Sewickley Speakeasy housed in historic home

A visit to Sewickley Speakeasy along Ohio River Boulevard requires rapt attention -- at least until you pull onto the steep driveway and find a place to park.

The restaurant, nestled into elevated woodlands in Hays, is easy to miss. Stay alert and watch for the signs. Once you have arrived, however, it's time to relax and enjoy upscale fare in a charming setting that is the former residence of Capt. John Hays, the borough's founder. It dates to the late 1700s.

The building that houses the restaurant offers a bird's-eye view of the Ohio River as well as railroad tracks along which whistling trains rumble back and forth. They can be heard table side -- especially from the summertime outdoor patio.

"Some people say they like the trains," says executive chef Janice Palla.

If diners aren't railway buffs, however, they can focus on fine food and an atmosphere that recalls the Roaring '20s.

There's a fireplace in every room. Exposed brick walls add to the atmosphere, as well as displays of old sheet music, magazine ads, railroad posters and Fenton glass. Banquet rooms are available on the second floor.

The cuisine is straightforward American, Palla says, with classical touches. She and sous chef Adam Johnston, a graduate of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, make up the entire cooking team. The two have worked together for almost five years, with Palla on board for nearly eight.

"You can call us surf and turf -- steaks and filets, New York strip, Delmonicos, seafood -- but we feature things that a lot of places don't, such as frog legs, jumbo Alaskan king crab legs and snails," says Palla, who earned her culinary degree at the former Pittsburgh International Culinary Academy. "We sell a lot of snails. They are prepared a couple of different ways -- probably the best is with sauteed shallots and Gorgonzola cream over puff pastry."

Appetizers include oysters on the half shell, artichoke hearts Romano, the hard-to-find frog legs (pan fried with garlic, white wine and lemon in a light butter sauce), deep-fried zucchini and littleneck clams.

In addition to steaks and chops -- including steak Diane -- there is rack of lamb, chargrilled or poached salmon, stuffed shrimp, lobster tails, veal Oscar, duck a l'orange and several choices of pasta. Special requests are welcomed.

Deborah Pivaronas, who owns Sewickley Speakeasy and recently acquired Mt. Nebo Deli in Sewickley, is a wine collector, says Palla. Her expertise is reflected in the cellar selections.

"We have one of the largest selections of half-bottles," Palla says. "Those have become big. Sometimes a husband wants a red wine, while his wife wants white." Half-bottles allow them to sip their preference.

The best-sellers on the wine list are in the $20 to $30 range.

For those seeking another form of spirits, Palla says she's heard lots of stories over the years that ghosts haunt Sewickley Speakeasy. She and Johnston say they never have encountered any, but several weeks ago, an eerie outline of a face appeared on the glass wall of one of their ovens. It has faded into what an imaginative mind might envision as an apparition of "The Scream" by Edvard Munch.

The chefs remain nonchalant, even cordial.

"I talk to them all the time," Palla says.

Grilled Filet with Shrimp Scampi

This recipe is offered periodically as a "feature" at Sewickley Speakeasy. To flavor steaks, executive chef Janice Palla uses a seasoning called Charlie's Choice, a mixture of seven different salts. It is not sold at retail. Palla recommends a comparable product called Montreal Style Steak Seasoning; look for it at specialty food stores and on the Internet.

If someone wants a steak well-done, make the crosshatch marks (as explained in the recipe) on both sides, then finish cooking the meat on a cooler part of the grill. Otherwise, the outside will burn and the inside won't be cooked to order.

• 1 filet mignon (6 ounces)
• Seasoned salt
• Vegetable cooking spray
• Vegetable oil
• 5 shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
• All-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup Garlic Butter (recipe follows)
• 5 spears blanched asparagus, shocked in ice water
• Butter
• Chicken stock
• Lemon wedge
• Carrot curls
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Chopped fresh chives

Ask the butcher to cut the filet to weigh 6 ounces. The steak will be 2 to 3 inches thick; the cooking time will vary according to thickness and desired doneness. The best way to measure doneness is with an instant-read meat thermometer.

Prepare a grill for a hot fire (about 500 degrees).

Sprinkle the meat with seasoned salt on the top and bottom, then lightly coat one side with vegetable cooking spray so it won't stick to the grill grid. Place the meat -- sprayed side down -- on the grill and let it cook until it has nice grid marks. Consider those grid marks to be at "10 o'clock." Using tongs -- do not flip the meat -- rotate the steak to "2 o'clock" to make a crosshatch design.

Lightly coat the top of the steak with vegetable cooking spray and flip the meat over to make another crosshatch design. Continue cooking to desired doneness.

To make the shrimp, heat a skillet over high heat. Add a little vegetable oil. Toss the shrimp in all-purpose flour to coat lightly.

When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and cook only long enough to sear the sides. Add the wine and reduce the heat so the mixture simmers until the shrimp are just cooked. Fold in the garlic butter until the mixture is creamy.

Reheat the asparagus gently in a skillet with a little butter and chicken stock, to add flavor.

To plate: Place the steak at "6 o'clock" on a dinner plate. Place 1 shrimp on top and arrange the others around the meat. Pour the garlic butter mixture over the meat and shrimp.

Lay the asparagus on the plate. Garnish with carrot curls and serve with a lemon wedge on a cocktail fork, Garnish with parsley and chives.

Makes 1 serving.

Garlic Butter

• 1 pound (4 sticks) salted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons dry or sweet white wine
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• White pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and whip to incorporate. Chill.

Additional Information:

Details

Sewickley Speakeasy, 17 Ohio River Blvd., Hays, is open for dinner from 4 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Send requests for your favorite restaurant recipes to Cooking Class in care of Living, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, D.L. Clark Building, 503 Martindale St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Fax: 412-320-7966.