This was an exhausting month. July had a lot going on. I had some really exciting partnerships. I spent 3 days in Happy Valley again. I attended an awesome Sheetz event. I announced the launch of the Bacon Burgh festival with the team behind Beers of the Burgh. I had a few amazing meals. I also spent a lot of time working. I know the rest of 2025 is only going to get even busier.
Restaurants
We did a birthday dinner at Alla Famiglia. This is one of my favorite special occasion restaurants in Pittsburgh. It’s a high end Italian restaurant in the Pittsburgh Allentown neighborhood featuring a multi course meal with tableside cacio e pepe preparation and massive main courses. I almost always get a veal chop, but I think next time I need to try the lamb shank my brother ordered.
I got to be one of the first people to eat at Palm Palm, a new restaurant in East End from the same team behind Ritual House. Full disclosure, I was invited to eat there, my meal was comped and I truly believe this was one of my best dinners in 2025. We got to try a significant portion of the menu. They are featuring West Coast and South Florida vibes and captivating small plates. My favorites were the Seafood Skewers with three types of fish, the mini lobster rolls, Truffle Spaghettios, and Bone Marrow Tartare. There were some items I wasn’t crazy about, but nothing was bad. I definitely want to return to try more of the menu, either for brunch or sitting at the bar.
Umi Japanese Restaurant in Shadyside invited me in to experience the new 18 course omakase and see if I could eat it all. To do the 18 course experience, you sit at the sushi bar where Mr. Shu, the sushi master behind Umi, curates this incredible meal of sashimi and hot courses. This was an incredible dinner, and I would do it again.
I had dinner at Bae Bae’s Bar and Supper Club. I have always been a fan since the early days of Bae Bae’s Kitchen. They added the Katsu Fried Chicken back to the menu. It’s one of my favorite fried chicken dishes in Pittsburgh.
I was invited to check out Wild Game Wednesday at Burgatory. Each week they are offering burgers made from boar, kangaroo and other types of wild game. I was there on wild boar night. The burger flavor I could best describe as gamier pork. They used a spicy rub and bbq sauce, which makes it more like a usual burger.
Ended the month at Space Bar in Market Square, trying out some of their new cocktails. I got the Andorito, a cocktail designed to taste like a Dorito, and the Waffle Crisp Old Fashioned with a tasty brown butter fat washed bourbon. Space Bar is an awesome establishment with really cool sci-fi space themed décor and fantastic cocktails.
Takeout and Food Trucks
I love good pizza and I love purposely mediocre pizza. Dominos was running an any pizza $9.99 deal so I took advantage of a pizza loaded with toppings.
I got Big Shot Bob’s twice in July out of a need to stress eat.
I finally got to try Cold Friends Kitchen. I have heard only good things. They are all accurate. They are a vendor at Bacon Burgh and I was stopping by to film some content from them. I got the pork belly bites and it might be one of the best things I have ever eaten. I was talking with them a bit and people kept going up to them to say the food was the best they’ve ever eaten. I need to try the burgers next time.
Events
I stopped by the Omni William Penn for their Cirque & Sip popup bar. I don’t go to many popups anymore, but I gave this a try. The space was nicely decorated, but the drinks and food were a little lacking. The drinks were on the sweeter side, which is not my favorite.
I attended a Romanticize Pittsburgh event. Content creator Arjun Manjunath started a series of networking events to allow people to try new things in Pittsburgh. He has built a following over the last couple of years just trying things in Pittsburgh and letting people know about it. This event was at 5801 Video Lounge, and it featured drag queens from around the city. It had been a while since I last attended a drag show and had a great time.
I went down to Picklesburgh again this year. It was so hot. I got my Dianoia’s Pickle Meatballs again. I got cocktails from Tako, Wigle and The Warren. I liked how they spread it out all over the bridges, North Shore and downtown. I had a lot of fun despite the heat. The bobbing for pickles competition was exciting to watch.
I went to the most amazing event with chainsaws. I was a promotional partner with Sheetz for their Sheetz x Liquid Death cutting MTOs with chainsaws event. It was at the Sheetz in Seven Fields and this crazy event had content creator and her friends cutting MTO sandwiches with chainsaws. This was so fun. I was covered in sandwich bits.
I went to Mixtape in Garfield for their Dannyland immersive art exhibit. It was a tribute to a local artist Danny Devine, who passed away. The art was crazy. The drinks were fantastic. I got a non-dairy milkshake. I should go to mixtape more often.
I went to the first Mocktail Mixer hosted by Teetotal Initiative Pittsburgh. Their goal was to bring attention to help individuals sustain sobriety offering sober-focused programming. This was their first big event of this kind. They got over 20 restaurants to participate by bringing different mocktails. I tried some really great drinks. Alta Via, Mixtape, Golden Gai, Jackworth Ginger Beer and Space Bar were my favorites.
Happy Valley
I spent another weekend in Happy Valley doing some really cool activities. I Went to Tussey Mountain Wing Fest. I can’t believe they do that every week. They have 6 different vendors selling wings, a featured beer and live music. You buy $1 tickets to use on wings and drinks. I had an awesome time. I did a tour of dairy farms: Meyer Dairy, Nittany Valley Creamery and Goot Essa Cheese. I also did lunch at Kinfork, a farmer collective. Central PA is home to over 1,000 active farms. I spent the day eating ice cream and cheese. I went to a State College Spikes baseball game. They won in a blowout and there were fireworks after. The main reason I was there for the weekend was Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest, which brings 70+ breweries to State College for an amazing beer festival. There will be a ton of videos and posts for this trip to come.
