Hoffstot's Cafe Monaco: Reliably delicious

Background

When it comes to making a restaurant successful, Hoffstot's Cafe Monaco knows the secret recipe.

The Oakmont restaurant, a veritable borough landmark, draws crowds daily for its lengthy American-Italian menu featuring seafood, poultry, veal, pork, beef, lamb and pasta.

This month, the restaurant celebrates 40 years in business and is offering nine half-price entrees from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays in honor of the occasion.

Brothers Dan and Tom Monaco started the restaurant in 1971, with help from their parents and with restaurant experience from working at Del's Bar and Ristorante DelPizzo in Bloomfield. They bought the Allegheny Avenue space from the Hoffstot family, who had run the restaurant since the mid 1950s.

Dan Monaco attributes the restaurant's success to hard work.

"You can't do this if you don't like it," he says about the business. "You can't phone this one in or fake it."

There's another reason, too, according to the restaurant's chef Brian Leri -- consistency.

"When we get our feedback, a lot of people say, 'You can always get a consistent meal. It's always good and consistent,' " says Leri, the restaurant's chef for 18 years.

Atmosphere

"We don't make artwork," Dan Monaco says about his restaurant's casual atmosphere. "We make good food."

Even with its casual decor -- wooden floors, low-hanging green glass lamps, exposed brick wall -- the attention paid to the details shines. Each table is outfitted with a neat, white tablecloth, thick leather menus and a hearty breadbasket.

Stained-glass inspired ceiling panels and wooden beams frame the dining room, making it a homey space that invites diners to spend a few hours enjoying the atmosphere and food.

The restaurant attracts diners from across the region, from Squirrel Hill to Penn Hills to Tarentum, with the majority from about a 10-mile radius of the restaurant. Many patrons keep coming back for more.

"We have a lot of people that we see two and three times a week, and they're mostly local people," Monaco says.

The dining rooms can accommodate about 185 diners at once, and reservations are recommended every night. A handful of outdoor tables are available seasonally.

Hoffstot's Cafe Monaco also provides a robust off-site catering business.

Menu

For starters, the dinner menu offers nearly a dozen appetizers, like fried calamari, stuffed Italian peppers and jumbo lump crab meat hoezel.

We tried the Fresh Mozzarella ($7.95), a tasty plateful of sliced cheese with Roma tomatoes, marinated artichokes, well-seasoned sweet roasted Italian peppers and Italian vinaigrette.

Each entree we sampled was cooked to perfection.

The Pecan-Crusted Tilapia ($14.95) is part of the menu's "petite offerings," but, paired with an Apple Gorgonzola Salad ($8.50), it's enough for a full meal. The salad -- mixed greens, fresh pears, candied pecans and Gorgonzola tossed in a poppy seed vinaigrette -- proved a fall treat. Pecans and a lemon dill yogurt sauce combined for a surprisingly sweet seasoning that complemented the light, flaky fish.

For a more traditional seafood dish, order the Fresh Boston Cod ($22.95). It's baked in white wine, butter, lemon and garlic and is topped with crunchy fresh bread crumbs. Another classic seafood selection, the Shrimp Monaco ($27.95) pairs shrimp and jumbo lump crab meat baked with spices in white wine.

For a side, try the mashed potatoes. They're listed as the chef's choice on the menu, and the creamy, garlicky taste made them our favorite, too.

If you're hungry for Italian fare, look no further than the Eggplant Parmigiana ($13.95), a hearty portion of eight round pieces of fried eggplant layered with mozzarella and romano cheese, baked in tomato sauce and served with a side of pasta. It's large enough for a filling dinner and for lunch leftovers the next day.

The Blackenzola ($32.95) is crowd pleaser, Monaco says. It's blackened filet mignon topped with melted Gorgonzola and finished off with a balsamic reduction. The Eggplant Mornay with Shrimp ($8.95) is a fan-favorite appetizer.

The restaurant offers different specials a few times each week.

"It gives us the opportunity to buy the freshest and the best," Monaco says.

No matter what you order, save room for dessert, like the Black Cherry Bordeaux Gelato ($4.95), with cut up cherries and bits of chocolate included.

Chocolate lovers: Order the Brookies a la Mode ($7.95), part brownie, part chocolate chip cookie, part ice cream, and all delicious.

Additional Information:

Hoffstot's Cafe Monaco

Cuisine: American-Italian

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Sundays

Entree price range: Lunch, $7.95-$12.95; dinner, $8.50-$32.95

Notes: Major credit cards accepted. Special entree features change a few times each week. Reservations recommended.

Address: 533 Allegheny Ave., Oakmont

Details: 412-828-8555; www.hoffstots.com