American tavern meals predate the 13 colonies’ unification and helped expand out-of-home dining in the United States. Taverns met dual needs: regular dining spots for locals and way stations for travelers. Menus ranged from haute cuisine to everyday fare, always made from scratch. Taverns declined in Western Pennsylvania after Prohibition and continued to fade with suburban growth and the rise of reheated components from commercial food distribution companies. In the early 2010s, gastropubs — more upscale, less tied to a specific place and designed to draw anyone looking for a meal outside of home, regulars or not — started appearing in Pittsburgh with spots such as Downtown’s Meat & Potatoes. This trend began in England two decades earlier and spread across the U.S. in the early 2000s. The tide is shifting again. A recent Wall Street Journal report suggests the gastropub label is losing its luster, as many operators and diners now find the term dated, overly cheffy or too commercia...