SoFresh is a fast-casual chain with a couple locations in the Pittsburgh area. They offer grain bowls, salads, wraps, quesadillas, smoothies, and juice ordered via screen at the counter. My mother and I both ordered smoothies as a snack to tide us over until dinner. She ordered the Blueberry Delight Smoothie with blueberry, strawberry, banana, orange juice and agave and enjoyed it. I ordered the Sunrise Smoothie with strawberry, pineapple, mango, orange juice, and agave. It was made fresh to order, refreshing and sweet. Perfect pick-me-up. Nothing to hate on here. Grade: A

Yelp ranked the top 100 ice cream shops of 2023 and Page's Dairy Mart in Pittsburgh was ranked 16th on the list.



The iconic ice cream shop has been around for 50+ years and serves milkshakes, sundaes, swirls and more. It's cash only, and there's usually a line.



when I got up to the window, I saw the sign for Thr Yinzer. How could I not order that?



The Yinzer is blonde brownie with white and milk chocolate, whipped cream and caramel.



There's no way you can go wrong with that combo. But I do especially like how everything tasted so fresh with quality ingredients. Definitely my jam.



Grade: A

West Virginia is woefully lacking when it comes to bagels. So, when I travel, bagels are often at the top of my list to seek out during breakfast. On one of my most recent travels, I didn't even need to wait til my destination to get my bagel fix. Right at the Pittsburgh airport was Bruegger's Bagels.



"Everyone knows that New York City is the home of the best-tasting, most authentic bagels anywhere. So when the idea for Bruegger’s was born in 1983, the first thing we did was head for the Big Apple.

We learned the time-honored, traditional methods that had made New York famous for bagels such as kettle-cooking the bagels before baking them in a real stone hearth oven. We spent two and a half years working with a professional bagel baker to perfect our recipe and process. Then we set off on our mission to introduce the authentic taste of New York-style bagels to the rest of America.

Our neighboring state played an important role, too. Real, made-in-Vermont cream cheese provides the smooth, delicious foundation for a dozen unique blends you’ll find only in our bakeries. From Onion & Chive to Jalapeño to Bacon Scallion, there’s a spread to complement every bagel — and fulfill every craving.

Now in our 35th year, Bruegger’s Bagels operates nearly 260 bakeries nationwide. Our menu has grown to include sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, garden-fresh salads, hearty soups, desserts and custom-roasted coffee — but the essence of Bruegger’s hasn’t changed. We’re still committed to serving genuine, New York-style bagels and real, made-in-Vermont cream cheese," reads the website.



I love a lox bagel with cream cheese, capers, and red onion. Your seatmate might not appreciate it, but the combo is just *chef's kiss*. Bruegger's version on this particular visit was OK. I don't love the tomato on it because it's usually a bit lifeless and mealy. The bread and salmon were both good, though. It was still a treat to me.

Picklesburgh is a free Pittsburgh festival that celebrates all things pickles.



"It’s a celebration that goes beyond the dill pickle to include international dishes, prepared foods, and artisan cocktails that feature pickled ingredients; an embrace of the farm-to-table movement and the rising popularity of canning; a selection of handcrafted foods and artisan cocktails from local restaurants; merchandise such as pickled goods, books, and DIY products."



It has been rated as the top specialty food festival, which makes it pretty neat. 



The festival was held on the Rachel Carson bridge, which hit capacity every few minutes, and it would have to be shut down to new entrants. It was so, so packed. Like shoulder-to-shoulder packed. Like, we would be at a standstill for minutes at a time as we were just trying to walk along the bridge. It was hard to tell where lines to vendors were because it was just so crammed. 



There was a pickle-juice drinking contest, which the winner conquered in like 4.5 seconds. Unreal. 



We did manage to get some pickle goodies. First up was The Brinery @ Two Acre Farm.



"The Brinery @TwoAcreFarm makes hand-crafted pickles in small batches. The pickles are 100% natural, contain no artificial preservatives, no chemical crispers, no color additives or refined sugars. The brine for The Brinery’s hand-crafted pickles is a vinegar and salt base and loaded with hand chopped locally grown ingredients and Two Acre Farm’s hand-crafted seasonings. Full of flavor and delightfully crunchy you can find buckets full of different varieties at the local farmer’s markets The Brinery attends."



At Picklesburgh, they had "hand-crafted fresh pickles and pickle shots in crazy exciting flavors, like Peach Maple Bourbon, Pineapple Sriracha, Garlic Herb & Wine and even a Monster Energy Pickle Shot for a quick boost. Plus, relishes, hot sauces, BBQ sauces and dill pickle sea salt."



I picked up a cup of the garlic, herb & wine pickles, while Kayla tried the peach maple bourbon. Mine were good - I wouldn't have hated even more garlic flavor (but I really love garlic). Kayla's had a bit of a kick, but she enjoyed. They even serve them with a straw so you can drink the brine, which they also had on tap. 



Next up: fudge. 



Copper Coast Confections: "Creative sweets from Pittsburgh’s premiere artisan fudge company including chocolate covered dill pickle popsicles, peanut butter pickle swirl Fudge, and even pickleback fudge with smoked whiskey, caramel and dill pickle peanuts!"



I bought a salted caramel fudge, because that's just my favorite. 



But I also went with a "dill payday," which had a dill-flavored fudge with peanuts and caramel. 



It wasn't a prominent dill flavor, but just some subtle saltiness and vinegary note. But it worked out. 



I would've liked to try the pickle beer, pickle ice cream, dill cheese and so many more. That just might have to wait til next year. 

No meal - for me - is complete without ice cream.

So when I saw Scoops near my hotel in Pittsburgh, it was a no-brainer.

This ice cream shop has more than sundaes and blitzes, they also have salads and other meals.

I went for a blitz, which is vanilla soft serve, topped with cookie dough. So good!

I made a day trip to Pittsburgh in anticipation of an upcoming flight and went in search of a quick dinner.

Papaya hit that spot - it has both Thai and sushi, and that was enough to sell me.

The menu has a mash-up of Asian dishes - lettuce wraps, crab rangoons, curry, general tso's, pad thai and more.


While this may point to inauthenticity, I like the variety and being able to pick and choose my favorites from many cuisine.

The crab angels - or crab rangoons - are a must-have for me. Who can resist creamy cheese in a fried wrapper? Not me, clearly.

And pad thai is always comforting.  I got this with shrimp, and it was quite tasty. It was heavier on the soy, but still a good flavor.

Morcilla is one of those restaurants that's been on my dream list for quite some time.



The restaurant has been named one of the best in the country by Bon Appetit, and it's routinely lauded by foodies near and far.

The two things I’m about to say aren’t food-writer hyper­bole: (1) Justin Severino is the most underrated chef in America. (2) His new restaurant serves the best Spanish food I’ve had outside San Sebastián. I realize all this halfway through my meal at Morcilla, his love letter to the pintxos-eating, cider-drinking, fiercely independent Basque region of northern Spain. In front of me is a refreshing gin and tonic poured with house-made tonic and garnished with juniper berries and citrus, a foamy glass of Trabanco cider (yes, that’s a second drink, but it was dispensed from a two-foot-tall custom tap shaped like an arm!), and an army of small plates that I can’t keep my hands from. (Bon Appetit)

Unfortunately, it had been closed for quite some time due to water damage. And when it finally reopened, it was tough to get reservations. But we got it.



My group of four ordered a few small plates to try a little bit of everything on the menu. Above is fried artichokes with anchovy aioli and burnt lemon. 


Manzanilla olives with citrus, rosemary and olive oil.