Thursday, February 19, 2004

By Jane Citron

To introduce the newly appointed Schenley Park Visitor Center to the public, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is sponsoring three food and wine events aptly called "Gourmet in the Park."

	Gourmet in the Park menu Pheasant and Foie Gras Ravioli Lump Crab and Risotto Cakes Lobster Bisque in Demitasse Grilled Salmon with Couscous Salad Tuna Caponata Mediterranean Vegetable Plate Skewered Elysian Fields Farm Lamb with Olive and Tomato Cheese Plate Cookies and Petits Fours

Brothers Michael and Robert Uricchio, the creators of Tuesday's classic French menu from Laforet, needed no introduction to Schenley Park. As boys, they spent many weekends there. Robert remembers Schenley Stables and riding horseback along the park trails, and Michael recalls Saturday morning nature classes and hikes through the woods. In the winter the boys spent after-school hours ice skating at Panther Hollow.

"I've been going to the park since I was a kid, and I've been thrilled with the rebirth," says Robert Uricchio. "It's a tremendous asset to the city, and they're making it even better."

So when Meg Cheever, president of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory, asked the Uricchios to represent their Highland Park restaurant at the February chapter of Gourmet in the Park, they happily accepted.

Laforet is reminiscent of a chic New York bistro. Decorated in soft pastels, the first floor houses an unobtrusive bar and 11 tables. On the second floor, eight tables are well spaced to provide comfort and privacy in an unpretentious but gracious dining room. A narrow hallway separates the small kitchen, where chef Michael Uricchio and his kitchen brigade of four have raised the standard in Pittsburgh for fine dining.

As a young man, Michael traveled the world in search of culinary knowledge and experience but chose his hometown of Pittsburgh as the place to hang his chef's toque.

He was 19 when he worked at Robert Carrier's restaurant, one of London's finest. He started at the bottom performing menial tasks and worked five 16-hour days a week. In time he became part of the team -- 12 chefs from diverse backgrounds and mixed heritage -- who worked together preparing classic cuisine for London's most privileged diners.

At Robert Carrier's, Uricchio mastered classic French cooking techniques, learned the importance of quality fresh ingredients and focused on simplicity in style and presentation.

His cooking style has not changed. He believes a finished plate should be attractive and pleasing to the eye but not over the top in content or presentation. Plates never spill over with too many accompaniments or overwhelming garnishes. Sauces work as integral components and never mask or overpower an ingredient. No silver domes or vertical stacks come from this kitchen.

Uricchio says the best thing about cooking is working with ingredients that are out there and, more so, meeting "the farmers and the people who provide these ingredients, like Keith Martin and his lamb and my greens purveyor, Bob Trimbur of Spring Valley Farms."

And it's "working with people who share your excitement and love over the product and the food," he says.

Laforet is open four nights a week, allowing Uricchio to pursue his first priority -- spending time with his family. The restaurant serves no lunches and is closed Sunday, but chances are you will find Michael and his wife, Candace, a pastry chef, at home cooking Sunday dinner for family and friends. Like many chefs, Michael prefers eating at home.

There are five offspring in the Uricchio family, including a third brother and two sisters. (Marylynn Uricchio is the PG's Seen editor.)

The Laforet co-owners are 15 months apart, were childhood companions and today are best friends. At Laforet Michael does the cooking and Robert runs the front of the house.

As children the boys loved to cook together. Inspiration and recipes came from "The Gourmet Cookbook" (volumes 1 and 2), and while other budding cooks scorched fudge, baked brownies and mixed packets of chocolate pudding, 12-year-old Michael and 14-year-old Robert whipped egg whites for souffles and reproduced complicated dishes from scratch.

The tasting menu Tuesday will reflect the authentic French flavor of Laforet enjoyed not in a French bistro but in the ambience of Schenley Park.

Food for a cause

The Uricchios of Laforet follow chefs Bill Fuller and Greg Alauzen of big Burrito Restaurant Group. In January they mingled and chatted with guests, who enjoyed authentic Caribbean dishes from Kaya restaurant and wines from Dreadnought.

On March 31 chef-owner Toni Pais of Baum Vivant, Cafe Zinho and soon-to-open Cafe Zao will be featured.

Proceeds from the $45-a-person benefit will go to parks programming.

The Schenley Park Visitor Center was designed between 1904 and 1911 and constructed as a picnic shelter. The old shelter is one of the few surviving buildings remaining from the early days. Eventually the property fell into disrepair, and it closed in the late 1980s.

As the second showcase project of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the building has undergone a complete renovation and restoration and acquired a new purpose and identity. The center operates as a cafe and gift shop -- an inviting stopping place to meet friends and gather park information. The facility is also available as an event rental.

"This is a wonderful way to show people that they can use the facility for a party," says Amy Ripley, who works for the Conservancy, a nonprofit public-private partnership with the city of Pittsburgh to support the four historic parks -- Frick, Highland, Riverview and Schenley.

For details, call 412-682-7275.

LUMP CRAB AND RISOTTO CAKES

• 1-pound can jumbo lump crab meat, drained and checked for shells (available at Wholey's or Benkovitz or premium supermarkets)
  
• 1/4 cup finely diced carrots
  
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
  
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
  
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
  
• 1 cup cooked risotto
  
• Salt, pepper, dry mustard, fresh thyme and cayenne pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and taste. Form into (approximately) 32 1-ounce cakes or 8 4-ounce cakes. Lightly dust with bread crumbs and saute in olive oil till browned. Chill and serve later or heat in a 350-degree oven for about 7 minutes.

Michael Uricchio of Laforet

Jane Citron is a Squirrel Hill cooking teacher and freelance writer.

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