Siba Cucina makes room for new dishes alongside classics

Although Matt Stover has spent nearly 25 years in his culinary career cooking Italian food, when he goes out to eat, he finds himself drawn to Italian cuisine.

"I like to see what the other restaurants are doing," says Stover, executive chef of Siba Cucina in Seven Fields. "I'm not Italian, but I grew up eating a lot of pastas that my mom used to cook. I like the simple pastas, chicken and pizza."

Stover, 44, thinks of Siba Cucina as a neighborhood restaurant with upscale Tuscan cuisine. The 215-seat restaurant is warmly inviting, with rustic hardwood floors, wooden tables and tapestry-like table runners, comfortable booths, taupe walls and an open-air kitchen where Stover and his staff prepare the meals.

They must be doing something right -- on weekends, they regularly serve 300 dinners a night, with a 30- to 45-minute wait for a table.

"Reservations are strongly recommended for the weekend," says Stover, who grew up in a small town near Findlay, in Northwest Ohio. "But people aren't afraid to wait, because they know it's going to be good."

The menu is well-balanced, with classic items as well as new dishes that Stover creates. Appetizers include fried zucchini straws, Tuscan nachos, shrimp bruschetta, crispy calamari, and seared ahi tuna. Pizzas and flatbreads are popular, featuring a three-mushroom flatbread with caramelized onions and boursin cheese; a Mediterranean pizza with grilled chicken, roasted tomatoes, sauteed garlic, spinach and feta cheese; and a chicken, spinach and bacon flatbread with a blend of cheeses.

"Fresh, quality ingredients are the most important thing," Stover says. "We use local purveyors for most of our items, and some seafood is flown in daily from Hawaii. Everything is made to order, and I cut the meats and seafood."

Entrees include house favorites, such as smoked chicken and mushroom risotto, veal saltimbocca, veal osso bucco, and meat lasagna with whipped ricotta cheese. Stover utilizes the large grill with dishes like filet mignon, New York strip, rack of Elysian Fields lamb, and French-cut pork chops.

"It's refreshing to have the creativity to create the menu," he says. "I do two menu changes a year, and we have daily features."

Stover grew up on a small farm with three siblings, and a one-acre garden he and his siblings tended. The garden had every kind of vegetable imaginable, he says, and his parents canned and preserved vegetables for many years.

"When you wanted a vegetable for dinner, you just went outside and picked it," says Stover.

His mom cooked at a local restaurant, and Stover joined her when he was old enough to have a summer job. During those stints, Stover discovered he really enjoyed cooking, and graduated from Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY in 1989.

He worked at a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, for three years before joining Bravo in 1991. Bravo transferred him to Pittsburgh in 1997, and he cooked at three locations before leaving 18 months ago to become the head chef at Siba Cucina. General manager Al Pagan and assistant manager Rudy Mogush also came to the restaurant from Bravo.

Siba Cucina had been affiliated with Narcisi Winery from 2004 until early last year.

"The hardest part of the job is finding quality, reliable staff and maintaining them," says Stover, who has four children and lives in North Park. "I'm very satisfied with my staff now. "

When hiring chefs, Stover looks for someone who really likes to cook.

"You have to have the drive and desire, and truly enjoy cooking," he says. "You don't realize how much work it is until you get in the kitchen. It's a tough business.

"You don't have to be the best cook, but as long as you're giving 100 percent and are willing to learn, that's enough for me."

Diners are much more educated about food these days, he says. And that's a good thing.

"Diners are more aware of what they're ordering and eating," Stover says. "The best part of this job is creating, satisfying guests and getting good feedback. That makes all the hard work worthwhile."

Grilled Lamb with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables and Fried Leeks

Chef Matt Stover is sharing his popular lamb chops entree with Cooking Class. He uses Elysian Fields lamb, which he says has a better, milder flavor than other lamb you can buy in a grocery store. Elysian Fields lamb can be found at McGinnis Sisters, which has locations in Adams Township, Brentwood and Monroeville.

This delectable dish would go wonderfully with a full-bodied red wine, such as a Hall Cabernet.

For the pepper-port demiglace:

• 1/2 cup burgundy wine
• 1/2 cup port wine
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons veal demiglace
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley

For the lamb:

• 2 double-cut lamb chops (8 ounces each), which will be four chops
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste

For the Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

• 2 Idaho potatoes, cut up
• 2 redskin potatoes, cut up
• 3/4 cup small diced white onion
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Fried Leeks:

• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup semolina
• 1 cup julienned leeks
• Canola or soybean oil to cover, if you don't have a deep dryer
• Kosher salt, to taste

For the Roasted Root Vegetables:

• 1 cup large diced parsnips
• 1 cup large diced carrots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To prepare the pepper-port demiglace: Put the wines and shallots in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until reduced by half. Add the heavy cream and reduce again by half, until lightly thickened. Then add the demiglace and incorporate. Add the butter gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time, until each is dissolved into the sauce. Add the pepper, salt, and parsley, stirring well. Keep warm until serving.

To prepare the lamb: Liberally coat the chops with olive oil, rubbing it all over the chops, and then season with kosher salt. Place the chops on a grill over medium-high heat and cook for 10 minutes , rotating frequently, for medium-rare doneness.

If you don't have a grill, pan-sear the chops for 2 minutes per side, and then cook in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Let the lamb rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting to keep it tender and juicy.

To make the Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Boil the potatoes for about 30 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, saute the white onion and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes then set aside. Drain the potatoes and add the onion-garlic mixture to them. Using a mixer, whip the potatoes and add the green onions, milk, and salt and pepper. Whip until smooth.

To prepare the Fried Leeks: Add the herbs to the flour and semolina and mix well. Put the leeks in the flour mixture and coat thoroughly. Deep-fry in the oil for 1 minute, and then season with kosher salt.

To prepare the Roasted Root Vegetables: Mix the parsnips and carrots with olive oil and salt and pepper. Put on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.

To plate: Place a big scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle of a plate. Set the lamb chops on top of the potatoes, meat side down, and crisscrossing. Put about 3 tablespoons of the demiglace around the potatoes, and then place the roasted vegetables on the side. Top the lamb chops with a generous portion of fried leeks.

Makes 2 servings.

Additional Information:

Siba Cucina

Cuisine: Tuscan Italian with Mediterranean influences

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays

Entree price range: $17.50-$33

Notes: Major credit cards accepted. Handicapped accessible. Reservations strongly recommended for the weekend. Wine-tasting dinners the last Wednesday of every month for $49 a person, which includes a four-course meal with four wines. Live music weekend nights. Diva Tuesdays feature female vocalists from 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Address: 530 Northpointe Circle, Seven Fields

Details: 724-741-6000 or www.siba-cucina.com