We typically travel to the Laurel Highlands for renewal. We like to hike and ski its mountains or hit the fast water streams.
Fine dining in the mountains is an afterthought. But there are rewards for those who think ahead. Tucked into a rustic cottage on the mountainside at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Helen's is a destination in its own right.
The restaurant in the resort founder's restored cabin is sheltered in a stand of towering evergreens between the ski slopes and the resort's main lodge.
On the evening we made our pilgrimage, icicles adorned the eves of the vine-covered stone-and-log cottage where executive chef Jeff Surgent has plied his trade for two decades.
Walk inside the doors of the "Bavarian cabin," where Helen and Adolph Dupre raised their children and launched their resort some 70 odd years ago, and you enter another world. Think of the Black Forest, of Grimm fairy tales, the kindly woodsman's cottage, and you begin to get the idea.
The combination of Pennsylvania farmhouse warmth and intercontinental cuisine began when our server showed up with a basket of warm rustic bread, butter, apple butter and a recitation of the chef's specials.
There's a broad selection of bottles on the wine list, as well as an array of wines by the glass.
The appetizer menu features a mix both homey and worldly. You'll find everything from Hudson Valley Wild Duck Foie Gras ($17), Escargot en Champagne ($11) and Seared Ahi Tuna ($16) to Venison Kielbassi ($11).
We opted to sample selections from the sea.
The Lobster Cocktail ($15) takes the meat we know best from its pairing with drawn butter and offers a tantalizing twist: roasted red peppers, red onions and a generous helping of lobster heaped on fresh greens, topped with a miso dressing.
The chef's special, Sea Scallops ($12) on wilted spinach topped with Italian herbs, left us longing for more -- and for the recipe.
The Sushi Hand Roll ($13.50), with paper-thin slices of salmon, wasabi, ginger and soya sauce, was portioned to share. The roll, which features cream cheese, avocado and Alaskan crab meat coated in a tempura batter, could be a meal on its own.
The wait staff has a chance to shine, preparing a classic Caesar for Two salad ($15) tableside. Other salad offerings include an Alpine Salad ($8) with baby spinach, strawberries, walnuts, red onion and baby tomatoes in a poppyseed apple cider dressing, and a Tuna Salad ($26) with char-grilled tuna on layered baby greens with avocado, cucumber and pickled ginger.
We enjoyed the house salad that comes with all entrees. The dressings, all made on the premises, include a changing variety of vinaigrettes and creamy selections.
Our server followed up the salads quickly with a tiny taste of mango sorbet, to clear the way for entrees that showcase the chef's imagination and culinary skills.
Although Surgent alters the menu somewhat with the seasons, he says there are dishes he can't seem to toss.
We sampled one of them, Veal Penne ($30). The tender veal tips in a rich mushroom cream sauce, studded with pine nuts and topped with a dollop of sour cream, make it easy to understand the attraction.
Surgent says every time he takes it off the menu, diners insist he bring it back. It has been a pasta feature off and on for 15 years.
The eight-ounce Filet Mignon Bastille ($43), served with smashed potatoes, a Windsor blue cheese cream sauce and fried red onions, definitely lived up to our meat eater's expectations.
The chef taps a Laurel Highlands supplier for fresh rainbow trout. It's listed on the menu as Pan-Fried Trout ($30). Served with a light dill butter sauce, crab meat and sugar snaps, this melt-in-your-mouth entree alone would be worth the trip.
Pheasant Helena ($33) is a sweet take on the bird. We enjoyed the hazelnut-studded, battered medallions in a Frangelico butter sauce. But be sure to bring your sweet tooth for this one. Although it's topped with wonderfully crisp steamed French beans, the pheasant rests on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes with a dollop of warm blueberry sauce on either side of the plate.
Leave room for dessert. We barely managed to, but couldn't forego sampling the hot Blackberry Cobbler with vanilla ice cream ($8). Because the cobblers feature different fruits and are made to order, your server will ask about them when he takes your dinner order.
Helen's also offers souffles made fresh for each diner. Like the cobblers, the souffle flavors change regularly. The menu also features Bananas Foster for Two ($12), prepared tableside.
Dessert or no, under no circumstances should you forego coffee at Helen's. It's not Starbuck's, but the server's skills made it all worthwhile.
Helen's is open from 6 to 10 p.m. seven days a week during the winter, summer and fall, and five days a week during the spring. Reservations are required, along with a $25-per-person credit-card deposit. To avoid that charge, cancellations must be made at lest 24 hours in advance.
A light menu also is available in the bar, where it is first come, first served.
Ticket restaurant reviewers visit restaurants anonymously. They pay in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews are done only after meals and services have been appraised. Additional Information:
Helen's
Cuisine: Intercontinental
Hours: 6-10 p.m. daily during summer, fall and winter; 6-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays during spring
Entree price range: $25-$45
Notes: Reservations required, with a major credit card to guarantee reservations. To avoid a $25-per-person charge, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
Where: 777 Waterwheel Drive, Seven Springs, Somerset County
Details: 800-452-2223 or 814-352-7777, ext. 7691
