"We feel like the community would really support something like this," Terrianne Grant told TribLive in August, describing the family business she was about to open on Beaver Street. "It would be something different than another boutique, another hair salon, another bank." Her business is a mahjong parlor called Dot Dot Darling, and it opens Saturday. A few blocks away, Anthony Roppa is rebuilding the old 424 Walnut space as a restaurant with a piano at its center. Neither one is a store you pop into. Both are rooms built to hold you for an afternoon or an evening, and they're arriving during the busiest stretch of Sewickley's event calendar.
A Former Candy Shop, Set for Two Hours at a Time
Dot Dot Darling took over a former candy shop at 348 Beaver St. The idea started in January, when Grant and her daughters and daughters-in-law played mahjong at a studio in Charleston during her 60th birthday trip. In her words, they all said at once, "We can do this, but we can do it better." Grant is a 1980 Quaker Valley graduate. Her daughter and co-owner, Chelsianna Noone, introduced the family to the game. Her youngest daughter, Arabella Grant, came up with the name and is handling day-to-day operations. The "dot" comes from one of the tile suits. The family added "Mahjong Maison" as a tagline.
The opening date has moved since the summer. In August, the family expected to open sometime in September. The parlor's website now says doors open October 3rd. The table count has also grown. The family first planned six to seven tables in front with retail space in back, and the site now lists eight tables of four. Borough council approved the conditional use application for a private club after a public hearing on July 14. No one spoke against it.
Every session is built around time at the table. Open play is two hours at a table of your own, and you can book ahead or walk in if there's room. Mahjong 101 covers the basics for beginners, and the room can be booked for birthdays, showers, and team nights. There's also a tile bar, a rotating collection of sets you can take back to your table and swap out on your next visit. Beverages are BYOB, and the parlor provides complimentary light refreshments.
| Tier | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl | $40 a visit | One two-hour session |
| Jade | $160 a month | Five sessions and a birthday drink |
| Diamond | $240 a month | Eight sessions, a guest pass, and a birthday bottle of rosé |
At five sessions a month, Jade works out to $32 a visit, which is $8 less than paying Pearl's per-visit rate. Founding memberships close October 23, and founding members get November free. Hours run Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The parlor is closed Monday and Tuesday. There's street parking on Beaver Street, and the site asks players to arrive about 15 minutes early to pick out a set.
Bar Noel's Piano Moves to Walnut Street Year-Round
If Dot Dot Darling is a room to settle into for the afternoon, the 424 Walnut project is the evening version, and its owner has already tested the idea. Roppa's Bar Noel has been a holiday pop-up in Sewickley for a few short seasons. It ran inside the Sewickley Tavern in 2023 and returned last December inside Mi Cita, where it opened Dec. 3 in partnership with Mi Cita owner Julio Peraza. Last season it served $18 craft cocktails like the Red Ryder Pomegranate Old Fashioned, with live piano from Piano Maniacs of Ohio and seating around the piano. "We wanted to create a warmth and an atmosphere where people can sit around a piano and have a drink and relax," Roppa said at the time. A Sewickley resident told TribLive it would be a spot where people would want to stay a while during the holiday rush.
The new restaurant takes the same idea and makes it permanent. Roppa's Sewickley Hospitality Group plans these features for the roughly 3,500-square-foot space, according to TribLive's Sep. 11 report:
- A sliding wall on the street side, so the dining room opens onto Walnut Street for indoor and outdoor seating
- A piano with seating around it, plus live concerts
- Seasonal menus made with more than 30 local farms and producers, with everything possible made in-house, "down to the pickles"
- 16 wines by the glass, hand-pressed juices, about 90 seats on the main floor, and a private wine-tasting room in the cellar
- A lighting system developed with Sewickley-based Custom Connection Systems, and an interior that changes with the seasons
"It's a place that you can come and relax," Roppa said, using almost the same words he used for Bar Noel. He explained the menu this way: "While the way people eat is changing, the desire to gather remains timeless."
The approvals came through in late summer. On Aug. 11, council voted unanimously to transfer a liquor license from Mastic Trail Brewing in Glenshaw, which closed in September 2023. Construction permits followed on Aug. 27. County records show the building sold in May to QERACH LLC for $1.444 million, and total investment is expected to top $2 million. The full property record is on the Allegheny County Real Estate portal. Most of the interior was gutted except for part of the kitchen. HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and sound are all being replaced.
The address has a family connection for Roppa. His father, Dominic "Big D" Roppa, and the Munizza family ran an ice business and later a beer distributor on the site, from the 1940s until the 1990s. "They sold ice to the country clubs and they sold ice to the big homes in Sewickley," Roppa said.
Longtime diners will remember 424 Walnut for its crab cakes. In 2021, the head chef said they were a top seller, made with lump and jumbo-lump crab and no filler, with about 25 pounds served each week. There's no published date or reason for that restaurant's closing.
The Calendar Around the Two Openings
Dot Dot Darling opens Oct. 3, and the restaurant is aiming for November. Most of the events between those dates are one-night or one-weekend affairs, and several are on the same few blocks:
- Thriller Picture Show, Oct. 2–4. The festival returns to the Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center, 418 Walnut St., for its fourth year, with seven shorts blocks, four features, and an awards ceremony on Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. All-festival passes are $35 and single-day passes are $15. Saturday of festival weekend is also Dot Dot Darling's first day, when it's open until 9 p.m.
- Sweetwater Blooms Market, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Artisan, food, and floral vendors set up on Bank Street between Broad and Walnut. Admission is free.
- Fern Hollow Nature Center Fall Music Festival, Oct. 17, 4 to 9 p.m. The festival runs at 1901 Glen Mitchell Road with food trucks, children's activities, and music from No Bad Juju.
- Under the Lights, Oct. 18, 1 p.m. The Lindsay hosts a special screening followed by a Q&A with writer-director Miles Levin. Tickets are $6.50 and include a small popcorn and a fountain drink.
- Monster Bash, Oct. 24, 7 to 11 p.m. This Christopher's Kitchen benefit at the Edgeworth Club, 511 East Drive, has live music, a costume contest, and a bar. Early-bird tickets are listed at $99.
- Quaker Valley Rotary Halloween Parade, Oct. 31, 10:30 a.m. The parade starts at the Municipal Building, 601 Thorn St., and follows Walnut, Beaver, and Chestnut back to the start for hot dogs, drinks, and treat bags. That route passes both new addresses.
- 16th Annual Sewickley Wine Walk, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Admission is $40. The evening includes 36 wines at stops around the village. Turn in a passport with at least 10 Diamond Stops and 10 additional stops for a chance at one of four grand prizes. The Chamber calls it an "always sold out" event with more than 900 attendees, so buy early.
Planning a Wine Walk Wednesday
The Wine Walk falls on a Wednesday, one of Dot Dot Darling's shorter days. A session that starts by 4 p.m. ends by 6 p.m., when the parlor closes, half an hour after Wine Walk check-in opens at 5:30. The Chamber pitches the walk as a way to "get inspired for holiday gifts and dining," and the restaurant could be getting close to opening by then.
What Still Hasn't Been Announced
A few things are still open as October begins. The restaurant at 424 Walnut has no public name, and November is a target, not a confirmed opening date. TribLive reported that more details would come in the following weeks. Roppa expects to hire about 17 full-time employees, including chefs and experienced staff. There's no announcement yet on whether Bar Noel will return this December or where. Its website still lists the Mi Cita partnership from last season. Last season, Bar Noel opened on Dec. 3.
Things are more settled on Beaver Street. Dot Dot Darling opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, and its first evening runs until 9.
If you've been wondering what all this new activity on Walnut and Beaver means for homes nearby, Emily Wilhelm is happy to share what she's seeing in the village this fall. Let's Connect.
