1 Thing To Know
Bloomfield, the East End neighborhood also known as Little Italy, has George Washington to thank for its name. In a mid-1700s journal entry, Washington described the neighborhood as a “field of blooms.” Can you imagine what it looked like then?
Vegan schnitzel and pan fried dumplings at Apteka. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Food & Drink
Over the weekend, I celebrated my birthday with impeccable vegan Eastern European dishes at Apteka, which is a finalist for a James Beard Award. Go for the pierogi, but don’t skip the schnitzel. And you have to order one of their homemade sparkling kompot drinks.
Shout out to all yinz who got yesterday’s “Where Is It?” challenge correct: Alexa F., Andy C., Clara K., Rachel M., Harrison K., Katie B., Jillian J., Andrea A., Karlee T., Garrett S., Kayla C., and Jennifer C.
The little cheese dudes are in the window at Chantal’s Cheese shop on Penn Avenue. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Pro tip: You can make reservations at Apteka with parties of four or more. My partner and I had a 50-minute wait, so we wandered down the street to Chantal’s Cheese Shop. The selection is incredible, and my favorite part was the “tid-bits'' drawer in the fridge with reasonably priced nuggets of cheese left over from charcuterie orders. (Congrats to the owner, who just became an American citizen!)
Shop Local
If you’re in the neighborhood on a Saturday, stop by the farmers market on Liberty Avenue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 🎧 We had the former market manager on the City Cast Pittsburgh podcast to share tips, tricks, and market etiquette.
