{"id":534,"date":"2018-09-21T00:09:56","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T04:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/?p=534"},"modified":"2018-09-10T15:20:03","modified_gmt":"2018-09-10T19:20:03","slug":"dine-like-a-local-in-beaver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/2018\/food-drink\/dine-like-a-local-in-beaver\/","title":{"rendered":"Dine like a local in Beaver"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consider a weekend visit to thriving Beaver to peruse its specialty stores, antique and consignment shops, as well as a bevy of interesting restaurants. From an Eastern European pastry shop to a fine-dining stalwart with an all-American wine collection, Beaver\u2019s dining scene punches above its weight. <\/p>\n

\"Christian<\/a>

Christian Grossetti of New Brighton orders tea from Heather Villavicencio at Cafe Kolache in Beaver. (Nate Guidry\/Post-Gazette)<\/p><\/div>\n

Start the morning at Cafe Kolache<\/strong> (402 3rd St.), a bakery that specializes in pastry that looks like a spongy danish. Some have savory fillings such as bacon and cheese or ham, jalapeno and cheddar. Others are sweetly filled with apricot, blueberry, prune or lemon. Owned by former Enron employee Kristi Harper and her husband Hugh, it\u2019s an eclectic spot for takeout or eat-in, with a quiet room that\u2019s good for reading or conversation. <\/p>\n

\"Patrons<\/a>

Patrons eat lunch at Crave Mexican Grill in Beaver. (Nate Guidry\/Post-Gazette)<\/p><\/div>\n

Across the street is Crave Mexican Grill<\/strong> (431 3rd St.), a utilitarian, fast-casual spot that opened last year. Gorge on chips and salsa, bean-and-beef stuffed burritos and cheese-laden quesadillas for under $10 a person. Bring an appetite \u2014 and plan to season with Two Rivers olive oils, salt and Tabasco sauce: Though it\u2019s Tex-Mex-inspired, this isn\u2019t spicy fare.<\/p>\n

\"Rosaria<\/a>

Rosaria pizza at Mario’s Woodfired Pizzeria in Beaver. (Nate Guidry\/Post-Gazette)<\/p><\/div>\n

A local antique shop owner recommended one of his go-tos, Mario\u2019s Woodfired Pizzeria<\/strong> (406 3rd St.). It looks like a neighborhood pizzeria, but it\u2019s more like a trattoria. Mario Fratangeli, who opened his restaurant in 2005, knows nearly every customer by first name. Sure, you can get pizza speciale, with its sheen of red sauce and a dappling of mozzarella, or you can order stick-to-the-ribs gnocchi Caprese. Whatever your red sauce craving, it\u2019s likely here \u2014 along with a crew of Beaver neighbors who likely will introduce themselves.<\/p>\n

\"Chefs<\/a>

Chefs J.J. Wang, left, and Zhang Ray prepare lunchtime meals at Yama restaurant in Beaver. (Nate Guidry\/Post-Gazette)<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re craving a neighborhood sushi and izakaya-style restaurant, there\u2019s Yama<\/strong> (538 3rd St.). Look for American-style, colorful sushi rolls like the jalapeno yellowtail or the cupid (salmon, spicy tuna, red tobiko) with festive plating and sauces that resemble latte art. More savory hot items include shumai dumplings, fried tofu with bonito flakes and shrimp tempura. Sit at the ebony tables or the sushi bar to check out the knife skills of the sushi chef.<\/p>\n

\"Biba, <\/a>
Biba, an upscale Latin American inspired restaurant, features indoor and outdoor seating in downtown Beaver. (Stephanie Strasburg\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Seared <\/a>
Seared scallops with bacon, corn, oregano, chimichurri, and arugula, served at Biba on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2018, in Beaver. (Stephanie Strasburg\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Line <\/a>
Line cook Chandler Klein slices a Cuban sandwich during the dinner rush at Biba on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2018, in Beaver. (Stephanie Strasburg\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

A few doors away is Biba<\/strong> (406 3rd St.), the most tailored restaurant on the stretch, with a 12-table dining room from Jason Benegasi and his wife, Christine. Mr. Benegasi is the head chef, emphasizing local ingredients and fusing cultures through cuisine, with starters like cornbread and spicy peach jam, skillet fries, Korean chicken tacos and Cuban sandwiches. For the more conservative diner, there\u2019s local green salad, a fish of the day and \u201cpasture-perfect beef.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Outdoor <\/a>
Outdoor seating on the patio at Bert’s Wooden Indian in Beaver. (Stephanie Strasburg\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A sesame ahi tuna with ginger wasabi and Asian slaw at the Wooden Angel in Beaver. (Stephanie Strasburg\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The destination restaurant that has anchored Beaver since 1968 is the Wooden Angel<\/strong> (308 Leopard Lane) and its more casual sibling, Bert\u2019s Wooden Indian<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The fine dining gem has one of the area\u2019s most interesting wine rooms with over 400 American labels going back to 1973. Credit owner Alex Sebastian, who has been praised by Wine Spectator for the breadth of his restaurant\u2019s wine collection.<\/p>\n

In between courses like five-onion soup, lobster mac and cheese and oysters Rockefeller, peruse the dark, masculine environs, checking out the murals and artwork along with the several party spaces. Follow it up with scrod, pasta, lamb or pork medallions \u2014 and consider ordering a bottle of wine, especially if it\u2019s a weekend jazz night.<\/p>\n

If deals are your thing, Tuesday\u2019s prime rib is $19 per person, Friday\u2019s dinner for two is $40-$45 and live lobster Wednesdays cost $30 a head, with each meal accompanied by a salad and sides.<\/p>\n

If a formal dinner isn\u2019t in the cards, consider the far more casual Bert\u2019s Wooden Indian, whose tavern menu touts ham, beef and pork barbecue. This is where the restaurant started, as a barbecue spot named Bert\u2019s, adding Wooden Indian to the name in 1958. While barbecue is the go-to, don\u2019t skip the munchies: fried zucchini or wings, onion rings or fried chicken.<\/p>\n

Though Bert\u2019s big brother has a destination-worthy wine list, it\u2019s no frills over here, with a list of local and craft beers. And that\u2019s just fine.<\/p>\n

Melissa McCart: mmccart@post-gazette.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Consider a weekend visit to thriving Beaver to peruse its specialty stores, antique and consignment shops, as well as a bevy of interesting restaurants. From an Eastern European pastry shop to a fine-dining stalwart with an all-American wine collection, Beaver\u2019s dining scene punches above its weight. Start the morning at Cafe Kolache (402 3rd St.),… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"coauthors":[14],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2018\/09\/20180821smsBeaverMag15.jpg?fit=1500%2C998&ssl=1","wps_subtitle":"The town of Beaver offers casual and tailored dining, day or night.","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9EDbT-8C","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":549,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534\/revisions\/549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}