Menu specials will welcome diners at 14 eateries during Greensburg Restaurant Week

Bay of Fundy salmon, Syrian specialties and generous servings of pumpkin waffles and pancakes are among the flavorful options awaiting diners who partake of the offerings during Greensburg Restaurant Week.

Slated Monday through Sept. 17, the semi-annual event showcases the diverse menus of 14 restaurants in Greensburg and nearby communities, each of which will feature special selections for customers.

During past events, participating eateries were asked to offer items that met a specified price point and course format, but those restrictions don’t apply this time.

“Restaurants have free reign to be as creative as possible in creating their special menus for this event,” said Alec Italiano, executive director of nonprofit Greensburg Community Development Corp., which organizes the event. “The idea is for restaurants to show off a special dish not normally on their menu, to showcase their ideas and give the public something new to try.”

Sittay’s Mediterranean Kitchen in downtown Greensburg will mark its second anniversary serving traditional Syrian cuisine this week as it joins the Restaurant Week lineup for the first time.

At 33 E. Pittsburgh St., across from the Greensburg YMCA, the restaurant has been a dream venture for owner Radah Ghasah, who immigrated to the area from Syria in 2000.

“I’m very excited to see how it’s going to turn out,” she said of Restaurant Week. “I love being in this town. Everybody is so appreciative.”

She’ll feature two lunch specials not normally appearing on her menu: makloubie and beef shawarma salad.

The former, she said, is “a famous Syrian dish. It’s rice and fried eggplant topped with chicken and ground meat all cooked in one pot and served with homemade yogurt.”

Ghasah normally serves the spiced beef shawarma as a wrap.

Jaffre’s Restaurant of Greensburg, which has participated in past restaurant week events, will be joined this time by its second location, near Latrobe.

Jaffre’s Stone Bar and Kitchen opened in March 2022 at 1433 Main St. in the Derry Township village of Loyalhanna.

The original Jaffre’s, at 827 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg, features “everyday American food with an Italian influence,” said Jackie Jaffre, who owns the restaurants with her husband, Mike. “We offer scratch-made food for everyday people who want to enjoy a meal out.”

The Loyalhanna location, formerly operated as Bella Pasta Italian Restorante by a friend of the couple, serves “more comfort food in a cozy, quaint atmosphere,” said Jackie Jaffre.

The sister restaurants each will feature a meal that allows customers to pick from options for each of three courses.

At Jaffre’s of Greensburg, diners can begin with a choice of crispy polenta, an elk meat slider or lemon mussels. The second course options are crispy pork, short ribs or Bay of Fundy salmon. To finish their meal, they can select from apple crisp, pumpkin bread pudding or Bombolato Italiano — a doughnut stuffed with gelato.

The choices in Loyalhanna are Bufalina flatbread, pepper focaccia or maple Brussels sprouts, for the first course; Pappardelle Bolognese, roasted pumpkin ravioli or chicken almondine, for the second course; and pumpkin pie cheesecake or mixed berry crisp for the final course.

The week is “a great opportunity for the community to come see some of the restaurants that are out there,” said Jackie Jaffre. “This helps highlight some of the locally-owned, family-run restaurants.”

This week marks the debut for the South Greensburg Restaurant, which focuses on breakfast and lunch at 1309 Broad St. in South Greensburg.

“We’re excited about being part of it,” owner Anita Copelli said. “We always want to participate in anything we can in the community.”

Fresh pumpkin is the primary ingredient in two of her restaurant’s specials: two pumpkin waffles stuffed with creamy pumpkin filling and topped with spiced syrup and nuts; and a 14-inch pumpkin pancake.

“We created our pancakes with our homemade blend of ingredients seven years ago, when we took over the business,” Copelli said of the item that has developed into a popular segment of her breakfast menu. “We started adding different pancake varieties.”

Her other specials include a sausage and mild pepper soup; a stuffed meatloaf dinner with roasted beef gravy, choice of potato, roll and salad or vegetable; a 6-inch Italian Stallion sub — a sausage patty smothered in pepper and onions with choice of cheeses, served with potato salad and fries or soup.

Other restaurants taking part in Greensburg Restaurant Week are The Olde Spitfire Grille, in South Greensburg; Marino’s American Eatery, in Hempfield; Chef Dato’s Table, in Derry Township; and The Headkeeper, Bar Nine, Major Stokes, El Diablo, J. Corks, Little E’s Pizzeria and The Boulevard, all in Greensburg.

A full listing of menu specials for the restaurants is expected to be available online beginning Monday at greensburgrestaurantweek.com.