A Taste of Market Square
On Saturday April 13 in downtown Pittsburgh, the restaurants of Market Square participated in A Taste of Market Square. This delicious event showcased the culinary creations from many of Pittsburgh's newest, oldest and most treasured restaurants. Renovated and reinvigorated, Market Square has re-established itself as the premier place to hang out downtown and grab a bite to eat. The Taste of Market Square event was the perfect way to experience the new square, back in all its glory after years of construction. The Green Team was lucky enough to snag tickets and head out for a great day of tasting!
It all started at Dollar Bank on Forbes Avenue, one of the sponsors for the event, where everyone was supplied with a stamp card, a food map, and a Dollar Bank reusable grocery bag. Alex and I made our first stop at Bluebird Kitchen where we sampled their homemade potato chips, a pork belly & taro skewer, and a small tasty dessert. Everything was mouthwatering and tasted like summer.
With our taste buds begging for more, Alex and I moved onto the next stop—The Original Oyster House where we sampled crab cakes with a horseradish dipping sauce and their signature potato chips. The Oyster house certainly knows how to serve up a little maritime goodness.
We continued on our journey around the square, stopping to sample cochinita tacos at Las Velas Mexican Restaurant, truffle macaroni & cheese at Diamond Market Bar and Grill, a toasted almond dessert at Prantl's Bakery (our personal favorite) and bruschetta from Mancini's Bread Company.
After these stops, we made our way over to NOLA where quite a long line had formed. As we waited, we sampled the signature gyro fixings at My Big Fat Greek Gyro, had meatballs at Sienna (absolutely scrumptious), and then it was time for us to get our Cajun gumbo from NOLA—it was full of tangy, spicy flavor that made your eyebrows raise after swallowing; but, it was great for anyone who likes their gumbo with a little kick!
There were some representatives at the square that traveled to participate from other places in Pittsburgh. Allegheny City Smokehouse, located on the North Shore, had a stand and handed out generous samples of their classic pulled pork that melted in our mouths. We also tried some delectable raspberry rice krispie treat bars from Andy's in the Fairmont Hotel. Across the square from them was Giant Eagle Market District who sampled some free-range rotisserie chicken with a black bean quinoa salsa and Braddock's American Brasserie sampled braised short rib pierogies—something we never thought existed, but LOVED!
By the time we got around to Il Pizzaiolo, we were disappointed to find that their stand had already packed up and headed inside. No worries, Wingharts was offering up some of their unparalleled burger samples, which seemed to be a crowd favorite. Primanti's was sampling their classic line of Pittsburgh-inspired cuisine. And we can't forget about the classic chips and queso from Moe's Southwest Grill. Crunch, crunch, crunch – bliss!
Full and barely mobile, the Green Team left A Taste of Market Square extremely satisfied and ready for next year's tasting! Be sure to check out all of the cool pictures from the event and stay up to date with The CW Green Team's latest activity right here on our website as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WPCWGreenTeam), Instagram (Pitt_CW_GreenTeam) and Twitter (@PCWGreenTeam)!
Click here to see a more pictures from A Taste of Market Square
