Historic houses find new life as Pittsburgh-area restaurants
There's nothing like a home-cooked meal.
But some restaurants take that concept to another level — with settings that make you feel as though you are at Grandma's house.
We stopped at a few Pittsburgh-area sites where the ambience is as down-home as you can get.
Inn on Negley, Shadyside
703 S. Negley Ave., Shadyside
Brunch daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and high tea from noon to 4 p.m. for $23 each. Reservations must be made. Rooms are $190 to $300.
Details: 412-661-0631 or innonnegley.com
Settling in for brunch at the Inn on Negley hardly gives the magnificent Victorian house its due.
The food at the Shadyside bed-and-breakfast is tempting enough to draw visitors, but the design and decoration of the home on Negley Avenue is all the more enticing.
The entry to the house sets the mood. A staircase with a broad wooden railing dominates the foyer. The living area is furnished with overstuffed furniture.
The room toward the back of the 1884 house serves as the main dining area. Proprietor Liz Sullivan says she believes the main part of the room was a bedroom at one time. More dining space is available in the ornate sitting room nearby. A hefty round table beneath a ceiling with plaster medallions can be used for brunch, high tea or a private event.
Food, prepared by chef Albert Cappucio, meets the class of the home. Brunches begin with fresh fruit and pastries baked on the premises. There is a sweet-meal offering (such as French toast) along with a savory one (such as eggs done any way with sausage or ham). A tasty sweet ends the brunch.
Those not spending the night at the eight-bedroom bed-and-breakfast are asked to make reservations. Dinners are possible, but seating may be dictated by those staying overnight.
Palazzo 1837 Ristorante, Washington
1445 Washington Road, Washington
Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 7 p.m. Sundays. Details: 724-223-1837 or palazzo1837.com
Palazzo 1837 Ristorante's contemporary Italian cuisine — try the Pumpkin and Mascarpone Ravioli or Shrimp and Scallops di Napoli — would likely be unfamiliar to the property's original owner William Quail, a stockbroker and farmer from Ireland who settled here in 1811.
The hardwood floors and woodwork, the blacksmith-forged iron lightning rods and door hardware and a cherry wood stairwell banister imported from Europe are the same as when Quail's grandson built the imposing Greek Revival house in Washington County in 1837. It was declared a Washington County Historic Landmark in 1991.
“If these walls could talk,” says Matt J. Sager, a history buff, who has owned Palazzo with his wife, Susanne R. Sager, for the past five years. “Imagine what went on here, the children who played in these rooms.”
Sager has no desire to modernize or alter the interior or exterior. The former parlor, dining room and other first-floor spaces are perfect for romantic meals as well as showers or business meetings that call for privacy, he explains.
He points proudly to the original sandstone steps that lead up to the front-door entrance and the blacksmith-forged boot scraper that are now in their third century of welcoming guests.
“It's priceless to have this still standing and available to the public,” Sager says.
Hyeholde, Moon
1516 Coraopolis Heights Road, Moon
Open from 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturdays. Details: 412-264-3116 or hyeholde.com
After a dinner at Hyeholde, you might find yourself compelled to walk upstairs and go to a bedroom.
The Moon restaurant with the bed-and-breakfast feel began as a family home in the early 1930s. The owners — William and Clara Kryskill — served their first meals there in 1938, and their daughter — current owner Barbara McKenna — lived at the house and helped in the kitchen. She and her late husband, Quentin McKenna, bought Hyeholde back from its second owners in 1991.
Over time, the restaurant expanded and now has many rooms, each of which has a homey feel.
Hyeholde has the look of a European chateau, tucked into a woodsy area reached via a winding path from the main road.
The meals feature dishes such as Pine Nut Crusted Cervena Elk, Seared Sea Bass or the Vegan Souffle.
Many rooms have quaint fireplaces and bookcases. Many dining areas on the top floor were once bedrooms, something that's easy to picture sitting among the tapestry-covered walls.
1844, Gilpin
690 Route 66, Gilpin
Open from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Details: 724-845-1844 or 1844restaurant.com
Unless you live in the Fort Pitt Blockhouse, it's easy to never set foot inside a Western Pennsylvania building that was built before the Civil War.
At 1844 Restaurant, diners can eat a meal in a country farmhouse that's at least as old as its name. Probably even older.
“That's when it was first assessed,” explains owner Bob Gorelli, who has owned the site for more than 40 years. “We found the records at the courthouse. It was built around 1830.”
There's no shortage of atmosphere at this Route 66 landmark, north of Leechburg: rough brick walls, grainy old photos, antique signage, cash register, flintlock pistols on the walls.
The menus, however, are a different story.
“You have to keep updating the menu,” Gorelli says. “It's continuously changing. ... There's so many restaurants anymore, and people are really educated. If you don't change, you die.”
Looking at the menu, you might think this place just opened Downtown — there's fresh seafood, a mix of Italian, Mediterranean and Asian influences: sashimi, carpaccio, tempura shrimp, ginger tataki, greens and beans.
The beer list is full of craft beer stars and imports: Unibroue La Fin du Monde, Troegs Sunshine Pils, Great Lakes Elliot Ness, Penn Dark and Southern Tier Pumking Ale.
The Back Porch, Belle Vernon
114 Speers St., Belle Vernon
Open for lunch at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 2 p.m. Saturdays, and for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. Details: 724-483-4500 or backporchrestaurant.com
Romantic dining in a renovated home full of antiques is part of the appeal of The Back Porch in Belle Vernon. The upscale American menu features eclectic touches of Asian and European cuisine that reflect the owners' personal enthusiasms.
The building was constructed in 1806 next to a young sycamore tree near the Monongahela River by Henry Speers Jr. using local stone and river sand that was hand-formed and baked into bricks. The house is said to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.
The house was purchased by Joseph Pappalardo in 1972. After thorough renovation, which allows some of the original brickwork to show in the dining rooms, The Back Porch opened on Valentine's Day 1975. It's now run by Pappalardo's children, Patty and Joe.
The online dinner menu shows an intriguing blend of flavors in the appetizers, soups, salads and entrees. The baby back ribs, a signature dish since the restaurant opened, are grilled over an open flame and topped with a brown sugar, soy-ginger sauce.
Other entrees include lobster mac and cheese, Maine-style baked scallops, Duck Chambord, Veal Oscar and Filet Bordelaise.
The Chalkboard Cafe & Pub, Brackenridge
800 10th Ave., Brackenridge
Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays. Bar is open until 11 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays and midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Details: 724-224-3605 or chalkboard-cafe.com
If, after leaving the Chalkboard Cafe & Pub, you feel as though you just dined in someone's cozy home, you've gotten the point of what this Brackenridge establishment is about. “We are small enough that it makes you feel like that. We want you to feel like you are at your own house eating among friends,” says manager Chad Kordes who, at 26, brings a youthful energy and enthusiasm to this reimagined new space, opened in 2012, in a century-plus, Victorian-style structure that once was someone's home before it became an insurance office, then the Chalkboard.
The family has retained much of the integrity of the structure with original wood and flooring. Mosaics adorn a fireplace in the small, main dining room — once the living room.
Owners Gary and Lisa Kordes, Chad's parents, prepare a menu that changes weekly. “People like to be surprised,” Chad says. “Greek, Mediterranean, Polish, French, Italian: You name it, we've tried it. There's so much diversity and culture from which to choose.”
Always available are starters like Italian and Southwest egg rolls, jalapeno cheese sticks and deep-fried pretzels. They go especially well at the charming custom-built, L-shaped bar in the home's old dining room, where 14 rotating craft beers are served and a large-screen TV hangs.
Just inside the front door, a bakery case suggests something special is going on. A covered porch wraps around the front and side for additional dining space.
Mansions on Fifth, Shadyside
5105 Fifth Ave., Shadyside
Open for brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. The Oak Room opens at 4 p.m. daily. Details: 412-381-5105 or mansionsonfifth.com
The large doors of Mansions on Fifth open to a wooden staircase in a spacious entryway with a piano. Off to the right are two dining areas, a parlor and the original dining room. To the left, there's a library and bar.
It was built in the early 1900s by Willis F. McCook for his wife, Mary, and their 10 children. An industrialist and one of the nation's first corporate lawyers, he was Henry Clay Frick's attorney, representing him in Frick's celebrated fight with Andrew Carnegie.
Built in the Elizabethan and Tudor styles, the site contains beautiful art-glass windows, hand-painted tile work and carved woodwork.
The four-star historic boutique hotel with 22 rooms has rates from $195 to $750 per night. But you don't have to stay to dine there. Breakfast is served every morning, and a lounge called the Oak Room has wines and spirits and a light-fare menu that could become dinner. Items include shrimp-salad cocktail, paninis, quesadillas or homemade chips and hummus.
Brunch, with live music, is served Sundays. The buffet includes omelets and carving stations, traditional favorites such as French toast and pancakes with sauces and syrups, fish, vegetarian and vegan offerings, salads and homemade desserts. Brunch is $38, $15 for ages 3 to 12 and free for children under 3. It's occasionally closed for private events, so it's best to call ahead for reservations.
“This is such a historic, romantic place to stay or just come for a meal,” says Mary Del Brady, who owns the Mansions with her husband, Richard Pearson. “We want people to feel at home when they stay and dine here.”
Twelve Oaks Restaurant & Tavern, Brownsville
815 Water St., Brownsville
Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. Details: 724-785-3200 or twelveoaksbrownsville.com
Susan and David Yurkovich brought a bit of Southern charm to Fayette County recently, opening an upscale restaurant in the grand former home of Thomas H. Thompson.
Thompson's father, Samuel Thompson, owned and operated the Samuel Thompson Distillery in Brownsville.
David Yurkovich was so captivated by the property that he surprised his wife by unlocking the front door at 815 Water St. one day last year and informing her he had bought it.
In July, the Rostraver couple opened Twelve Oaks Restaurant & Tavern.
Named after a plantation in “Gone With the Wind,” the restaurant reflects the couple's love of the South and of antiques.
With a background in art, interior design and sales management, Susan Yurkovich took on an overhaul of the historic home.
The 21 rooms of the former mansion, circa 1906, are filled with curved-back love seats, tea sets, hat racks, candelabra, a gramophone, key-turn lamps and colored glassware.
Diners are encouraged to visit the different floors: the Carpetbagger's Tavern on the bottom floor, the first floor's formal dining area and the second floor's Bonnie Blue Tea Room and the Magnolia private dining room.
Their Southern tastes are reflected in an eclectic menu, with grits, corn chowder and corn bread and dishes called Frankly My Dear It's Bacon, Rhett's Filet Mignon, Scarlett's Chicken and Tara's Garden.
Asked about the decision to open a “white tablecloth” restaurant in an economically distressed borough, Yurkovich says the couple sees the business as a “destination.”
The couple are seeking individuals interested in operating specialty shops on the second floor.
The Thomas H. Thompson House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
— Mary Pickels
