in the first place.

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V3 Pizza Review – Cheap Flatbreads in Lawrenceville

V3 Pizza used to have two locations in Pittsburgh- one downtown and one in Lawrenceville. We visited the downtown location for this review (which has since closed); however, the Lawrenceville location is still open. The review below has remained unchanged from our visit to the now-closed downtown spot.

When we are exploring downtown Pittsburgh, we often find ourselves lamenting the fact that there are not very many affordable, local restaurants.

But moments after walking in for a pizza at V3 (as guests of the restaurant), we knew we found one. The reason? All pizzas are under $10 (as of 2018)!

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Justin Severino’s Hog Butchering Demonstration at Morcilla

Most Pittsburghers know about esteemed Chef Justin Severino and his two restaurants, Cure (closed in early 2019), that featured his creative and unique charcuterie, as well as Morcilla, focusing on Spanish tapas. But did you know that Chef Severino also hosts semi-annual hog butchering demonstrations where you can take a deep dive into his world of meat curing while enjoying a multi-course meal?

We've long been fans of Severino's work and were so excited that we recently had the chance to finally enjoy one of these events at Morcilla.

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Driftwood Oven Review – Pizza Truck Turned Restaurant

Driftwood Oven was a popular Pittsburgh food truck until early 2018 when the owners decided to ditch the wagon and open a brick and mortar restaurant right in the heart of Lawrenceville.

We were always big fans of this particular pizza as, well, who could say no to mobile brick oven pizza? We were a bit bummed to find out they wouldn't be at our favorite breweries moving forward, but were also excited to see how they'd expand their pizza into a traditional restaurant concept.

They didn't disappoint.

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