As summer rides off into the sunset, Erie-area restaurants are changing menus, hours

Jennie Geisler, Erie Times-News
·4 min read

Penn Shore Winery, 10225 East Lake Road, North East, is hosting a bicycle ride Sept. 10 to benefit Mercy Center for Women, according to Mercy Center's Facebook page.

Cyclists of any skill level are welcome on the ride, beginning and ending at Penn Shore Winery and Vineyards in North East. Ride the 12-, 25- or 50-mile route and stop, shop and refuel at the participating wineries including Arrowhead Wine Cellars, Courtyard Winery, Burch Farms Country Market and Winery and Yori Wine Cellars. Organizers will collect your purchases. Afterward, enjoy live music and a catered lunch provided by Cali's West Catering and ice cream from The Straw Hat Sundae Shop, featuring Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream. Joining any of the rides is $60. Sign up at bit.ly/pedalformercy.

The Mercy Center for Women provides transitional housing and support services to women and children experiencing homelessness in our community. Learn more at www.mcwerie.org/pfm/events.

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Blind Tiger Spirit-Free Cocktails, born of Erie's Room 33 Speakeasy, 1033 State St., has recently been nominated by USA TODAY for their 2022 @10best Readers' Choice travel awards as a contender for Best Craft Mixer Brand. Blind Tiger's Prohibition-inspired blends can be drunk as is or blended with liquor. Vote before Sept. 26 at bit.ly/blindtigervote.

Flagship City Food Hall has lengthened its hours to accommodate Jo's Brooklyn Bagels Too, which opens at 6 a.m., according to Mark Inscho, the Erie Downtown Development Corp.'s food and beverage director. New hours for other vendors can start as early as 8 a.m., according to its Facebook page: Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Purrista Cat Cafe, 30 W. Eighth St., introduced its fall beverages with the start of September, according to its Facebook page. Go and get yourself a PAWmpkin Chai Latte, featuring pumpkin purée syrup and Chai Tea mixed with your choice of dairy/nondairy milk topped with cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg.

Flip Cafe, 103 Meadville St, Edinboro, has a new menu for September, according to its Facebook page. It includes

  • Perfect Bowl of Cereal French Toast — Tres Leches, Fruity Pebbles, Corn Flakes, topped with bananas.

  • Ginger Snap French Toast — Brioche French Toast, custard, ginger pears, ginger snap cookies

  • Snickerdoodle Pancake — Pancakes with snickerdoodle dough, cinnamon chips, and cinnamon sugar.

  • Better than you Cafeteria's Chicken patty sandwich — Chicken-Croquette style patty, pepper jack cheese, spicy mayo on a brioche bun.

  • Chili is back, which means chili corn cakes and chili mac and cheese are back as well.

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Icing on the Lake, 940 West Erie Plaza Drive, is ready with fall flavors, according to its Facebook page, including gluten-free Brown Sugar Glazed Pumpkin Cookies. You're allowed to eat them even if you eat gluten, and they look good enough to try.

Federal Hill Smokehouse, 2609 Peach St., according to its Facebook page, will not be serving its Brisket Cheesesteak through September because the buns they use are made by Herb & Honey Bakery, which will be unavailable as the bakery closes for a short vacation. Sometimes, when you eat local, these things happen.

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New York Lunch East Avenue, 922 East Ave., was recently "recommended" on Restaurant Guru, a restaurant review website. Also, speaking of Federal Hill, Restaurant Guru lists the smokehouse as No. 2 barbecue place in Erie for 2022. Even more exciting is that they have just added a Fried Bologna Sandwich to the menu.

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Main Street Cakery Cafe - Fairview is changing to their winter and fall hours, according to the restaurant's Faceook page. They'll now be open Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed on Sundays.

In another fortuitous local-producer team, Que Abides Pit Stop, 6990 West Lake Road, Fairview, is teaming up with Northern Scoop, 1120 Freeport Road, North East, on Smoked Peach Cobbler, which is made with, er, smoked peaches and Northern Scoop's, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, according to Que Abides' Facebook page.

If you have regional restaurant news or questions, please send an email to jgeisler@timesnews.com, or call 814-870-1885.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie-area restaurants change menus, hours for fall, Blind Tiger needs votes