Barista battle in Cranberry

Coming this weekend to the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry will be "For the Love of Coffee," a regional barista competition. From the Trib:

Coffee aficionados can get their fix of caffeine and watch the best cafe baristas in the East this weekend at two simultaneous coffee competitions in "For the Love of Coffee," presented by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The competitors will ply their skills Friday through Sunday at the Pittsburgh Marriott North, Cranberry, in either the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competitions. Local baristas participate in the Mid-Atlantic competition. Attendees also can browse an accompanying trade show.

About 60 baristas will compete in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic competitions. The finals for both regions will be Sunday. Winners from each region will be awarded all-expenses-paid trips to compete in the national competition later this year in Portland, Ore.

In 15 minutes, each barista will brew 12 specialty beverages -- four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks -- using music, choreography and patter.

"It is very entertaining," Wethli says. "It's very theatrical."

It may be fun for the audience, but competitors will perform before four "sensory judges" who will watch the barista and taste the coffees; two technical judges who will evaluate how the competitor used the machines and the size of the drinks; and a head judge, who will preside over all.

In addition to making the coffees with precision and flair, baristas will tell the audience where the coffee beans came from, whether from a small village in Mexico or the slopes of a mountain in Sumatra.

The competition runs 11am to 5pm Friday through Saturday this weekend. Admission is free. The schedule of events (in pdf form) can be found here.

Summit at Cranberry falls through

Not a huge surprise, but the 80 acre, 650,000 square foot Simon Property Group project has been shelved because of a lack of funding for Rt 228 improvements. From the Post-Gazette:

One of the biggest proposed retail ventures in the region may be dead, the apparent result of a stalemate between the developer and the state Department of Transportation.

After more than seven years of planning, Simon Property Group of Indianapolis has notified local, county and state officials that the firm has decided to "withdraw from development activity" and spend no more money on the project that was to have brought a sprawling mix of retail, office and residential development to an 80-acre tract at Route 228 and Interstate 79 in Cranberry.

Joseph Dubovi III, district executive for PennDOT's District 10, said the agency is not surprised by Simon's decision and is moving forward on plans for incremental improvements to Route 228 instead of the broader plans the agency had demanded if the Simon mall plan would have advanced.

Brrr!

-6.3 degrees this morning, according to my home thermometer.

Johnny's Lunch

The hot dog chain Johnny's Lunch will be opening its first Pittsburgh-area location in Cranberry. From the Pittsburgh Business Times...

The Toledo-based company decided two years ago to expand the 70-year-old business by opening franchises outside of New York. The company claims more than 1,200 locations in development, with an area representative ready to open the Pittsburgh region’s first location in Cranberry Township. Gary Smith, a medical device marketing professional, plans to open a Johnny’s Lunch in Cranberry Commons on Route 228 by early spring.

Johnny’s serves its own proprietary hot dogs along with a special sauce. While its selection of dogs are sold with Chicago, Wisconsin, New Jersey and New York-style toppings, the menu also includes burgers, grilled chicken, soups and salads, along with milk shakes and soft drinks.

Armstrong adds a few more HD channels

Yesterday, three more stations popped up on the HD guide - Weather Channel HD (117), Disney HD (140) and the Hallmark Channel HD (150). They are all on the basic HD listing. This is in addition to the local channel WPCW HD (110) and the NHL Network HD (173), although the NHL channel is on the Advantage package.

The full listings can be found here.