Filet mignon dishes beckon visitors to secluded Tin Angel

You might not agree with former President Clinton's politics, but it's likely you will appreciate his taste in upscale cuisine.

When Clinton visited Pittsburgh with Great Britain's then-Prime Minister John Major in February 1994, they dined at the secluded and intimate Tin Angel on Mt. Washington. Restaurant manager and executive chef Diane Plank, pointing to a photograph of Clinton, Major and the restaurant owners' children, Maria and James Kyros, remembers the visit well.

"They were in town for a summit meeting and wanted to come to a public place for dinner, and they chose us," recalls Plank, a 1980 Norwin High School graduate who has been with the Tin Angel for 13 years. "There were Secret Service men everywhere -- they had 17 phone lines brought in. When they got up to leave, it was like 'Mission Impossible.'"

Major ordered the fillet of sole amandine while Clinton decided to try the restaurant's famous Black Forest filet mignon, medium-rare. Plank prepared it.

The entree features a thick 10-ounce filet sliced open and filled with pitted black cherries. The beef is then grilled and covered with a creamy, rich bearnaise sauce and served with a roasted beefsteak tomato stuffed with grated Romano cheese.

Plank learned the intricacies of the kitchen from President Carter's former assistant chef, Frank Ruta, so she says that cooking for Clinton was a great experience.

Tin Angel, a 100-seat, trilevel restaurant, opened in 1957 and served mostly American cuisine. The Greek owners, Paul and Ann Kyros (now retired), acknowledged their heritage by adding spinach puffs (spanakopita) and baklava to the menu.

Maria and James Kyros now oversee the restaurant's operations with Plank.

Tin Angel is noted for tantalizing filet mignon dishes as well as its signature vegetable boat and clam dip that replaces a house salad. The gondola comes to the table packed with marinated artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, green and black olives, stuffed celery with herbed cheese, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed baby pickled eggplant, carrot sticks, baby corn, cauliflower, imported salami, provolone cheese and pepperoncini. It's nearly a meal in itself.

If you want to eat like a president, prepare this dish at home. Plank buys beef from Weiss Provision Co. in the Strip District. Her choice filet cuts like butter and melts in your mouth, the cherries adding wonderful flavor and texture. At the restaurant, this dish is served with rice pilaf or a baked potato, the stuffed tomato and plain and garlic toast.

• 2 (10-ounce) beef steaks cut from the small end of the tenderloin (filet mignon)
• 20 pitted black cherries
• Garlic salt
• 2 medium-size domestic mushroom caps
• Unsalted butter or olive oil, for sauteing
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes
• Romano cheese, grated
• Pinch of chopped fresh parsley
• Pinch of paprika

  For the Bearnaise Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/3 cup tarragon vinegar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 tablespoon cold water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup warm clarified butter (see note)
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Make a slit in the filets, being careful not to cut all the way through, and stuff with the pitted cherries <!-- ( see Photo 1 ) --> . Sprinkle garlic salt over the meat. Set aside while you heat a grill.

Meanwhile, start the Bearnaise Sauce: Place the shallots, tarragon leaves and vinegar in a small saucepot. Cook to reduce slowly until the liquid is nearly evaporated (be careful not to scorch). Set aside to cool.

Place the beef steaks on the grill and cook to the desired doneness. Meanwhile, lightly saute the mushroom caps in hot butter or olive oil until tender but not mushy <!-- ( Photo 2 ) --> . Set aside.

While the meat finishes cooking, finish the bearnaise sauce.

In the top of a stainless-steel double boiler or in a stainless-steel bowl, whip the egg yolks, water and lemon juice. Place the bowl over barely simmering water and whip the mixture lightly until the yolks are cooked to soft peaks. Remove from the double broiler and slowly pour the clarified butter into the sauce, whipping lightly to blend <!-- ( Photo 3 ) --> . Add pepper to taste, hot pepper sauce and the cooled tarragon reduction.

Place the filets on plates and pour about 1/2 cup bearnaise sauce over each, then top with a mushroom cap.

To prepare the stuffed tomatoes, slice the top off of 2 beefsteak tomatoes, sprinkle with grated Romano cheese and top with a pinch of parsley and paprika. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Note: To clarify butter, melt 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter in a small saucepan or in a microwave oven (a glass measuring cup works well for this). Wait a few minutes while the white milk solids rise to the surface. Skim off the milk solids and cook with the clear butter that's left. Refrigerate leftovers.