Sunnyledge offers diverse menu in elegant setting
Sunnyledge Boutique Hotel & Tea Room sits right in the middle of what used to be called Millionaire's Row in Shadyside, on bustling Fifth Avenue.
It's an apt place for the five-star restaurant and hotel, which has been winning awards since it opened 15 years ago.
Owners Avery and Patty Abrams make sure their guests are treated like royalty, with an ornate, romantic dining room that seats 50 and an elegant boutique hotel with eight rooms. The outside terrace seats 35.
"It has a bed-and-breakfast feel to it, but we're zoned as a hotel," says Avery Abrams, 44. "This was the original home of Dr. James McClelland, the founder of Shadyside Hospital. Whatever was here, we kept here."
That includes the original oak paneling and fixtures. White linen tablecloths cover the tables in the dining room, with charming candle lamps on each table. Heavy blue water goblets sit at each place. Dusky blue window treatments allow some of the midday sun to filter through, casting rays on the flowered carpeting and tablecloths.
"Patty did everything in here," Abrams says. He shows visitors the exquisite mosaic bar top inlaid with Italian glass tiles. "She did this all herself. It only took her three days."
The Abrams, together for several years, got married in their hotel four years ago. They have a 3-year-old daughter named Isla. Avery Abrams is a Scranton native who earned a communications degree and then a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He also went to a culinary school in Montreal in the 1980s.
"My philosophy is simple ingredients prepared nicely," says Abrams, who lives in Shadyside and walks to the hotel. "I use only fresh ingredients. We have ethnic or regional flavors on the menu, which I designed."
His menu is diverse, with entrees such as crab cakes, New York strip steak, lobster risotto, Athenian grilled chicken, Sicilian grilled salmon, Cajun swordfish steak and spicy scallops and chorizo. Abrams' signature soup is roasted red pepper bisque. One of his specials is a half-pound Florida lobster tail with key lime butter for $25.
His appetizers sound delicious -- shrimp cocktail, mussels agave, Portuguese duck sausage, wild mushroom tart, petite raspberry brie, mini crab cakes and bruschetta.
"Patty does a lot of baking at home," he says. "She makes the sauces, desserts and prep items. She and Lacie Zerbie, my general manager, make it easy for me. They wind me up, and I do my thing. It just flows, which is nice."
Two other cooks assist Abrams in the small but functional kitchen.
"Cooking is easy -- I get a lot of help," he says. "Lacie is the bartender, too, and pops in when I need an extra hand."
Avery Abrams chose to share his Isla's Chorizo Scallops in Agave Sauce, a dish he named for his daughter.
Chorizo is a Spanish beef-based sausage made without casing whose distinct flavor blends beautifully with scallops. He likes to sear the scallops over a medium-hot grill, and serve the dish with an Italian risotto, although any kind of rice will do.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces chorizo sausage
• 1/4 cup sweet red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup sweet green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh garlic, diced
• 5 medium to large dry sea scallops
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 ounces tequila
• Handful of mixed field greens or fresh spinach
• Cooked rice
Either slice the chorizo into 1/8-inch rounds or dice into small pieces.
Heat a saute pan with the olive oil over medium heat just enough to heat the oil.
Add the chorizo, peppers, onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
Sear the scallops on a grill for 3 minutes for each side ( see Photo 1 ).
Add the orange juice to the chorizo mixture and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Transfer the scallops to the chorizo mixture ( Photo 2 ).
Add the tequila ( Photo 3 ) and allow enough time to burn off the alcohol -- about 3 minutes. Watch out for the flame ( Photo 4 ).
Plate with field greens or spinach in the center of the bowl ( Photo 5 ). Place cooked rice on top of the greens. Place the scallops and chorizo mixture on top and serve.
Additional Information:
Sunnyledge Boutique Hotel & Tea Room
Cuisine : Continental with a Mediterranean flair
Hours : Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Dinner: 6-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Brunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sundays. Afternoon tea: 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays
Entree price range : $24-$32
Notes : Handicapped-accessible. Major credit cards accepted. Specials offered twice a week. Smoking martinis made with dry ice served during Friday happy hour.
Address : 5124 Fifth Ave., Shadyside
Details : 412-683-5014 or sunnyledge.com
