DINING A FOODIE EXPLOSION Here’s a peak at just a few of the new dining options in the county. Howard’s Cafe Michael’s Wood Fired Pizzeria Fast food options, like this future Wendy’s on Rt. 22 Discover Westmoreland 2016 | 57 There’s still not much fare to choose from the farther east you go, but at least the road has been widened to four lanes. It used to be when heading out of Pittsburgh eastbound on 22, about the only food joints to look forward to by the time you’d reached Delmont were Spaghetti & Steakhouse, The Lamplighter, McDonald’s and Gene & Boots candy store, considered a bonafide eatery if you’re under the age of 14. Of course, there was Dean’s Diner in Blairsville, which is all the way to Indiana County. And they stayed open 24 hours. You get the point: If you bypassed Monroeville driving out of Pittsburgh, your dining options were limited. Not anymore. Have you seen the development along that stretch lately? “Actually, it’s by design,” said Chad Amond, president of the Westmore-land County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s been ongoing. People eat out way more than they did before, and there’s a demand in the marketplace for more.” As it looks now, the lack of eateries along the Route 22 corridor in West-moreland County from Murrysville to Delmont is no more. Sure, Dick’s Diner and the Cozy Inn have been around for a long time. So has Bob’s Inn, Dunkin’ Donuts, Eat ‘n Park, Hoss’s Steak and Sea House and some other longstanding favorites in the heart of Murrysville. But there’s so much more now: Apple-bee’s, Atria’s Restaurant & Tavern, Boulevard, Burgatory, Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Moe’s Southwest Grill, Jade Gar-den Restaurant, Juniper Grill, Rick’s Sports Bar & Grill, Taco Bell, North Park Lounge, Pittsburgh Barbecue Co. That’s just some of the choices. Con-struction was under way in Delmont on a new Wendy’s alongside the re-cently constructed Taco Bell. Both are across from the longstanding McDon-ald’s, one of the few original eateries in the area. There’s a Subway, a Jimmy John’s ... Oh, sure, a lot of these joints are fast food places, and there’s nothing wrong with them taking their places in the landscape. That’s what a lot of people want, and officials agree it’s been a boost to the local economy. Not every place can be a one-of-a-kind, but, nonetheless, there are a lot of new dining options in Westmore-land County. “The Murrysville Economic and Community Development Corp. (CDC) did a study, and one of the findings was there was a significant lack of eateries in town,” said Amond, who also serves on the CDC board of directors. “The CDC focused on trying to recruit some eateries in the area.” It’s been an overwhelming success so far. “It started when Route 22, which was two lanes through Murrysville, was expanded to four,” said CDC board member and secretary John Frydrych, a Murrysville resident who is eastern regional manager of R.A. Smith National’s Oakmont office. The firm specializes in multi-disciplined civil and structural engineering and surveying. It was roughly 10 years ago that the expansion project took off, and that’s when the CDC conducted its own survey of the needs of the community. “A lot of things were missing spe-cific to Murrysville,” Frydrych said, “and one of the things was the lack of restaurants — quote end quote desti-nations.” The Walnut Hollow Plaza project was the first major development to burst onto the scene. Currently, there are six eateries among the 14 tenants in the strip, including Atria’s, Panera Bread, Juniper Lounge, Asian Cafe, Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Ed-ible Arrangements. Farther west, towards the Allegheny County line, the property on which the old Blue Spruce Motel stood was renovated into the Blue Spruce Shoppes, where among the tenants you’ll find are Ali’s Marketplace, Burgatory, Moe’s Southwest Grill, North Park Lounge, Sincerely Yogurt, Starbucks and Subway. An Italian eatery known as Osteria Pasqualino is part of the new Rosa Court Shoppes, and there’s the new Applebee’s, which is among a section of ongoing development on the east end of town. It’s no secret the immediate Pitts-burgh market can boast its share of unique food. And not just those
SSM_X001XXC07312016_Discover Westmoreland
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