Morning! Last week was one for the record books (not in a good way). Crazy heat and wildfire smoke made for a rough end of the week. The good news is we’ve got some lows in the mid 50’s this week so maybe the A/C gets a little bit of a break. On to the headlines!

It’s safe to say that Pittsburgh has a more refined palate for fries than most places. Maybe Canada (poutine) has us beat but I’m not sure anywhere else in the US does. We put them on salads, on sandwiches, and it’s like our ketchup was made just for fries.

It’s only logical that we’d have a locally owned restaurant that’s doing fries better than anyone else. The wait is over; Street Fries Forever’s brick-and-mortar location is here!

You may have seen them throughout the city or at events, where their food truck looks like Banksy himself designed the wrap. They’re hard to miss both because the truck pops and you can smell their fries from a mile away. I feel like Mickey Mouse floating to the smell of Minnie’s cake when I smell them.

Jokes aside, they have really great fries. I don’t know that I’ve had fries anywhere like theirs. Truly a one-of-one. The owner, Eric Williams, has a terrific story to boot.

They’ve been around since 2021, so the hype isn’t new, but now you’re able to get them more consistently — Wednesday through Sunday at 1210 E Carson St.

If you haven’t had their fries before, these are some recent reviews:

They speak for themselves and I highly recommend you check them out! If you want to see more of their food, you can here along with their full menu here.

It just so happens we have another exciting restaurant grand opening happening this week! Today, PGH Dumplingz is opening up their first brick-and-mortar at Federal Galley.

Like Street Fries Forever, you’ve probably seen them at pop-ups or farmers markets around the city if you frequent things like that. They’re often selling bags of their frozen dumplings, but they’ve done hot servings as well. At their new location, you’ll still be able to purchase their frozen dumplings to take home.

I’ve tried a lot of the dumpling spots here but this is one I haven’t yet. But I love Federal Galley and them being there puts it high on my list to go back and check out.

People rave about his dumplings and the reviews are consistent across all social media. He has a coconut chicken curry dumpling that is right up my alley. You can see the full menu here.

Some reviews from others:

This Instagram review summarizes it best.

Meadowcroft Rockshelter is one of the oldest sites of human habitation in North America. How far back does evidence of human habitation date?

Last Week’s Answer: 200,000

This house is why I love our real estate market. It’s pretty affordable relative to what this house would cost in most other places. It has a ton of character, it’s a tudor-style, and there’s room with the current design to tweak things to make it your own. I think my favorite feature is the 2nd story balcony that overlooks the backyard. See the listing.

Submit your favorite houses

🆓 = free event
💲 = paid event

Submit your events

🆓 Acoustic Roots Concert Series - Live acoustic music with local performers at Monroeville Community Park West. 6:30 pm. More info.

🆓 Cherry City Street Fair - Starting Wednesday night, it runs through Saturday night. They’ll have food, activities, and a raffle. 7 pm at 309 Davis Ave. Learn more.

💲Tekko 2026 - Hosted by the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society (PittJCS), this is the region’s top Anime Convention. It starts on Thursday at 1 pm and runs through Sunday ending at 5 pm. At the David Lawrence Convention Center. See the full schedule.

💲O.A.R. Three Decades Tour - 6:30 pm at Stage AE. Buy tickets.

💲Freedom Farms’ Wildflower Festival - The 2nd weekend kicks off Friday at 4 pm. Bring your clippers to take home beautiful wildflowers. Local vendors and food will be on site. Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. Get tickets.

💲Christmas in July - Santa and his elves will be at Sandcastle Waterpark throwing a foam party from the 24th through the 26th. See full details.

💲Friday Night Special - The Garment District + Muzzle Tung, food from 77 Club Pizza, and adult bevs by Allegheny City Brewing. 5 pm to 8 pm at The Mattress Factory. Get tickets.

🆓 Schenley Plaza 20th Anniversary Jubilee - Celebrate Schenley Plaza’s 20th anniversary with live music and activities. 11 am to 6 pm. More info.

💲Jimmy Buffett Tribute Concert - Is this Pittsburgh or the tropics? Check out Pittsburgh Brewing Co for a day full of Jimmy Buffett. They’ll have local food trucks along with great drinks. 1 pm for VIP ticketholders. 4 pm for general admission. Get tickets.

🆓 Greenfield Summer Block Party - Hosted by Alternate Histories, there will be local vendors, live music from Natalie Rogers, and food served by Mondays and Smashed 'N Fried. 3 pm to 7 pm outside of Mondays. See the vendors.

🆓 OpenStreetsPGH - The 2nd and final Open Streets is taking place on Sunday. This route goes through the Strip District and Lawrenceville. They’ll have food, activities, and local vendors along the route. Walk, ride, skate, skip, you name it. 10 am to 2pm. More info.

🆓 Ube Fest - Lola’s Eatery is hosting their 2nd annual Ube Fest from 10 am to 2 pm. Lots of Ube foods, good vibes, and a live DJ. See more.

💲Modern Calligraphy for Beginners - Learn calligraphy and keep the kit! 10:30 am at Bakery Square. Buy tickets.

Check out the Community Bulletin for the top event on Monday.

Remember to tag us @steelcityledger on Instagram if you check out any of these events!

Eat’n Park Banana Smiley Cookies - their traditional smiley cookie but BANANA!

Lola’s Eatery Mango Sticky Rice Donut - This is their specialty donut of the week just in time for Ube Fest. Mango coconut glaze, house-made sticky rice, mango compote, coconut sauce drizzle, and black sesame.

Nothingman Banana Creme Pie Tiramisu - Top notch food so you know this is going to be good. Banana milk soaked lady fingers, banana mascarpone, banana pudding, dried banana chips, whipped cream, Nilla Wafers.

Courtesy of Straight Outta Pittsburgh…I think we can all relate…

Velum Fermentation is partnering with Cold Friends Kitchen on the 27th for a Cuban-style family dinner. Tickets are free, as this is a suggested donation-only type of event. They’re fundraising for Zeromile, who are a small collective of workers & producers looking to own their livelihood by building their own kitchen. Their vision is to extend support, bolster food access, cultivate community connection & strengthen mutual aid. The dinner menu is Cubano sandwiches, Brazilian-style black beans, white rice, and Creole-style roasted & spiced okra with tomatoes. If you’re interested in going, you can RSVP and donate here.

This was news to me but I think it’s a pretty cool addition. A part of the airport remodel are four outdoor terraces. Two of which are before security and the other two are after. The first one opens up on July 29th. This is pretty rare in the US but is more common in Europe. If you’re flying out soon, make sure to check it out. See the photos here.

You may have seen the recent trend of professional sports schedule releases getting more and more creative. It used to literally just be a photo of the schedule. Now the social teams are out to best the other teams in creativity. The Pens social team nailed this one. You’ve gotta see it for yourself.

Meet Gandalf here.

Someone forwarded this to you? Subscribe here.

Want your event featured? Submit it.

Interested in giving your business a boost? Advertise with us.