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Friday, October 22, 1999 By Woodene Merriman, Post-Gazette Dining Critic
When Laforet closed six years go, it was known as one of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. Maybe even THE best.
This summer Michael and Robert Uricchio reopened the swanky Highland Park restaurant. Why now?
"The time is right," Robert says. "Pittsburgh has come a long way in those six years. Before, our guests were mostly an older age group. Now the older group is still coming, but we're getting a mix of people. Dining has become more casual, and we're seeing more young people. It's nice."
Michael and Robert each have 20 years' experience in the restaurant field, the last six in catering and with the Vermont Flatbread Co., Strip District. But this is the level of dining they enjoy most, they've decided -- fine food, fine wines, the lavishness of crystal and silver, dinner as the event of the evening, people spending a leisurely 2 to 21/2 hours at the table.
And that's exactly what you get at the new Laforet. Every dish is a beautiful presentation, one that evokes a little gasp of admiration when the dish is placed in front of you, and another when you sample the food.
In six dinners at Laforet we haven't encountered a single dish we didn't like. OK, the risotto was puzzling; it tasted more like polenta, and the specks of black truffle didn't do much for it, but that's hardly a complaint. And His Honor was not enthusiastic about the veal sausage, but ate every bite of the sweetbreads. (I'm not sure he knew what they were, and I certainly wasn't going to say anything.)
We also have discovered wonderful new combinations -- like the parsnip puree with lamb chops and the grilled figs with seared foie gras.
The old Laforet was known for the surprise menu. You put your fate in the chef's hands. Now the feature is a gourmand menu, or five set courses in slightly smaller portions. A minimum of two people is needed for the $55-per-person gourmand dinner.
The current gourmand menu includes a lobster, crab and sole terrine, served with a creamy green watercress sauce (the highlight of the dish); a warm salad of asparagus with the grilled fig and seared foie gras over mesclun greens; sautéed prawns atop the risotto with specks of black truffle and saffron sauce; grilled lamb chops with the roasted parsnip puree and thyme sauce, and a medley of desserts.
The two visiting gourmands in our family -- he weighs in at about 165, and she at 110 -- ate it all and loved it. H.H. and I were permitted tastes.
Michael Uricchio's style of cooking is described as classically based, contemporary French, lightened a bit so all that food isn't really heavy. Robert, who runs the front of the house at Laforet, says the gourmand menu has been well-received, but some day they may try the surprise menu again. People miss the adventure.
For the non-gourmands, choices are still great. Two hors d'oeuvre we've enjoyed are the slices of Muscovy duck prosciutto served with fresh figs and a wedge of dark brown, warm onion tart, and the portobello mushroom layered with roasted pepper, grilled tomato, spinach and chevre and a warm balsamic sauce. (FYI: The portobello mushroom is difficult to share; it falls apart when you cut it in half, and spoils the presentation. I think the server knew what was going to happen. He gave us an extra plate, but didn't attempt to cut the big mushroom.)
The signature salad is seared foie gras, lobster and asparagus over mesclun greens. If that's too decadent for you, the salad paysanne is a nice country salad of mesclun greens with bacon, walnuts, croutons and Roquefort. A nice touch: the croutons are not only tasty, but tiny. How many restaurants do you know that serve big, hard croutons?
One of the prettiest entrees we've had is sea scallops seared and served with pasta and roasted garlic tomato coulis. The scallops were arranged in a circle on the plate, a red roasted pepper between each one, with the very yellow pasta, cooked al dente, in the center. Other good entrees: the nage of shellfish, rock lobster, scallops and clams simmered in a seafood consommé with French lentils and lemongrass; the pan-roasted salmon on a bed of spring vegetables; and sautéed veal filet, sweetbreads and sausage with a shallot sauce.
Hors d'oeuvre are $7.75-$12.50, salads are $4.75-$12.50, and entrees are $19.75-$28.75.
Fine dining, of course, is more than just food. Laforet uses white, gold-rimmed china. Tablecloths and napkins are white damask. Soft whipped butter comes in little crocks. The good warm rolls are made in the restaurant kitchen. The palate cleanser is a tart grapefruit ice, truly palate cleansing. Servers are well-trained. The chef sends out a plate of small canapés before dinner, and another with small sweets after dessert.
Oh, yes, dessert. The dessert medley is a good choice, even if you're not having the gourmand dinner. Two or more can share it. We can also recommend the lemon tart, a creamy lemon custard baked in a sweetened crust and served with berries, and the nougatine dacquoise crust with honey mascarpone mousse and white chocolate glaze.
Laforet has a fine wine list. The vintages are also noted on the list, which doesn't often happen. One of the lesser expensive, but surprisingly good choices among the reds is the 1994 White Oak zinfandel from Alexander Valley, $30. A few wines are offered by the glass, at $5 and $6. They change periodically.
Reluctantly, Laforet permits guests to bring their own wine and pay a corkage fee of $15. Robert Uricchio admits they're wrestling with this decision now. They have a big investment in their wine cellar and would prefer to sell those wines.
Laforet has other problems not easily overcome. It's in a fine old Highland Park house, on a side street off Highland Avenue. It has been redecorated in an elegant, understated manner by a sister, Marylynn Uricchio, whose real job is Post-Gazette Seen editor. The goal, Robert Uricchio says, was to let the people and the food stand out, not the decorating.
But Laforet does not have a parking lot and there are steps at the entry. Fortunately, there is usually parking space on the street. Dining is on two floors of the house. The men's room is on the first floor and the ladies room, as well as the kitchen, on the second floor.
The stairs cut out people who don't like to, or can't, climb stairs. On the other hand, it's great for snoopy restaurant critics who make repeated trips to the bathrooms so they can check along the way to see what everyone is eating.
Laforet
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Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 6-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30-11 p.m.