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 OUR LITTLE SECRET
I wish PepperCorns could stay just the way it is - a small, unpretentious, white-tablecloth restaurant where the food, prepared entirely from scratch, is different, delicious and moderate in price. And not too many people know about the restaurant. That probably won't happen, of course. Opened just before Labor Day, PepperCorns already is often filled for the weekend by Thursday. Word of a good new dining spot spreads quickly. Even on the week nights when His Honor and I stopped by, business was brisk. The food is the big attraction. Chef-owner Michael Barbato was the executive chef at the Westin William Penn before he decided to strike out on his own. Each morning he makes a trip to the Strip. What's available and good there determines what he'll cook. When the little Castle Shannon restaurant opened it was red pepper season. ``They were practically giving them away,'' he says. So he turned out dish after dish that showcased red peppers. Recently the Strip was receiving shipments of good blueberries. Barbato was making blueberry crunch pie, and other blueberry specialties. Barbato and a helper, Karen Bell, who also worked at the William Penn, make everything from scratch. That includes the salad dressings, two soups daily, the focaccia that comes to the table as soon as you've ordered, the desserts, literally everything. The menu, Barbato says, is eclectic. ``I try to stay away from things you can get anywhere.'' What you can get at PepperCorns is roasted sesame crusted salmon with braised Napa cabbage, rice noodles and a honey ginger glaze, far and away the biggest seller on the menu. With the house salad and the complimentary herb-flavored circle of warm focaccia, that's $11.75, a moderate price considering the quality of the food. There's much more, of course. The thick, herb-crusted chicken breast with smoked mozzarella, tomatoes and sour cream we had one night was excellent - the chicken moist, the coating crisp, and the accompanying broccoli tender but still bright green. Crispy ocean sole came to the table with a Cajun remoulade (very hot!), garlic rice, and red beans. Vegetable paella, with bits of tomato, red beans and grilled eggplant, would be a fine meal for a vegetarian. You can also have it with chicken or with spicy andouille sausage, as I did. The hot sausage is a nice contrast to the blandness of the paella. It's a well-rounded menu, with 11 entrees plus whatever specials Barbato has come up with after his trip to the Strip. On weekends, that's often lobster ravioli, another big seller. The only beef item on the menu, incidentally, is a pan-blackened prime rib steak. It was also our only major disappointment at PepperCorns. The rib steak was tough. Even the onion jam on top, and the carrots, cauliflower and sweet potato puree served with it could not rescue the steak. Barbato is just as creative with appetizers - chicken on skewers with peanut sauce, tomato and onion tart with dilled Havarti and, our favorite, the baked fontinella mushrooms. Recently Barbato started making a grilled portabello mushroom with provolone cheese appetizer, and it's so popular it's pushing the baked fontinella mushrooms off the menu, he says. A really good restaurant doesn't slip up on the little details. And for the most part, PepperCorns doesn't. The herb focaccia is baked to fit a round straw basket, and it comes to the table warm, with small bowls of melted garlic butter and herb oil for dipping. (I wish the focaccia was covered with a towel, so it would stay warm, though.) Plates are garnished with spring onions carved into flowers. The house salads are all leafy greens with various other veggies. One night we had grilled zucchini on the salads. Another night we had tomato wedges that had been peeled. (Reminded me of my mother, the only other person who actually peeled tomatoes for me.) Occasionally the chef gets carried away with cooking with what's best in the market. One night we had caramelized onions in several courses. Enough aready. But by dessert, we had forgiven him. The carrot cake was superb and just a little different - moist, chock full of coarsely ground carrots, nuts and other good things, covered with cream cheese icing and more ground nuts. The selection of desserts changes daily. PepperCorns is truly a family restaurant. Barbato's wife, Cynthia, is co-owner and runs the front of the house. Sometimes daughter Corrine waits on tables, when she isn't away at school. After 18 years of working for hotels, it's Barbato's first attempt at running his own restaurant. Some things are likely to change, he admits, as he sees what goes over with customers, and what doesn't. As of Jan. 1, he's going to close the restaurant on Mondays so he can accommodate private parties that day. He doesn't have a liquor license, and doesn't plan to get one. The restaurant is too small to make it worthwhile, he believes. But you can take your own bottle of wine, and most people do. (There's a new $2.50 a bottle corkage fee.) Some people I know even take two bottles of wine. After all, H.H. says, you never know until you see the menu whether you're going to want a red or a white. It pays to be prepared.
PepperCorns
-- Review by Woodene Merriman, Post-Gazette Dining Critic
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Hours:
Monday through Saturday, lunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner, 4:30-10:30 p.m. After Jan. 1,
Tuesday through Saturday, lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., dinner, 4:30-10 p.m.