Owners hope American-style Walnut Grill fills niche in Shadyside

Gregg Caliguiri, one of the six owners of the upscale Walnut Grill in Shadyside, says he hopes the restaurant is filling the dining void left by The Balcony, a popular gathering place and jazz club that closed more than five years ago.

"The void was so noticeable -- customers told us," says Caliguiri, son of the late Pittsburgh Mayor Richard Caliguiri. "We knew, dealing with Shadyside, how the menu would have to be. We call it American cuisine, but just like America, the menu is a melting pot of dishes."

Executive chef Charles Page, an alumni of The Balcony, Doc's Place and Elbow Room, prepares simple and exotic dishes in a home-style way.

That translates into items such as pan-seared ahi tuna in a pineapple, soy and sesame-seed marinade; shrimp and sausage pasta in a Tuscan tomato sauce; walnut-crusted salmon (Walnut Grill's signature seafood dish); filet mignon served with a beef demi-glace; jumbo lump crab cakes; vegetable Napoleon (potatoes, zucchini, squash, roasted red peppers and spinach baked together and served with pesto sauce); and Crabmeat-Stuffed Chicken Breast.

The owners -- Caliguiri, 34; Craig Blank, 34; Marc Hourvitz, 34; Matt Turbiner, 28; Kirk Vogel, 27; and Harris Wainwright III, 33 -- are "all best friends" who are fulfilling their dreams, Caliguiri says. The restaurant's 85-seat dining room turns over several times a night, keeping its 30 employees hopping.

The restaurant, on the second floor of Bellefonte Place at Walnut and Bellefonte streets, is open Tuesdays through Sundays.

The men also just opened Shady Grove in the building's downstairs, a more casual place featuring gourmet pizzas, wraps, sandwiches and appetizers. Caliguiri, Blank and Hourvitz also own the nearby Pittsburgh Deli Co. restaurant.

"We get great satisfaction seeing a customer enjoy a meal," Caliguiri says. "We want to be great for a lifetime."

If Page's Crabmeat-Stuffed Chicken Breast is any indication, the restaurant is well on its way. The chef, a 1986 graduate of Westinghouse High School, created it to replace a veal meatloaf entree. He pounds a chicken breast very thin and fills it with a mixture of crabmeat and bread crumbs, then rolls it up. The chicken is seared on the stovetop and finished in the oven, then napped with a delectable chicken velvet cream sauce.

Page, 35, says the dish was pretty much an overnight sensation. The father of four says he comes up with different menu items at home, playing around in the kitchen and cooking for his children.

"We just introduced (the chicken) a month ago, and it sells like you wouldn't believe," he says. "I use the freshest ingredients ... and I believe in doing it myself to make sure it's done right."

Page suggests serving the chicken with roasted garlic mashed potatoes (mash potatoes with a clove of freshly roasted garlic) and sauteed vegetables of your choice. Accompany with a fruity white wine.

• 1 (8-ounce) chicken breast
• 3 tablespoons butter/margarine blend
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup chicken stock, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup jumbo lump crabmeat
• 1 1/2 cups diced French baguette, made into crumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; or olive oil; or a blend
• White Sauce (recipe follows)

Pound the chicken breast as thin as possible.

Place the butter/margarine blend with the celery, onion and garlic in a saute pan. Let the butter melt and saute the vegetables until the onion is clear. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Add the white pepper and parsley, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the crabmeat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Gently mix in the bread crumbs.

Reduce the mixture by half and add the parsley, folding it in to avoid breaking up the lumps of crabmeat. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes, until the liquid evaporates. Place the filling in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to cool (just until the steam stops rising).

Place half of the crab stuffing on the chicken breast toward 1 side, leaving an edge of meat. Roll up the chicken until 2 inches of meat are showing. Lightly sprinkle some of the flour on the remaining meat to form a "glue" that will hold it together, then finish rolling it up.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan until smoking. Dredge the roll in the remaining flour and place it in the pan, sealed-side down. Pan-sear on both sides, then add 1/4 cup chicken stock to keep it moist. Transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, for 7 to 8 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the White Sauce.

Scoop some of the sauce onto a plate. Slice the chicken breast into 6 pieces and arrange it in the sauce. Drizzle more of the sauce, to taste, over the chicken breast.

Makes 1 serving.

• 2 tablespoons butter/margarine blend
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 pinches white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8 ounces (1 cup) chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt the butter blend in a saucepan. Add the flour, stirring briskly to form a roux. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the sauce comes to a simmer.