Author Archives: Emma

About Emma

Blogging and social media are like breathing for life-long yinzer and cheese addict Emma. With a degree in English and communications, she spends most of her days writing, reading, and wondering where to eat next.

The Pop Stop: Popsicles in Pittsburgh

What’s better than beating the heat with a popsicle? How about beating the heat with a freshly made popsicle containing fresh fruit and ingredients from the back of a bicycle? Pittsburgh’s newest (and only) popsicle delivery system on 2 wheels is changing the way to eat frozen treats.

English teacher and Pittsburgh native Todd Saulle started The Pop Stop after a conversation with a friend who owns a popsicle shop in West Philadelphia. Saulle was captivated with the idea and started research immediately. Given the recent boom in mobile food in Pittsburgh, Saulle decided to take the concept mobile, and thus The Pop Stop was born.

Now, for the record, these aren’t like those old school orange juice popsicles you attempted to make every summer in your freezer with toothpicks and ice trays. Saulle uses an industrial kitchen and equipment to keep up with demand. The space came with a little help from Franktuary.

“I need[ed] a commercial kitchen space to make the pops. Fortunately for me, my mobile food compatriots at Franktuary came to my aid. The Franktuary ownership, Megan Lindsey and Tim Tobitsch, were more than willing to provide me with a commercial kitchen space at their new L-ville location. Without the help of the ownership and staff of Franktuary, The Pop Stop could not operate. So, in return for their generosity, I provide them with a few batches of popsicles every week. Currently, they have two seasonal flavors: Straight-up Cantaloupe and Watermelon Parsley. You can also try an alcoholic based pop with Wigle Ginever, cucumber and lime.” Continue reading →

Corpse Flower in Bloom at Phipps Conservatory

Pittsburgh is known for its history with zombies. Since Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Pittsburgh has become the undead capital of the States. According to Zombiepedia (which is apparently a thing):

“Pittsburgh is often considered to be the most-likely ground-zero for the zombie invasion due to its rich history in both zombie folklore as well as pioneering in the field of actual lab creation of zombies.”

Continue reading →

Pinball Perfection

Tucked away in a two-floor complex in West View, my first reaction to Pinball Perfection was “woah”. Then, “how do I start playing?”

Open since 1991, Pinball Perfection is the premiere spot in Pittsburgh to get your pinball fix. Or ogle over the 100s of pinball and other classic machines. The machines are divided up by era and theme, ranging from baseball to Flash Gordon. The earliest machines date back to the 1920s.

The top floor of Pinball Perfection is dedicated to gaming. The lower floor features a show room for sales.

Pinball Perfection has an eclectic feel, every corner you turn there’s a new game to be discovered. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable about the machines, and are happy to share the tips and tricks of their favorite games.

Pinball Perfection is a unique place to spend a weekend night. The upper level is open Fridays from 7-10pm and Saturday from 12-5pm. Bring a couple friends and spend a few hours testing out your favorite games.

Don’t worry about bringing quarters here. An hour of unlimited play is $5, the entire day $10. For more information, check out their website or Facebook page.

The Tribune Review posted a slideshow of Pinball Perfection earlier this year. The photos barely give the place justice–there’s so much going on.

Pinball Perfection

(412)931-4425

231 Perry Highway

Westview, PA 15229

#UheartPGH – Nominations now open!

Here at IheartPGH, we love this city, we really do. Now it’s your turn to show some love with #UheartPGH, our best of the ‘Burgh feature. We want to know what you guys love about this city.

Here’s how you can #UheartPGH

Fill out this nifty form below with your nominations.
Go to our Facebook page and comment your nomination. Use the hashtag #UheartPGH.
Tweet at @iheartpgh and use the hashtag #UheartPGH. Don’t forget to include which category you are nominating for!

Nominations are open until Thursday, August 1st at midnight. Then we’ll collect your nominations and announce the nominees Friday. Next week, you’ll be able to vote on the nominees to determine the best of each category. We’ll profile the winners right here on the blog.

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National Hot Dog Day: The Hot Dogs of Pittsburgh

It was quiet morning in the super secret iheartPGH headquarters until one intern abruptly cried out “It’s National Hot Dog Day!” The Yinzterns rejoiced and it was decided that they would take a crawl through the various hot dog vendors of Pittsburgh. Here, we share our ups, downs, and general stomach aches after consuming multiple dogs.

Name	Hours	Cost	Fun Fact
	Breakfast & Lunch Monday-Saturday	$	The proprietors of Steve’s were on vacation at the time of the crawl. We will be back for you Steve…
	Lunch & Dinner	$	An interesting hybrid of Chicago and Pittsburgh, they serve up a mean hot dog. They are also located in a basement, so keep your eyes peeled or you will miss a delicious spot. It’s also cash only.
	Lunch & DinnerMonday-ThursdayLunch, Dinner & Late NightFriday-SaturdayBrunch Sunday	$$	Franktuary is now offering a Sunday brunch at its Lawrenceville location. They also have trivia Tuesday nights!
	Lunch & Dinner Everyday	$$$	Station Street has been open since 1915.
	Lunch, Dinner & Late Night Everyday	$	Decent beer collection, pop in for a hot dog.
	Lunch & DinnerSunday- WednesdayLunch, Dinner, & Late NightThursday-Saturday	$$	Over 1,000 types of beer with a wide offering of food beyond just hot dogs.
	Lunch & Dinner Monday-Saturday	$	This dog joint packs in a lot of character. Cash only.
	Lunch & Dinner Monday- Friday Lunch Saturday	$	Beyond selling dog hots, Wiener World is known for its fish sandwich.

Steve’s New York Hot Dog

This place has great reviews on Urban Spoon. Unfortunately, Steve decided it was a good idea to go out of town during one of the most important hot dog related holidays on the year. We yelled out in agony as we drove by, vowing to return at a later date.

Yovi’s

Unassumingly tucked into a basement right outside of Market Square, Yovi’s brings Chicago dogs to Pittsburgh. It’s simply decorated with both cities’ memorabilia and they also offer sandwiches and deep-fried pizza puffs. The token all-beef Chicago dog was topped with mustard, green relish, diced onions, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt, on a poppy-seed bun. It’s a great, cheap, and friendly place to pop in for a quick lunch while downtown.

Franktuary

The new Franktuary location in Lawrenceville is charmingly rustic and beautiful, not to mention very spacious compared to the original downtown location. They have a variety of unique hot dog styles (including vegan tofu dogs), plus salads, poutine, pierogies, desserts, and more. We loved the Memphis dog (slaw, barbecue sauce, and crunchy potato sticks) and the Pittsburgh dog (smooshed pierogi and slaw). Their bar is fully stocked with tasty cocktails and craft beers, and you can sit at the open garage door windows when it’s nice out.

Station Street

This hot dog joint has opened and closed a few times since it’s creation in 1915. The latest version is run by restauranteur Kevin Sousa. Bringing food science down to hot dog level, Sousa includes a couple crazy combinations on the menu. I went out on a limb and ordered the Kimchi Dog, topped with seaweed, kimchi, and tangy mayo. I was pleasantly surprised how delightful the tastes were together. The beef hot dog is delicious stand alone, but I’m anxious to try a few more combinations. Station Street also offers Vegan doggies for those less inclined to meat The only downside? It’s a bit pricey for your everyday hot dog–save this spot for special lunch occasions (like National Hot Dog day).

Packs & Dogs

The first thing you notice when you enter this shop in Mount Washington is its expansive beer collection. The bar is lined with bottles and two plasma screen tvs. You have to go to the far back to order your hot dogs. The varieties have canine-themed names, such as the German Shepard (sauerkraut and spicy mustard) or the Chihuahua (chili, cheddar cheese, and onions). Beer is definitely Packs and Dogs’ forte. There was not much outside seating, as there were only two tables outside, but there are a nice number of booths and bar seating.

D’s Six Pax & Dogs

Located in Regent Square, D’s is the perfect place to pop in for a dog. While you are there, make sure to check out the legendary Beer Cave, where you will find over 1,000 different brews. The Chicago Veggie dog was a classic that didn’t disappoint with relish, onions, pickles, tomatoes, sport peppers, and yellow mustard. D’s offered some interesting varieties, such as the Big Ben with fries, creamy cheddar and coleslaw and the Angry Tiki loaded with fries, creamy cheddar and coleslaw. We can’t forget to mention how great the poppy-seed buns were, which can also be substituted for whole wheat.

Dormont Dogs

Dormont Dogs was one of our favorite stops of the day. Located a bit out of the city, it was worth the voyage. When you first walk in, you are taken back in time with the lovely decor. The hand written menu and little colorful tables added to the character at Dormont Dogs. The dogs were very good, as well as the buns. The menu featured hot dogs styled after different states (and streets in Dormont), from Louisiana in the south to Wisconsin in the west to Connecticut in the north. We also learned that in addition to being a hot dog shop, the area used to be a barber shop and a waffle/pottery shop.

Wiener World

Wiener World is located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh on Smithfield St. and you can’t miss the giant neon sign. This place is a hot dog shop. This is a take out spot or stand-at-the-counter-and-eat-your-hot-dog place, no tables, chairs or restrooms, just hot dogs (or a hoagie). We ordered the all beef hot dogs with all of the fixings, well ok most of the fixings, which was more than filling enough. We’ll have to try the fries on a return visit. The beef hot dog was great and next time I’ll limit the fixings to one or two and let the hot dog take center stage.

We know there are a ton more hot dog spots in Pittsburgh, but we couldn’t stomach another after a full day of chowing down. Where do you think the best dogs are in Pittsburgh? Check out our Facebook album for more pictures of our day-long crawl.