|
14. Thrift Shop
If you can negotiate the traffic crossing the little bridge that stretches over a stream to the parking lot - busy even in the middle of the day - inside the Community Thrift Center on Babcock Boulevard you will find the usual thrift-shop inventory - but in expansive amounts. Clothing abounds, as do glassware, collectibles, furniture, jewelry and other conversation pieces.
Community Thrift Center
3255 Babcock Blvd., Ross Township
412/366-4010
15. Fish Market
This beloved institution in the Strip District, owned by the same family for 80 years, offers the most refined seafood shopping in town by a mile. The gorgeous fresh fish, exotic items such as caviar and well-stocked freezer cases are draw enough. But Benkovitz Seafoods takes it to the next level with its gourmet-marketplace styling. A bustling to-go business offers tasty fare such as fish sandwiches and fried oysters; or check out the tempting deli that stocks everything from crab cakes to seaweed salad - the latter is an ideal accompaniment for the fine eats from the in-house sushi stand.
Benkovitz Seafoods
23rd and Smallman streets, Strip District
412/263-3016
16. Popcorn Shop
A friendly sign beckons from Perry Highway into Popcorn-N-That, a yellow house where you'll find gourmet versions of one of America's favorite snacks. Upon entering, you'll be encompassed by a tempting warm aroma wafting through the air. There are seasoned varieties in both sweet and savory flavors, but the real secret is found in the gourmet offerings: popcorn covered in caramel, drizzled in chocolate, embellished with coconut or nuts, and just about every combination thereof - all made on-site. Look for new flavors each month. If you don't have the willpower to keep your hands off a fresh batch, buy extras - there's an assortment of bags and tins perfect for gift-giving.
Popcorn-N-That
10263 Perry Highway, Wexford
724/933-8010
17. New Burger
Fast food tastes fresher at Five Guys Famous Burgers & Fries. Why? The fresh ground beef for the burgers is never frozen, and the tasty fries are freshly sliced from whole russet potatoes. Started by a father and his five sons nearly two decades ago, this chain with more than 40 outlets along the Eastern seaboard is an award-winner: The cheerful red-and-white restaurant's walls are covered in plaques from Zagat and regional magazines proclaiming the quality of the burgers. Now, we're happy to add our voice to the chorus. Beware: the Cajun-spiced fries are utterly addictive.
Five Guys Famous Burgers & Fries
Two locations: 117 S. Bouquet St., Oakland, 412/802-7100
1029 Freeport Road, Waterworks Mall, O'Hara Township; 412/781-5590
18. Rename
When the blueprints for the African American Culture Center of Greater Pittsburgh were unveiled, they showed a glass-coated building distinguished by a feature sculpted in the shape of a ship's sail. The center will be a showcase for exhibits, performances and other activities that offer long-overdue homage to the contributions of African-Americans to Pittsburgh and the world. In 2005, we lost one of our cultural giants with the passing of August Wilson, a Pittsburgh native who became an acclaimed playwright with an international reputation. In homage to Wilson, the Center has been renamed the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. Now, when the three-story, 5,000-square-foot building finally opens its doors, this new name will help ensure that Wilson's name and cultural contributions are remembered in a significant way in the city where he got his start.
August Wilson Center for African American Culture
412/258-2700
19. Vintage Baubles
This might just be the next best thing to raiding your grandmother's jewelry box. Eons Fashion Antique was doing vintage long before it was the preferred choice of celebrity stylists and fashionistas. Here you'll find a glittering collection of styles-gone-by that are hot all over again. And, you might just find the perfect outfit to wear with your new bling.
Eons Fashion Antique
5850 Ellsworth Ave.,
Shadyside
412/361-3368
20. Cooking Class
Joe Certo, caterer and owner of The Borrowed Chef catering business, also teaches "Basic Techniques of Cooking 101" at Crate, a kitchenware shop and cooking school. Certo is a frequent sidekick to Chris Fennimore on the "QED Cooks" show on WQED tv13. Certo teaches many classes at Crate, but Kitchen Basics, a four-part series, really helps students learn how to get around the kitchen: It covers the essentials that every aspiring cook needs to know, including soups, stocks and sauces; vegetables and salads; poultry and meat. Fall sessions begin Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. $250 for four classes.
Kitchen Basics Class taught by Joe Certo
Crate
1960 Greentree Road, Scott Township
412/341-5700
Want more of the Best of Pittsburgh? Pick up this month's issue of PITTSBURGH magazine at your local newsstand or CLICK HERE to order.
Staff photographer Richard Kelly spent two months around town shooting hundreds of photos for our "Best of Pittsburgh" issue.  For a behind-the-scenes look at 100 of our favorite things, just . . .
< PREV
|
