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Friday, March 02, 2001
By Woodene Merriman Post-Gazette Dining Critic
"That's the wrong way. I think you turn right on Saltsburg Road."
"No, it's left."
"Right."
"No, left is right."
It's our third visit to Lavender Hill. By now we should know the way. But in this rural part of Penn Hills, I think the roads are old cowpaths that have been widened and paved. Suddenly, as we reach the top of the hill, there's the big, turn-of-the-century red brick house that is now a restaurant, tea room and gift shop -- Lavender Hill.
Martha Burkholder bought the old Greer family home in 1991 and spent three years updating the place before she opened for business. Fortunately for us, she didn't change too much. The front door opens directly into what used to be called a reception room. It's a gift shop with lots of teapots and greeting cards now. Three little girls with packages in birthday paper are hurrying up the stairs just ahead of us.
To our left is the parlor, with flowered wallpaper, lace curtains and a fire in the fireplace. Except for the three tables set up for brunch, the room looks much the same as it might have in 1901.
Sunday brunch is a good way to try Lavender Hill. For one thing, it's easier to find your way over these winding roads in the daylight. In addition, the menu is not only old-fashioned good, but also hearty. There will be no evening meal at our house tonight.
It's not a buffet brunch. You can sit at your table and look out over the lawn and big trees as you wait for the starters. For us, it's a soft, delicious salmon mousse to be eaten with two warm, split mini bagels. Orange or tomato juice and scones with jelly or jam are other choices.
Omelets are spectacular: three eggs and four fillings (His Honor goes for smoked turkey, ham, Cheddar and mushrooms), with 12-grain toast, sausage and home fries (like baked potatoes, with skins, lightly fried). I wonder, is he going to be able to waddle out of here?
For delicate eaters like yours truly, a slice of the quiche of the day, soft and hot from the oven, has bits of ham, red and green pepper, mushrooms and various other pieces of foods I can't identify. In the French manner, I think the quiche has been made from leftovers from the night before. That's all right with me; the pastry is flaky and the quiche is wonderful.
Other choices (which we have not tried) are two eggs with a choice of breakfast meat (including a 6-ounce sirloin strip steak), French toast, eggs Benedict, a breakfast wrap, smoked turkey croissant, tuna melt or the Lavender Hill special, fruit and nuts on a bed of greens, with or without chicken. There's an a la carte menu, too, if you want to make up your own brunch plate.
One of the many things I like about Sunday brunch is that it's obligatory to have dessert. Everybody does, you know. Besides, Lavender Hill, unlike most restaurants now, has a pastry chef, Barbara Sedivy. Her feelings would be hurt if we don't have dessert, H.H. says. The fruit tart, colorful and as pretty as if it had just come off the cover of Gourmet magazine, tastes as good as it looks.
Desserts change daily, but the two most popular choices are a soft, moist apple harvest cake and creme caramel. I haven't tried the creme caramel, but the harvest cake, served with apple-cinnamon sauce, is a good, homey dessert.
Burkholder says the idea of her restaurant is to offer choices. The specialties are dishes that are freshly prepared, low in fat, low in sugar and low in salt. To replace salt, executive chef John Gardner uses fresh herbs. In the summer, he can pluck the herbs and the edible flowers that adorn plates from the garden right out back. On the other hand, if a guest wants to "go for the gusto," as Burkholder describes it, the dessert menu has plenty of rich homemade choices.
Some items on the menu are designated as complying with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Dining with Heart program. There is always a vegetarian selection. And if a guest is on a special diet, such as the Dean Ornish program, chef Gardner will come out of the kitchen to discuss it before he starts to cook.
Normally, Lavender Hill is open for dinner only two nights a week -- Friday and Saturday. The menu changes constantly. One night we had a Japanese chicken dish, primarily a chicken breast with onions, mushrooms, garlic and sprouts, and not enough flavor. It could have used a little more soy sauce.
Crisp-tender green beans served with it had sliced almonds. I wish the almonds had been sauteed or toasted -- again for more flavor. Twice-baked potatoes tasted fresh, as though the chef made them himself, instead of using the frozen variety as so many restaurants do. Honey-glazed salmon was good, but would have been better if taken off the heat a minute sooner. I know, it's a 'Burgh thing, but I keep wishing chefs here would catch on to how good fish can be if not well done.
Gardner says his most popular entree is chicken saltimbocca with capicolla, but it has not been on the menu when we were at Lavender Hill. Perhaps you will be luckier.
The staff makes every effort to make your experience pleasant. There's a little gift from the chef to start dinner (boursin cheese with herbs, shaped to look like a tiny snowman with carrot eyes and broccoli mouth one night).
House salads are mixed greens, really red tomato, cucumber and broccoli (which would have been easier to eat if it had been steamed a minute and cooled). An orange sorbet as a palate cleanser arrives unannounced between courses. You can take your own wine, which gives a restaurant a big plus in H.H.'s book.
Prices are reasonable. Dinner entrees were all below $18; lunch entrees, $11 and less. H.H.'s big omelet was $5.75. Prices for afternoon tea vary.
It's a quiet restaurant, even on days like today when a little girl's birthday party is under way upstairs. If you want excitement, this is not the place for you. But if you like good food in a relaxing, nostalgic atmosphere, get out your map.
Lavender Hill
Owner Martha Burkholder talked with customers from the Turtle Creek Senior Citizens Center in one of the dining rooms at Lavender Hill. (Martha Rial, Post-Gazette) 
7505Saltsburg Road, Penn Hills
412-798-0701
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Saturday; tea, 2-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday; dinner, starting at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. SundayThe basics: Restaurant and gift shop in restored turn-of- the- century country home; parking area; wheelchair accessible; no smoking; BYOB; seats 44; major credit cards; reservations requested for Friday and Saturday.The last word: 