Pennsylvania Nightlife

Playgrounds and swings aren’t the only things that can swing. Today’s deal reveals the secret lives of soccer moms with $10 tickets to Billy Aronson’s hilarious new comedy, The First Day of School, a $20 value. Be the first to get in on the laughs—your Groupon is good for the 8 p.m. preview show on Thursday, October 1, 8 p.m., at 1812 Productions.

Firehouse Lounge serves up a savory menu of small bites, sliders, and burgers, impeccably paired with handcrafted specialty cocktails to fill any hour with happiness and gummy grin exposure. Enjoy a baby plate of fried zucchini ($6) or crab and bacon flautas ($9.50) to properly prepare your palate, or treat your tablemates to a round of throw-backable beef, salmon, veggie, or crab sliders to quickly gain supporters for the upcoming table mayor election. For dinner, enjoy a protein-packed BLT burger with sun-dried tomato puree, chiffonade of romaine, and bacon aioli; a succulent salmon burger topped with lettuce, tomato, and caper tartar sauce; or a veggie burger sourced from green protein with goat cheese, dijonaise, lettuce, and tomato—all burgers served with your choice of fries or salad ($8.95).

Escort your appetite into Mad River's cheerful, casual confines and sample some hugely portioned eats off of the enticing board of fare. Tasty meal preludes include Angus beef sliders ($8), flash-fried calamari ($7), and barbecue-chicken quesadillas ($7). Full plates can come topped with an assortment of crisp salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pasta nests, all of which pair impeccably with views of flat-screen TVs and competitive chewing. If your appetite tends more toward the alcoholic, set your tongue goggles loose on Mad River's bounty of brews on tap and encased in handy glass cylinders. Trivia takes place on Tuesday nights and tests the limits of amateur quiz masters and time-traveling Renaissance scholars alike.

If Finnigan's menu were a flag, it would be a mixture of red, white, blue, and green, and would be proudly twirled in all Independence of St. Patrick's Day parades. The fare is mainly influenced by traditional Irish staples, but retains a touch of American pub grub. Start out with a plate of Irish wings slathered in your choice of 12 sauces ($8.95) before moving on to a Kitchen Sink Pizza overloaded with pepperoni, sausage, peppers onions, mushroom, and black olives baked in a mozzarella-provolone blend ($11.95). Sandwich selections range from the hot sausage with onions and peppers on a baguette to the crab-cake sandwich served on a Kaiser roll with homemade tartar sauce (both $9.95). You can also keep it traditional with a Squirrel Hill Reuben ($8.95). Entrees include the popular corned beef and cabbage ($10.95), fish and chips ($12.95), and Finnigan's version of country-fried steak—a breaded and deep-fried open-face Philly steak on Texas toast with Swiss cheese and gravy ($10.95). Finish off your feast with a slice of peanut-butter cream pie ($5.95).

Helping to spread laughs throughout the land, Helium Comedy Club hosts headliners and tomorrow's brightest stars at its Philadelphia, Portland, and Buffalo locations. In front of a tabled showroom that allows audiences a clear sightline and maximizes guffaw acoustics, a bustling calendar of familiar comic talent fills most of the week with levity, and open mic nights and standup workshops put aspiring jokesmiths higher up the comedy rung.

Named after retired Chicago police officer Jim Mullen, who was seriously injured in the line of duty, Mullen's Bar & Grill first opened its doors in the Windy City before branching out to Pittsburgh. Classic bar fare such as boneless wings, nachos, and burgers shares menu space with deep-fried philly cheesesteak sandwiches and SpaghettiO's straight from the can. An entire squad of flat-screen televisions hangs from exposed rafters so eaters can easily view broadcasted sports without craning their necks or duct taping rear view mirrors to their wrists. Mullen's Bar & Grill has two locations, one stationed near the cheering crowds at PNC Park and the other in the midst of the nightlife scene on Carson Street.