Adams Pine Creek Buffet & Catering may reopen May 1
A year later, Adams Pine Creek Buffet & Catering will rise from the ashes – literally.
“The grand opening should be May 1, barring unforseen issues,” owner Charlene Adams said Wednesday of the buffet restaurant, which has relocated to 875 W. Chestnut St., Washington, site of a longtime Eat’n Park. Renovations are continuing.
May 1, a Wednesday, will be almost exactly one year after a fire destroyed Adams Pine Creek’s home of 11 years, an old red barn in Amwell Township. The April 28 blaze also devastated Charlene, her husband Chuck and brother-in-law Wayne Adams, who had established a popular and well-regarded business since opening in 1999 in the former Lone Pine Elementary School.
The brothers are chefs, but Charlene considers the three to be tri-owners. Her husband calls her “the baker and financial wizard.”
The Adamses purchased the property, including a large parking lot, from Eat’n Park for $425,000. They considered two other Washington sites, the former USA Steakhouse and Club 40.
The new building is a bit bigger than the barn, with about 5,000 square feet of space, but cannot be a replica of its previous facility because of the layout and design.
“We want to be ‘classy country’ with a little more finished look (than the barn had),” Charlene Adams said. “A lot of people are concerned we’re not going to have a comfortable feel, but we believe we will achieve that. We have to make it somewhat commcercial, yet we want to make it homey as well.”
The artsy murals, a signature of the former Adams Pine Creek, are too large to hang here. But the artist, Diane Adams, a cousin of Charles and Wayne, has photographed and framed them for display in the vestibule along with copies of news articles and other memorabilia.
For now, there will be seating for 115 people, “but I’m hoping to do a little better,” said Charlene, who prefers 125.
As previously, Adams Pine Creek will be open Wednesday through Sunday. Hours will be 3 to 9 p.m. except Sunday, when they will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Brunch will be available until 1 p.m. Charlene Adams said hours may change during the winter.
The rubbing of a lamp had nothing to do with it, but Aladdin’s Eatery will materialize March 28 in Peters Township.
It will be the newest in that chain of Lebanese-American restaurants, and will be at the site of the former Penny’s Diner on Route 19, across from Kmart and Max & Erma’s restaurant.
There are about 30 Aladdin’s in five states, including five other Pittsburgh area locations: Mt. Lebanon (Route 19), Squirrel Hill, and Ross, O’Hara and Cranberry townships.
Hours for the Peters eatery will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Aladdin’s may stay open until 10 on Sundays during the summer.
A love for Lovie is one of the forces behind the launching of an ice cream shop in Houston.
“I’m trying to open April 6, a Saturday,” said Scott Sirakos, co-owner of Lovie’s Frosty Twist with his wife, Jennifer.
Their sweet endeavor on Route 519 is named for his late mother, Frances Sirakos, a.k.a. Lovie. She was a volunteer at Canonsburg General Hospital.
The scoop on the ice cream shop is it will be at the front of the property where Scott Sirakos’ business, A-Plus Doorman, sits. A-Plus specializes in commercial doors.
Lovie’s storefront, Sirakos said, will feature lights shaped like cones. He is awaiting lettering for his sign and hoping inspections and other matters are completed in time for the scheduled debut.
Hours tentatively will be 3 to 9 p.m. every day, although Sirakos said the shop may stay open until 10 on weekends and summer nights. If so, he added, hours may be shortened one day a week.
Jennifer Swearman is the new director of Heritage Public Library. But she isn’t new to Heritage, having served on its board of directors and as a volunteer.
Swearman, of Cecil Township, is striving to increase funding and develop community programs among her duties at the library, which serves McDonald and Midway boroughs and Mt. Pleasant and Robinson townships.
Programs include a Lego club that started in January and a summer reading program that is expanding from six to nine weeks this year. The library also is working with the McDonald parks department on a Civil War re-enactment Aug. 31 at Heritage Park.