Paws & Pints Giveaway + Great News on the Dining Scene
Django reinstates corkage-fee-free deal. What’s going into the former Claxon's site in Altoona. Scornavacca's bakery reopens. Homemade pie from George Formaro. Oh — and a party, too.
Greetings! Here’s some news of note for local food lovers.
George Formaro: Avid Pie Hound, Expert Pie Baker
In the face of today’s challenging news events, Orchestrate chef-owner George Formaro has been finding solace in the art of pie-making. The calming activity allows him, and by extension, us, to escape—at least for a little while—into a more comforting space.
His crumble-topped fruit pies are sold by the slice at Gateway Market. He has delved deeply into his extensive collection of antique and collectible cookbooks to perfect his crust method. Lard? No. A combo of butter and shortening. (It’s my favorite fat for piecrusts, too, by the way). Sorry lard-crust purists—but look at it this way: you can share George’s pie with your vegetarian friends. (Wait a minute. Share the pie? How is that good news?)
I scored the apple crumble pie, pictured above. With its beautifully flaky, “I can’t believe it’s …