Located on the corner of Boulevard of the Allies and Smithfield Street, Pair Charcuterie opened in May. Both a coffee shop, seller of cheeses and meats, sandwiches and new soups, the store popped up as a result of the Greenwood Plan. 

One day, after walking back from Arepitta’s, The Globe’s business manager and I noticed that the previously vacant storefront that once held Gloria Jeans coffee was filled, and someone was mopping inside.

The person we saw and met that day was Leshia Nicole, the business consultant for Pair Charcuterie. 

The Greenwood Plan placed Pair, the woman-owned business, on the corner and purchased the Pitt Building. The Plan’s goal is to place black businesses into the area and redirect the region’s resources into “Greenwood Smithfield and its tenants,” according to its website.

Upon entering as a patron, Nicole greeted me and recommended the best treats. From their grab-and-go cooler, I purchased banana pudding for $5, Deviled eggs for $5 and was given a $5 bottle of raspberry hibiscus lemonade.

Point Park students, staff and faculty receive a 10% discount at Pair, so the listed prices are to be taken without the discount. 

The banana pudding was sweet. The pudding had multiple layers, topped with white cream and some soft graham crackers. It was good, but at the same time wasn’t anything special. I would recommend trying it, if you’re looking for a treat. The Deviled eggs had a red spice sprinkled onto the top to give them a nice visual effect. To be honest I don’t know much about Deviled eggs, but it was creamy – tasting on the milkier side – and there were a variety of flavors in the cream that kept it from tasting plain.

As for the lemonade, all of the syrups used to flavor every drink were house made. Like everything else I tried, the lemonade was sweet and the flavoring was unique. While I wouldn’t purchase a bottle of this for $5, the 12-oz cup for $3.75 is a little more affordable. 

The fastest item that came out was the $5 iced caramel latte. Although I’m no Jake Dabkowski coffee reviewer, I can say that it was both nutty, tasty and not too sweet. Once it was watered down, I didn’t like it, but that’s a fault of my own. This coffee shop could very well replace the caffeine many are missing from the new Point Perk model. 

The Grilled Cheese was $8. It took a long time to finish. I wouldn’t recommend the sandwiches if you are in a rush. It was tasty because the cheese was  gourmet, and the bread was buttery.

The Italian Sandwich for $10 came with salami, prosciutto with oregano, mayo, arugula and cheese, according to their menu. At first, I thought that it was going to be like a regular hoagie, but the spiciness of the meat mixed with everything else was really good, especially because everything made at Pair comes fresh.

Similar to the grilled cheese, this sandwich was also grilled but took less time. If you want to drop the money, I would recommend the sandwich. The marks the grill made on both the sandwiches also added a nice texture that is to be sought after.

To pair with the sandwiches, they had a $5 tomato soup that came in its coffee-to-go-cup. I thought it was a smart and cute way to sell the soup. Ieshia said that they always used the cups for to-go-orders. 

It was sweeter than other tomato soups I’ve tried but seasoned very well. I would recommend it with one of the sandwiches. 

The last thing I tried on the menu was their signature charcuterie cup for $12. This thing was fancier than I knew what to do with. The cup was wrapped in plastic that allowed a display for three skewers consisting of cheese, meats, fresh fruit, two pickles, a grape and an olive. There was also a pack of really good crackers. 

The meat and cheeses were fresh, and the fruit was both sweet and sour. The nuts at the bottom came with small chocolate balls mixed in and a variety of different kinds that I didn’t bother trying. The only thing I was disappointed with was the logistics of trying to eat a nut at the bottom before finishing each skewer of fruit, cheese and meat.

Since it’s a block away from campus, I would recommend giving Pair a try. Since it’s a coffee shop, it does have the prices of one. Yet everything, including the soup, is home-made, and everything is kept fresh from day to day.