Leechburg's Twisted Thistle has new ownership, new name
A well-known restaurant in Leechburg is under new ownership and has a new name.
Twisted Thistle was sold this month by Linda Alworth of Gilpin to three new owners: friends Bobby Elliott, Sean Watson and Corey Pistininzi.
They’ve renamed it National Public House.
Alworth, 68, recently sold Lingrow Farm, a wedding and event venue in Gilpin, and now Twisted Thistle, to focus on retirement.
“It’s been a struggle these last couple of years with unknown circumstances that arose,” Alworth said of owning and managing the restaurant during the pandemic.
In 2018, Twisted Thistle was listed for $1.5 million, but it didn’t sell. Two years later, Alworth was forced to close for six months because of staffing and food supply issues.
The three friends, all with Alle-Kiski Valley roots, chose National Public House as the new restaurant’s name in a nod to the building’s past use as the National Hotel.
They plan to open this month, hopefully before Thanksgiving.
The restaurant will employ 15 to 20 staff members.
Billed as where sophisticated flavors meet small-town charm, National Public House will offer New American cuisine from chef Addison Brant of Harrison.
Brant said the pub menu, and separate dining room dinner menu, will be scaled down and offer daily specials.
“I’m excited about the new name. I’ve been wanting this concept change for a few years,” said Brant, who trained at the Pittsburgh Culinary Institute.
Menu items will include Country Fried Bacon ($11) with chili maple peanut sauce from the pub menu and a Pork Shank ($29) with barley risotto, root vegetables, apple cider demi-glaze and gremolata from the dinner menu.
Elliott of Allegheny Township has more than 20 years in the restaurant industry.
He said the focus will be on featuring fresh seafood, wild game and specialty beef such as veal chops.
Pistininzi opened his first restaurant, the former Village Bar and Grille, in Avonmore, when he was 24.
He also owns Modfinish, an art gallery on Fifth Avenue in New Kensington.
Some of the new decor at National Public House will come from Modfinish.
Pistininzi said a chance meeting with Alworth at Botl, co-owned by Watson, led to the three friends discussing the purchase of Twisted Thistle.
“She wanted to retire and wanted to hand it to the right people to continue her dream of what she wanted for the space,” he said.
The purchase price was not disclosed by the new owners or Alworth.
Alworth bought the rundown building in 2009 for $100,000 and spent more than $1 million remodeling the first floor.
Constructed in 1902, the four-story brick building was formerly the Penn-Lee Hotel — and before that the National Hotel and Twaddle Hotel.
During the 1920s, the building was The National Hotel and housed a pharmacy.
The hotel section on the second floor, closed off for more than 50 years, is in need of a total renovation. Plans include renovating the second floor into guest rooms.
Watson of Lower Burrell co-owns two Alle-Kiski Valley restaurants: SoCal and Botl, both in New Kensington.
Watson, who works in architectural sales and consulting, said the interior will be remodeled from farmhouse rustic to a more industrial vibe.
“The industry has changed and opened the door for this style of food,” Watson said. “We like this. We like people and hospitality, and it works for us.”
For Alworth, saying goodbye to a building she put her blood, sweat and tears into is bittersweet.
“I’m very happy to see some progressive, young men take it over. They have experience with restaurants, which nowadays is really important,” Alworth said. “I was fortunate to meet these great guys who have a vision for the restaurant just like I did in 2009.”
Alworth plans to be a regular customer and is hopeful the Leechburg community rolls out the welcome mat for the new owners.
“I hope to see my former patrons who supported me for many years. Thank you for the opportunity,” Alworth said.
National Public House will be open for dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.