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Friday, January 19, 2001
By Woodene Merriman, Post-Gazette Dining Critic
It's called "our chef's secret voodoo sauce" on the menu, but Chef Vic Tome says he's happy to give out the ingredients:
"Fresh mango, tomato, jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, ginger, white vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce, brown sauce, green pepper. Let it all stew for a while, then puree the hell out of it."
Sorry, he won't help with the hard part -- finding all the ingredients. That, and how much of each, is the chef's secret.
But why bother trying? At Union Grill II you can get the chef's voodoo sauce on a hot grilled chicken breast wrapped in a tortilla, on a burger or on a hot vegetarian sandwich. It's slightly thick, brown and a little sweet. I liked it so much I was thinking of trying to make it. But after hearing the ingredients, no thanks.
Union Grill II in the Banksville Plaza is a younger sibling of Union Grill I in Oakland. The menus are much the same, says chef Vic Tome, except that the Grill II menu is a little smaller because of the smaller space, and he's doing a little more experimenting at the new spot.
Union Grill II is in the space where Klay's used to be. Klay's customers will probably recognize it, although there have been major changes. The bar opens into the dining room now. There is a new wooden floor and updated decor. The kitchen was gutted and completely replaced.
Tome and Eric Nernberg, co-owners, are in tune with the way people want to eat today. Much of the food is hickory-grilled. Hot sandwiches, burgers, steaks, roasted chicken breast and a few pastas are the staples. Oh, yes, turkey Devonshire, jumbo lump crab cakes and pierogies, too. (When you see those three on the same menu, you know you're in the 'Burgh.)
The pierogies are made by St. John's Ukrainian Church women on the South Side, and are offered as an appetizer. They are served four to a plate for $4.95. (Remember when pierogies were considered peasant food?) The pierogies are stuffed with potatoes and cheese, browned on top and hard around the edges, served with caramelized onions and sour cream. I don't think the women of St. John's would be proud of the pierogies I got.
Crab cakes and meat loaf are the big sellers here. Yes, the crab cakes are very good. They have big lumps of crab and fall apart at the touch of the fork. When a crab cake is almost 100 percent quality crab, how can you go wrong?
Our meat loaf wasn't such a hit. "Not as good as Cap City's meat loaf," His Honor said. It comes with mushroom gravy, and a cooked-until-soft-and-brown vegetable medley.
I think H.H. was out of sorts because he wasn't impressed with the Jacky Piret Beaujolais he ordered.
"People who want fine wine wouldn't be eating here," he said when he tasted it. The price was right, though. Union Grill II has a small list of wines, all at one price -- $14. By the glass, wines are $3 and $4.50. The restaurant doesn't sell many bottles of wine, according to Tome. But he and Nernberg think the low price is a good way to encourage people to try wine. Besides, this isn't the kind of restaurant where you would expect to find expensive wines.
Typical specials at Union Grill II are seafood with a choice of salsas, plus a vegetable medley and a choice of sides. It's up to the customer to mix and match. Should the mahi-mahi be hickory grilled, sauteed, blackened or barbecued? Would tomato jalapeno, kiwi mango or pineapple apple be the best topping? Decisions, decisions.
So I guess it's my fault the blackening and very spicy tomato jalapeno salsa overpowered the delicate tilapia. Maybe I should have had the tilapia steamed. It would be nice if the servers gave a little information on what goes with what.
Meat loaf is a blue plate special, available every day, "hot and fresh from the oven, but when it's gone, it's gone."
And when it's gone, there are plenty of other choices -- big chop house and turkey burgers, Chef Vic's Open Face Southwest Sirloin Steak Sandwich, salads, soups and specialties such as pasta with a smoked salmon, chipotle pepper and fresh cream sauce. It's a recipe that won first prize for chef Vic in a local sauce-off.
Vegetarians have a choice of two hot sandwiches. A six-grain vegetable melt, and a Voodoo Portobello, my favorite. The mushroom is grilled and tucked inside a grilled, crisp tortilla along with provolone, caramelized onions, greens and that thick, slightly sweet special sauce.
Union Grill II isn't fine dining, and doesn't pretend to be. It's casual and relaxed, a place to go when you don't want a big meal, but not the same old pizzas and chain restaurant fare. The menu is far more imaginative than similar restaurants. Prices are right -- the seafood specials are $9.95 and $10.95, crab cakes are $13.95, and a turkey Devonshire is $8.95.
What's more, the desserts are made by the restaurant. Think hot apple pie, banana cream pie, Key lime pie with a thick, heavy crumb crust, and something called chocolate silk that's made to order for chocoholics -- a thick chocolate cookie crust, smooth and silky chocolate filling, lots of whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
UNION GRILL II
Chef Vic Tome at the Union Grill II, where much of the food is hickory-grilled. (Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette) 
3105 Banksville Road
412-341-4243
Hours:11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.The basics: American cuisine; parking in plaza spaces in front of restaurant; full bar; basic wines by the glass, $3 and $4.50; bottles all $14; children's menu; seats 100, including bar; wheelchair accessible; children's menu; major credit cards; dining room is no-smoking; smoking permitted only at the bar; reservations for six or more.The last word: 2 1/2 stars