Typically, December is a busy month. However, this year was actually quite quiet for me, aside from a couple of big meals and events. The biggest deal is that I attended the Governor’s Content Creator Holiday Party again this year. Part of that event trip, I got to spend time in Hershey with some of my creator friends. I also spent a day in Greensburg with a group of creators. I visited a few more Christmas bars. I did a lot of organizing and planning for 2026.
Restaurants
I started the month at Club Café in Southside. They now have a new coffee shop open on weekday mornings. They feature Ghost Coffee Collab coffee and breakfast sandwiches from PGH Sandwich Society. I had a great seasonal Peppermint Mocha oat milk latte.
I visited Pita My Shawarma in Lawrenceville. They held an open house for the launch of their new wine and mezze bar. I started with a chicken shawarma with their garlic sauce. I sampled wines from their winery partner, Lavender Acres Winery, located in Central PA, and a bunch of their dips. I’ve been a fan of Pita My Shawarma since it was a food truck and I’m excited for them to take on this new chapter in the business.
I got some beers and lunch at Ever Grain Brewery in Camp Hill, PA. I got to stop in there quickly last year and wanted to go back to try some more and get a meal. I got a fantastic Short Rib French Dip. It was definitely a little different since it was on sourdough instead of a roll. I also got an imperial stout and an IPA.
I got some late night drinks at the High Dive in Harrisburg after the Governor’s Creators Holiday Party. We were there for an after party and enjoyed some twists on some classic drinks and some tiki style drinks. This was a really cool spot, and I would love to go back next time I’m in town, when I can just chill out at the bar.
I stop at Troegs Independent Brewing every time I am in Hershey. It is one of my favorite breweries for great beers, especially for all the special holiday beers, and their scratch kitchen at the snack bar. I got a flight of beers and an incredible braised short rib.
At Hersheypark, I got a footlong hot dog from Berks Hot Dogs. They had a special called The Trailblazer which was topped with beef brisket burnt ends and crispy onions. It was pretty good for amusement park food when it was also 20 degrees outside.
After Hersheypark, we stopped in at The Chocolatier restaurant at the park. Since I had the hot dog, I was in the mood for dessert and got a milkshake instead.
I had a great lunch with Go Laurel Highlands and a bunch of content creators at J. Corks in Greensburg. I was excited to learn a little bit more about Greensburg, a town so close to Pittsburgh that I hardly ever visit. J. Corks was a great meal. I was a big fan of the Wild Mushroom Bruschetta appetizer. My lunch was their Teddy KGBLT, which was like a Reuben, Rachel and breakfast sandwich combined.
While in Greensburg, I also went to Yellow Bridge Brewing. I’d been meaning to go to Yellow Bridge for a while. They have some great beer and pizza. I spent some time in the kitchen with John, their pizzaiolo, watching my pizza being made. I got their tie-dye pizza with vodka sauce and pesto. It was a fantastic NY style pizza. I definitely need to go back for one of their Detroit style pizzas.
I made a quick stop in Jackworth Ginger Beer for the release of their Paw Paw Ginger Beer. They only had one keg so I figured I would have to give it a try. I also got a couple of their cocktails.
Next I went up to Sharpsburg for the evening. I stopped at both Dancing Gnome and Love, Katie Distilling for some drinks. Love, Katie Distilling is always a good vibe and great cocktails.
I was invited to the Omni William Penn Hotel downtown for their brunch buffet at The Terrace Room. I had no clue they had a brunch buffet. Every weekend starting at 7 AM, they have a full brunch with all the classic brunch items like eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, omelets, and more. I ate one of the best brunch buffet omelets ever that morning.
I had a quick lunch with my parents at Plaza Azteca in Robinson. I had never been here before and it was pretty good. The lunch portions were pretty large. I’ll have to take some photos next time.
I drove up to Pocha by Kye-Won Korean Restaurant out in Saxonburg. This was an incredible meal. We ate half the menu. Kye-Won started Pocha because there was a lack of quality Korean food in the area. She has introduced her culture to the area through this restaurant. I specifically enjoyed the Korean Fried Chicken Wings, mandu dumplings, banchan, japchae and Kimchi-jjiga stew with beef and tofu. We also did a modified version of a Korean BBQ since it was too cold outside where the grill is located. Another plus of the Pocha is that they share their space with a Grist House Tap Room.
I was invited to try out Lao Sze Chuan in Mars. They are bringing a more upscale Chinese restaurant experience to the Pittsburgh North suburbs. They have an American menu, an authentic Chinese menu, and a sushi bar. We stuck to the authentic menu.
Takeout and Food Trucks
I ordered from Sesame Inn for dinner. I was a little disappointed with my Sesame Chicken. I ordered spicy and it was kinda flavorless. I also got the cold sesame noodles, and those were fantastic.
I got the Yinzer Wit cheesesteak from Streets on the Fly while at Grist House. This was a very good cheesesteak and fries. I want to try their wings next time.
Home Cooking
I made a lasagna for dinner. I haven’t made a lasagna in a long time. I was sent a box of sauces from Alla Famiglia Fine Foods. They are jarring the sauces from the restaurant. I used the jar of Bolognese and made my own lasagna noodles.
I impulsively bought 40 lbs of chicken wings from Wholey’s. I’ve been practicing different ways of making them. So far, I’m finding air fryer just isn’t great. It just comes out like roast chicken.
Events
I was invited again to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence of the annual Content Creators Holiday Party. This was the first of the Governor’s Holiday parties this year and the first one to be in the dining room since arson that occurred in April. This is such an amazing event getting to meet Gov. Shapiro again and meeting Lt. Gov. Davis for the first time. I also get to see so many of my creator friends from across the state. It felt like this year’s event just flew by though.
I spent an afternoon with content creators in Greensburg hosted by Go Laurel Highlands. They brought us to The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and the Palace Theatre. At the art museum I really enjoyed the Winter Tales immersive exhibit and the Steel Valley Visions exhibit. It’s a small museum, but they have a regular rotation of exhibits. The Palace Theatre is undergoing a lot of improvements and looking to expand past their current offerings of mostly tribute shows.
I went to the Penguins game with Cortney in the City. It was Pride Night and Dollar Hot Dog Night. The Penguins blew the game with 0.1 seconds left on the clock and then lost in the shootout.
I saw Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair at Cinemark Monroeville. The movie is an unedited 4-hour 45-minute version of the movie. This version was how the movie was intended to be shown. This included showing the fight with the Crazy 88 in color. I’m sure I will purchase this version on Blu-Ray when available.
I had to make more stops at more Christmas bars. Started at Jingle Bar at Eleventh Hour Brewing in Lawrenceville. This was just ok. They had a lot of decorated rooms, trivia and games. However, the drinks were just ok.
I also went to Mixtape in Garfield for their A Very Merry Mixtape popup. This was much better. Mixtape has great popups with fantastic drinks, amazing decorations and fun activities. I would recommend that anyone attend their popups.
One of my favorite events every year is Grist House Fire Fest. It’s a Celebration of Fire and Beer. At this event they set up multiple fire pits around the Millvale brewery, hold a special barrel aged stout beer release, host many food trucks, and other special activities. The Fire Fest Barrel Aged Stout is one of my favorite beers released every year. Part of the event is the Mystery Gristmas Tree with $10 mystery gifts.
Cortney in the City hosted a holiday meetup at Zone 28 in Harmarville. We spent time in their Suite 28 private event space with dedicated bowling lanes, seating and a bar. We also spent time playing in their arcade. I haven’t been there in forever, but I had a lot of fun for the evening.
Stopped by another holiday bar, Naughty and Nice at NPL Richland. The decorations were amazing. They had the worst drink of all the popup bars I visited.
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