On the Menu
Beer, here
Whitehorse Brewing may be new to the scene as of last spring, but it’s certainly not new to the world of beer. For fall, the lineup is strong – the brewery has released a hazy citrus IPA and a coffee porter made with local beans from a coffee company in Somerset, Pa. Located at The Street at The Meadows in Washington, Whitehorse brews unfiltered, unpasteurized beer with no preservatives. You can sip on-site or purchase a keg to take home. Brewmaster Miles Walker, an engineer, established the brewery in 2012 and since then has created some tried and true favorites that have guests coming back for more. The buckwheat blossom honey is so popular, it’s on the menu year-round. Forty-five pounds of local honey from Berlin, Pa., is used to create one batch! Enjoy flights, pints, growlers, six-packs, food (from the adjacent Primanti Bros.), peanuts, wine, moonshine and mixed drinks Tuesday through Sunday. If happy hour is your thing, stop by from 4-6 p.m. during the weekdays for $4 drafts! For more information, visit facebook.com/whitehorsebrewingatthestreet.
Atria’s Wiener Zwiebelschnitzel is a dish of tender, hand-breaded veal cutlets topped with crisp fried onions, grilled roma tomatoes and a signature gravy over German potato pancakes. Pair it with a Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen!
Get it while it’s hot!
No one offers an Oktoberfest menu quite like Atria’s. Chef Josef Karst first brought his family’s recipes from Mittelreidenbach, Germany, to Peters Township – and the restaurant’s seven other locations, including its Mt. Lebanon flagship and Morgantown, W.Va. – 19 years ago. Since then, Atria’s is not only known for its solid regular menu (hello, pot roast nachos), but its seasonal German feast offered every year through October. To start, dig in to the bratwurst baked with bacon and Swiss cheese in a puffed pastry, served with Bavarian mustard, also known as Schweizer Schublig. Entrees are a plenty, from Paprika Hendl, hand-breaded fried chicken with fresh peppers in a creamy paprika sauce over Käse Spätzle, to Rheinischer Sauerbraten, tender braised beef with raisins in a sweet and sour gravy served with mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Other options are accompanied by hot German potato salad and a shot of Jägermeister, or the restaurant’s signature gravy over German potato pancakes. The bar staff adds to the experience by providing beer pairing suggestions for nearly each dish – there is something for everyone! The Ofenfrischer Apfelstrudel, or homemade apple strudel, is the perfect finish. For more information, visit atrias.com.
Holly Tonini
Holly Tonini
The marinated beet salad is comprised of arugula, goat cheese, marcona almonds, pickled onions and marinated beets.
Eat local
With the Inn at Little Washington, Va., in his culinary background, Martin Lamarche almost ended up in a town that sometimes bristles at being called Little Washington, Pa. Starting a restaurant in the Washington County seat didn’t work out for Lamarche, but Little Washington’s loss – in either state – turned out to be Finleyville’s gain, especially if you’re looking for a shrimp and grits brunch or crab cakes eggs Benedict. While Lamarche, 43, and his wife, Kristin, were contemplating purchasing a building in downtown Washington, the location at 6108 Brownsville Road Extension “just kind of materialized,” he says, and the husband and wife co-owners opened V & V Scratch Kitchen in May. There’s more than a touch of whimsy on the menu, whether it be on paper or an artsy green board that greets the dining public. Lamarche brings with him experience at some legendary restaurants: Occidental Grill in Washington, D.C., and Terra, which recently closed after a 30-year run in California’s Napa Valley. V & V is a counter-service operation, meaning customers order at the counter, pay before choosing a table and take a number so the server knows where to head with a tray of food. For more information, visit vandvkitchen.com. – Barbara Miller
Fall Festivals
Festival season is here! Start planning for fall fun for the whole family.
October 5-7, 12-14, 19-21, 26-28
Great Pumpkin Weekends
The SpringHouse
springhousemarket.com
October 6-7
Hickory Apple Festival
Mt. Pleasant Township Volunteer Fire Company
hickoryapplefest.com
October 7, 14, 21, 28
Autumn Sunday Hog Roasts
The SpringHouse
springhousemarket.com
October 12-14
Houston Pumpkin Festival
Houston American Legion Picnic Grounds
houstonpumpkinfestival.net
October 13-14, 20-21, 27-28
Pumpkin Trolley
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
patrolley.org