Starbucks

SEASONAL DRINKS COMING:  Get your favorite classic or seasonal drinks from Starbucks starting November 3.  Order a Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte or their new flavor, Caramel Brulee. This year is also the 25th anniversary of their Christmas Blend, a blend of Latin American, Asia/Pacific, and Aged Sumatran beans. To celebrate, Starbucks will have special 25oz. bags for under $20.

SUPPORT YOUR CAFFEINE ADDICTION AND SAVE THE WORLD: December 1 is World AIDS Day and a portion of each hand-crafted beverage is donated to (RED) Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Purchase any (RED) product on sale now to commit even more funds to fighting AIDS in Africa.

ON THE GO:  In Market Square, it's convenient to everywhere you need to be.  Swing past in the morning for a breakfast paring - breakfast sandwich/tall coffee, or coffee cake/tall latte, for only $3.95, available all day. Grab some VIA Ready Brew for your new (RED) to-go mug.  Their new micro-ground coffee, VIA comes in little packs that dissolve in 8oz. of hot/cold water or milk for only $2.95/3-pack and $9.95/12-pack. 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: The newly renovated café is the perfect place to host a small business meetings. And its easy to do work or homework, with a registered Starbucks card you can get 2 hours of free WiFi a day. 

ALL ABOUT THE BEANS:  Have you always wondered how Starbucks is so flavorful in every cup? Check out their website where you can learn about the growing to roasting process to make each cup of coffee rich and flavorful. Note: The Starbucks Anniversary Blend is almost sold out so if its your favorite go grab it while you can!

Discounts & Gift Certificates!

RAFFLE
1902 Landmark Tavern and Bella Sera on the Square gift certificates

Enjoy the gorgeous weather and visit the Farmers Market!  The brussel sprouts have finally arrived (Come on, its not just me! Someone else out there must be excited about that, too!).  You can even see how they grow on their stalks, although their fluffy top leaves have been trimmed for transport. 

Each time you buy from a vendor you get a raffle ticket.  Winners picked this afternoon.  So get some pierogies, kielbasa and pie to finish off your brussell sprout meal! I know the Port Authority Construction just changed but pedestrian access is exactly the same as its been all summer.  So visit the market and take a saunter under the trees in Gateway Plaza on this gorgeous fall day.

COUPONS
Only 2 weeks left to use the Construction Coupon for Market Square merchants.  You can download it here.

And Dunkin Donuts has a new coupon up on the Market Square pages of the PDP website (scroll to the bottom).

MixStirs Cafe

Stay healthy during cold and flu season by boosting your immune system from 1 of 30 different fresh fruit smoothies from MixStirs Café in Market Square. MixStirs Café is a locally owned franchise that offers everything from delicious soups, to salads, wraps and paninis. Get your morning grub from bagels to breakfast burritos and a cup of coffee; locally roasted from neighbor, Nicholas Coffee. Think you are king or queen at rock, paper, scissors? Challenge the cashier before you pay and if you win you get $.50 off your order! Most of the employees you’ll meet are downtown students and residents. Mike, the owner, started MixStirs after getting his law degree from Duquesne Law and being a lawyer for 5 years. When Mike isn’t working, he is coaching his high school basketball team to a victory. (Fun Fact: When Sergio’s, owner of La Gondola, son was in high school, Mike coached him.). For a menu and more information visit www.mixstirs.com.

Congratulations to Laura Sowerby, winner of the Facebook and Twitter Market Square photo contest, every Friday at noon. Laura, please e-mail pdp@downtownpittsburgh.com to get your free lunch voucher.

Win the Good Stuff!

Fall Favorites: squash, sweet potato pierogies, pumkin bread, unusual varieties of apples, and more!

BONUS: Just to say thank you, when you buy from a vendor you get a raffle ticket! All through October win prizes just by shopping.  Last week Tina and Nina won gift certificates to Bella Sera on the Square, the City's first green-certified restaurant, opening in Market Square at the end of the month.

This week's prizes are donated by Franktuary, a gourmet hotdog shop located in the heart of Downtown. You can support your local food providers even in the middle of winter by grabbing a Locavore. The Locavore is a grass-fed, nitrate-free, all-beef frankfurter from Ron Gargasz Organic Farm of Volant, PA. When you order, you just ask for a Locavore and pick your style dog (maybe a Pittsburgh Locavore, with smooshed pierogie and coleslaw). Other local products you'll find at Frantuary: soda from the Natrona Bottling Company, pretzels from the Southside Pretzel Shop, and Miller's Mustard.

Thanks to Bella Sera on the Square, Franktuary, and 1902 Landmark Tavern for supporting the Market Square Farmers Market!  Remember, the more vendors you visit, the better your chances of winning!

Denham & Co. Salon

 

Denham & Co. is not your typical hair salon. You can get a manicure and pedicure or treat yourself to a relaxing facial or plant peel. Denham & Co. are the only Aveda salon downtown.

If you’re into antiques, you’ll feel right at home. Most of the furniture you see in the salon is an antique. If you see a piece you like, you may even be able to take it home with you, as they sell some antique pieces.

When you walk in the salon, you may be greeted by a friendly four legged friend. His name is Zeke, an 8 year old Italian Grey Hound that may want to cuddle up in your lap if he is not in his bed. One thing that owner, Tim, loves about his location in Market Square is his great window space and an awesome skylight above the receptionist desk. So stop in and treat yourself to a relaxing day at Denham & Co. Salon.

Raffle at the Farmers Market - all through October

Win a gift certificate just by shopping like you normally do!

For the rest of October, every time you buy something from a vendor at the Market Square Farmers Market, you get a raffle ticket.  Buy from five vendors and you get five tickets.  At the end of each market day we will draw two winners.  Prizes will be gift certificates to various Market Square and Buy Fresh, Buy Local restaurants Downtown.

Todays prizes are donated by Bella Sera on the Square. 

Slated to open at the end of the month, this will be the City's first green certified restaurant!  Lunch will be fast and casual, with sandwiches, soups, pastas, etc.  In the evening the lights go down and the music goes up, with a great wine and beer list, throw-back cocktails with a twist, and the delicious appetizers Bella Sera and Greco's Catering is known for.

For more info on the vendors at the farmers market, check the market out on the PDP website.  Other Buy Fresh, Buy Local information can be found through PASA and the Good Food Neighborhood.

So get out of your building and enjoy all the great fall products at the market, while the sun is out and the air is brisk and refreshing!

La Gondola Pizzeria

La Gondola Pizzeria has been in Market Square for 31 years. Sergio, owner, came to the U.S. with his parents when he was just 17 years old. Inspiration of opening his own pizza shop came from working at a local pizza shop when attending Pittsburgh University and his mother who has always worked in the restaurant business. You can find a wide variety of food on the menu from gourmet pizza to toasted hoagies, sides and salads. Sergio is always experimenting with new items to put on the menu, like the seafood hoagie (coming soon). The house salad dressing is a must to complete any salad from La Gondola. It’s so popular; Sergio decided to sell it by the quart so you can fulfill your craving at home! When dining, you may see local celebrities like the Steelers and Penguins that have occasionally stopped in; or you may see Bob, a lunch regular. Bob has been a loyal customer of La Gondola since it first opened. Don’t worry if you can’t make it for lunch, they are open until 8 p.m. so you can make it for dinner. La Gondola is located at 4 Market Square right beside Subway.

Congratulations to Shawna Pepper who won the Market Square photo contest on Friday. Shawna won a free lunch from La Gondola!

For your chance to win, be on the lookout every Friday from noon to 4 p.m. for a photo of the upcoming Market Square Merchant on Twitter and Facebook. E-mail guesses to pdp@downtownpittsburgh.com and if you guess correctly your name will be entered to win a prize from the featured merchant.

Las Velas Opens!

Located above Prantl's and Mancini's, Las Velas is open today!  David and Ginny kicked off the opening with a party for friends last night.  Those of you that followed Ginny as PittGirl, will be pleased to know that the Mayor & Yarone Zober hold her in high esteem and dropped by last night to contratulate David & Ginny and welcome their business to Market Square.  Amid the diverse crowd of young professionals, familes with small children, and the Mayor, we also spotted Franco Harris.  Las Velas is the place to be!  See their menu options at LasVelasMex.com (there is a lunch menu but you can order the special dinner items any time of day).

In addition to the great food and welcoming atmosphere, Las Velas has a sweet view of the ongoing construction in Market Square.  If you stop by today for lunch, you'll see the crew is not working today.  They are working hard to get the sewer infastructure done.  Yesterday they set a catch-basin by Market Street.  The next step is removing the old catch basins that were along the old curb line.  Since this may disrupt traffic a little, the crew will be working on Saturday instead of today.  Check out the photos of their progress...

Those big metal squares get dropped in and situated just right...

The big circular unit behind the catch basin in a manhole.

Manholes and catchbasins used to be made of brick.  You can see a tiny bit of an older manhole here...

The new ones are being done with a metal core and cement structure around it.

There is a great view from the windows in Las Velas of the cement inside its box.  If you go at the right time you can watch them remove the wooden frames revealing the finished cement structure before it gets covered back up under ground!