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Thursday, February 06, 2003

By Marlene Parrish, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Older Pittsburghers may recall this Rege Cordic radio moment. The lyrics "Rich-Ard-Wid-Mark, not HenryFonda, Rich-Ard-Wid-Mark, not HenryFonda," sung to the tango tune "Hernando's Hideaway" from the 1950s musical "The Pajama Game." That's about as close to the tango as many Pittsburghers ever navigated on a dance floor.

	Liliana Petruy, owner of the Tango Cafe in Squirrel Hill, offers an assortment of pastries to complement her coffees: from left, alfajores, canoncitos and pastelitos. (Martha Rial, Post-Gazette)

It took a while, but the food and dance of Argentina are now part of our cultural landscape.

Tango Cafe, a tiny pastry and coffee shop, opened a little more than a month ago on Forward Avenue a few doors down from the Squirrel Hill Theater, across the street from the BP gas station and 9,000 kilometers north of Buenos Aires. Already the word of mouth is spreading like glaze on a cake.

Owner Liliana Petruy has lived in Pittsburgh for only a year. She smiles as she extends a warm "bienvenida" to guests. A native of Mendoza, Argentina, she says, "The Cafe is a reflection of my homeland. The tango is danced by everyone and is part of daily life. These are the coffees that we drink with the dulce de leche-sweetened pastries that everyone knows how to make."

Dulce de leche is a Latin American "milk candy," a confection of caramelized condensed milk. Creamy and voluptuous on the tongue, it's irresistible. As a measure of its popularity, dulce de leche has been one of Haagen-Dazs' top 10 ice cream flavors for the past five years.

"I learned the pastry recipe secrets from one of our famous cooking teachers," Petruy says. She plans to add sandwiches, empanadas and churros to the menu as soon as she can take a breath. Here are some of her current homemade goodies.

Apple Bom-Bom -- Walnut-topped apple jelly squares. They will remind you of Aplets and

Cotlets candy.

Alfajores -- Blond cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche and rolled in coconut.

Merenguitos -- Twin me-ringue kisses sandwiched with dulce de leche and swirled with dark chocolate.

Pastelitos -- Cupcake-size crunchy puff pastry squares with an apple bom-bom center.

Canoncitos -- Ladylock cones filled with dulce de leche, then double-dipped in dark chocolate.

At your table, accompany the desserts with a cup of espresso, chocolate cappuccino, latte or steamed hot chocolate. But hang on to it with both hands, because the tango music from CDs played on the boom box often inspires customers to push chairs aside, roll up the all-weather mats and break into spontaneous dance. These could be members of the Pittsburgh Tan-gueros, a local group dedicated to developing the tradition of Argentine tango in Pittsburgh. Or not. Dancing happens.

A stop at Tango Cafe is an after-class treat for Rebecca Davis of Forest Hills, who takes her daughter Maya to dance classes at Chatham College. "I love to support an independent business, and I love the tango music. The pastries are delicious." Says Maya, "I like the hot chocolate because it's different, all foamy with steamed milk."

Suubi Boylen of Swissvale is another regular at the cafe. "I love sweets, and these are unique. People talk from table to table. Sometimes they sing. Everybody's so friendly."

Want to tango, too? Think lead, follow, walk, pivot, balance. Think, "Rich-Ard-Wid-Mark, notHenryFonda, Rich-Ard-Wid-Mark, notHenryFonda."

The Tango Cafe is at 5806 Forward Ave., Squirrel Hill (412-421-1390). Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.