Greensburg chefs get saucy: Semiannual Restaurant Week lets culinary creativity run wild

Blackened white tuna tacos, crab and lobster ravioli, funnel cake fries and fall-inspired margaritas are just some of the specialty items that will be available for restaurant-goers to test out during Greensburg Restaurant Week this month, Sept. 8-14.

Hosted every fall and winter by the Greensburg Community Development Corporation, Greensburg Restaurant Week invites the area’s eateries to serve a dedicated menu with specialty pricing.

Fifteen restaurants are slated to participate — J. Corks, 3 Stone Merchant, Tapped Brick Oven & Pour House, Morelands at Waterworks, Jaffre’s Restaurant, El Diablo Brewing Co. & Wood-Fired Kitchen, Nico Bakery and Cafe, Little E’s Pizzeria, Marino’s American Eatery, Oliver’s Pourhouse, The Headkeeper, DeGennaro’s Restaurant & Lounge and Live Casino Pittsburgh’s Sports & Social Steel City and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen & Bar.

Morelands at Waterworks

Gwen Moreland — who opened Morelands at Waterworks with her husband, George, just before the 2020 covid-19 pandemic outbreak — said this fall’s Restaurant Week is an opportunity for the South Greensburg eatery to showcase its growth.

“For the first time, I feel like our kitchen is in a pretty solid place,” Moreland said. “We got to branch out into some of the items that we would want to showcase, rather than trying to figure it out based on how we could serve it effectively because of staffing.”

Head chef Jared Thompson worked with the restaurant staff to curate a three-course menu that offers options not available locally. Guests can choose one appetizer, entree and dessert as part of their meal, which will cost $45.

Among the appetizer options are figs stuffed with dry bleu cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and topped with a balsamic reduction drizzle.

“That’s something you don’t see around this area a lot,” Thompson said. “It’s a cold appetizer, but it’s really refreshing for this time of year.”

Morelands at Waterworks will also offer a plum sauce duck breast dish during Restaurant Week, he said.

“Our duck is actually one of our bestsellers. We always bring it out for special occasions, just because people really enjoy it,” he said. “We do our ducks crispier than a lot of other places and we actually keep it more on the rare side, so they can enjoy the whole flavor of the duck.”

The restaurant’s chefs will also flex their baking skills, creating desserts such as the lemon blueberry tiramisu.

Morelands at Waterworks is closed on Mondays and will participate in Greensburg Restaurant Week Sept. 9 to 14.

Live Casino Pittsburgh

The two participating restaurants from Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield are taking a different approach from the three-course meal, offering a la carte specialty appetizers, entrees, drinks and desserts.

Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen & Bar will offer reuben egg rolls, an individual portion of its staple trash can nachos, funnel cake fries, salted caramel whiskey bread pudding and a fall-inspired twist on its usual margarita flight — including apple, lavender, blackberry and pumpkin flavors.

Sports & Social Steel City will sell dill pickle cheese curds with ranch dressing, an Asian-inspired spicy tuna bowl, a hot honey margarita featuring Dolce Vida tequila and a smoked, pressed old fashioned made with Empress 1908 Indigo gin.

Other entrees include the great hambino sandwich — a ham and cheese sandwich topped with pickle slaw — and the Buffalo blue cheeseburger — smashburger patties dressed in buffalo sauce and crumbled bleu cheese.

Each item will be individually priced with optional add-ons, including a $10 milkshake or $5 pint of beer, said Brenda Wateska, food and beverage marketing manager for the casino.

“We really leaned into our chefs and director of food and beverage,” Wateska said. “This gives them a little creativity that we might not always have with our menus.”

The casino is a regular participant in Greensburg Restaurant Week, she said.

“It’s not only something great that could potentially bring new guests into our area to try us,” she said, “but it’s also great for our returning and regular guests to be able to try some new and different items that we wouldn’t typically have on our menu.”

For a full list of participating restaurants and their menus, visit greensburgrestaurantweek.com.