Sewickley's 424 Walnut restaurant does not disappoint

Sewickley is filled with hidden gems, and a wonderful addition to the list is 424 Walnut, a cozy restaurant specializing in sizzling steaks, fresh seafood and other American and Italian cuisine.

Start off your meal with an array of sharable appetizers. On the hearty side is the stuffed banana peppers: two halves of banana peppers packed full of sausage, topped with melty cheese and fresh basil and served on a bed of red tomato sauce. The heat from the peppers and sausage starts off subtle then really packs a punch in your mouth the more you eat. For a lighter option, the crabmeat-stuffed artichokes is a no-brainer. Tender, yet firm, halves of artichokes are topped with flaky lumps of crabmeat and doused in a bright, and very lemony, white wine sauce.

Seafood is really done well at 424 Walnut, so you'll also find this delicate crab made into Carolina jumbo lump crab cakes with low-country seasonings, as well as stuffed into a piece of salmon served with lemon butter and white wine. If you really love crab, order at least one of these dishes. They are sure to not disappoint.

Other appetizers include the beans and greens with hot sausage, jumbo shrimp cocktail, grilled haloumi and vegetables, steamed mussels and seared tuna. If you dine here on the weekends, there's a special daily features menu that also offers more appetizers like crab and artichoke dip and an Italian antipasti plate on the night I dined.

When choosing an entrée, it's going to be a hard decision. First take a look at the specials menu. On the night I visited, the features were prime rib, seasonal homemade pumpkin ravioli in a light sage cream sauce with toasted hazelnuts, pancetta and fried sage, and a hand-cut veal chop served with sautéed hot and sweet peppers, prosciutto and pine nuts or with a mushroom and red wine demi-glace.

I mentioned earlier that seafood is done really well here and the Nordic wolffish special was exceptional. A piece of Icelandic white fish was cooked in a lemon and herb-infused olive oil, topped with a flavorful lemon and herb gremolata crust, and served on a bed of sautéed baby spinach with three jumbo Gulf shrimp and a baked potato with butter and sour cream. The fish was flakey and the lemon and herb panko breadcrumb crust added a much-needed bold flavor to the mild fish. If that wasn't good enough, the three jumbo grilled shrimp were an added bonus. So good, I wish I ordered the shrimp cocktail to start my meal. You can never really have too many shrimp.

If nothing on the special menu excites your taste buds, the standard menu is stacked with hearty and satisfying options. For steak lovers, there's a 16-ounce Delmonico served with wild mushrooms and a red wine demi-glace or grilled Cajun style with mushrooms, a 5- or 10-ounce filet mignon prepared with wild mushrooms and a roasted garlic truffle butter, and a New York strip steak with mushrooms and roasted garlic truffle butter, as well.

Chicken isn't usually a dish I gravitate to, but a must-try is the roasted chicken risotto rosso: Airline chicken breast (a boneless chicken breast with the drumette attached) is served atop creamy risotto made with shallots, spinach, roasted tomatoes, garlic and prosciutto. The chicken cooked with the skin on was very robust, delicate, and well-seasoned, while the risotto was the absolute creamiest. If you're hesitant about ordering chicken at restaurants, give this one a try.

Veal is also a heavy hitter on the menu served julienned with linguini and a roasted red pepper cream sauce, piccata style with capers, wild mushrooms, shallots, white wine, lemon butter and tomatoes, and a scaloppini of veal prepared with spicy banana peppers, roasted red peppers, shallots, garlic and olive oil.

All entrees come with a lovely side salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives and a tart and sweet balsamic dressing and a basket of sliced bread and butter. Be sure to ask for a topping of feta to make the salad even better.

I have hardly any complaints about 424 Walnut, but I was shocked to see how often pancetta was used in the entrees. For one who doesn't eat meat, you can ask for it to be removed from a dish, but vegetarians will have a hard time finding plenty of options to choose from beyond a salad.

Be sure to save room for the homemade desserts. A seasonal specialty is the apple brown betty that's very similar to an apple crisp. Layers of apples are baked with a sweet cinnamon topping and served warm with cold cinnamon ice cream, which definitely will warm your soul right up on a chilly fall day. Though this was delicious, the real star of the dessert menu is the mascarpone cheesecake made with imported cheese and chocolate. In between two layers of thick, creamy chocolate is the light and fluffy cheesecake layer that is simply divine. As the owner told me, one guest says this cheesecake should be the standard of all cheesecakes, and I concur.

Check out 424 Walnut for some hearty steaks and fresh seafood the next time you find yourself in Sewickley.

Sarah Sudar is one of the food-savvy ladies of eatPGH.com, who contribute a weekly Dining Out column to the Tribune-Review.