Flooded Bethel Park restaurant has reopened
The Trolley Stop Inn in Bethel Park has reopened following a late June flash flood that required a boat rescue of the more than 25 diners stranded inside.
Wendy Mitchell, co-owner of the restaurant for 35 years with husband, Art, said the cleanup was as costly as the restaurant’s full renovation a few years ago; due to water damage, the owners had to replace “all equipment, all the walls: everything,” she said.
The June downpour delivered 3.5 inches over an afternoon and evening, flooding many businesses and homes around the North Shore, Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair.
That the cleanup took the Mitchells only three weeks is a quick turnaround. “We had a lot of volunteers and good helpers,” Ms. Mitchell said.
Even with the renovations, the look is still the same, but there have been a few tweaks: Trolley Stop Inn now delivers and they’ve added calzones to the menu, for around $14.75 each. The grand reopening starts Friday, with events and specials running all weekend long.
Silky’s Sports Bar and Grill in Squirrel Hill has closed
After a 30-year run, Silky’s has closed. “When you have been in one location for 30 years, it’s a little hard to let go,” co-owner Kathy Lampenfeld announced on Instagram.
“Squirrel Hill has been good to us. Many jobs were created. Many memories made. Many friendships formed and many lives changed. Thanks for the memories!”
Silky’s has two other locations: 5135 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield and Silky’s Crow’s Nest at 19th Street and Blair River Road, on the river in Sharpsburg.
Molinaro Ristorante in Market Square is now open seven days a week
Mt. Lebanon Il Pizzaiolo founder Ron Molinaro and business partner Bob Wolfinger have opened the doors of Molinaro Ristorante in the former Poros space at 2 PPG Place.
The 8,000-square-foot restaurant is run by executive chef and Italian native Domenico Cornacchia, restaurateur from the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C., area who carved his U.S. reputation as the longtime chef at a DC power-broker spot, Cafe Milano.
This is a dressed-up spot with an intention of delivering a high-end dining experience — with tuxedoed waitstaff and luxe prices. The menu includes starters ($9 to $14), antipasti ($14 to $28), salads ($16 to $19), pizza ($18 to $24), housemade pasta ($24 to $32) and entrees ($29 to $150).
Mr. Cornacchia found Mr. Molinaro by way of a guy who works for the Il Pizzaiolo group, Tonino Topolino, whom the Abruzzo chef knew back in the Washington area, Mr. Wolfinger confirmed.
Mr. Topolino, originally from Naples, is spearheading the transition of the now-closed Pizzuvio on Forbes Avenue near Market Square that Mr. Molinaro and Mr. Wolfinger opened in 2016 then closed a year later. That restaurant will reopen in the fall as Pizzuvio Pizzeria and Wine Bar serving Neapolitan and Roman-style tray pizzas and regional Italian snacks.
Molinaro in the former Poros space is the first restaurant opening from among the handful of properties Mr. Molinaro and Mr. Wolfinger are in the middle of purchasing from Big Y Restaurant Group led by Yves Carreau — with the assistance of Ron Sofranko of Sofranko Advisory Services, based in Pine — which includes NOLA on the Square and Perle.
Molinaro Ristorante is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m.
After a 30-year run, Cafe Sam has closed
Samantha is finally leaving the bar: The mannequin that’s been sitting at Cafe Sam for decades will depart with the closing of the restaurant following a 30-year run on Baum Boulevard.
“Cafe Sam’s community of loyal customers stretches all across town,” the PG wrote in 2003. “Theater people, both performers and their audiences, in particular like the fact that this is one of the few Pittsburgh restaurants that serves dinner until midnight on weekends.”
Check out this new Downtown barbecue pop-up
Pittsburgh Barbecue Company has opened a stall inside Oxford Market at One Oxford Centre, Downtown. The menu at Oxford Market includes smoked beef brisket, North Carolina-style pulled pork and chicken, available in sandwiches and by the pound, along with sides like cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans and mac and cheese. Oxford Market is kicking off the pop-up with a craft beer tasting on the patio on Thursday.
Melissa McCart: mmccart@post-gazette.com.
First Published: July 16, 2018, 5:34 p.m.
