We have Henry Frick, one of Pittsburgh's patriarchs, to thank for the William Penn Hotel.

Minotti Joseph "M.J." Marasco has been at the Terrace Room at the Omni William Penn Hotel since 1961. Behind him is the famous mural "The Recapture of Fort Pitt," painted by two Hungarian artists in 1950. (Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette) The Terrace Room Omni William Penn Hotel 530 William Penn Place Pittsburgh 412-281-7100 Hours: Breakfast, 6-11:30 a.m. daily; lunch, 11:30 a.m. 2 p.m. daily; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Basics: Contemporary American cuisine served in sumptuous surroundings. Appetizers: $5-$10; entrees: $16-$31; desserts: $5. Wines by glass: $7-$11. Professionally trained wait staff, low noise level and changing menu. Smoking in one section of bar. Wheelchair accessible. Valet parking, $18, or parking in garage across William Penn Place at garage price according to time of day. All major credit cards accepted. Reservations accepted.

Frick began diversifying into real estate in 1902, when he built the Frick Building on Grant Street. At the time it was the tallest point on the Pittsburgh skyline. Finding real estate a safe haven for some of his steel profits, Frick added the Union Trust building to his portfolio in 1916.

As Pittsburgh gained importance in the industrial and banking world, Frick recognized the need for a hotel that could welcome the millionaire visitors the city was attracting. The William Penn opened in 1916, when Pittsburgh was riding the crest of the industrial revolution. It was a grand hotel, one to equal any of the greats found in New York or the capitals of Europe. It was the largest hotel between New York and Chicago and as luxurious as New York's Plaza or Chicago's Drake. In fact, Frick was so intent on having the best for his hotel that he poached the chef from the Plaza and the maitre d'hotel from the posh Savoy Hotel in London. The William Penn Hotel became the social center of Pittsburgh.

The 25-foot ceilings with elaborately plastered coffers, the walnut paneling and the sparkling chandeliers in the Terrace Room Restaurant of the now Omni William Penn Hotel hark back to the Gilded Age, when the room was built. Although the huge mural of Gen. George Washington being welcomed into the recently captured Fort Duquesne was not added until 1950, it seems to fit into the room the way a Belgian tapestry might adorn the walls of a palatial European dining room. Dining in the Terrace Room, I suspect, is the closest I will get to reliving the glory days of Pittsburgh.

We were welcomed by a maitre d'hotel who seemed comfortable with his imposing surroundings. Our waiter, dressed in a handsome brocade vest and long white apron over his trousers, was a long-time employee of the restaurant and was knowledgeable about the menu and the wine list and even about the room itself.

As we pondered the menu, he brought us an amuse-guele of honeydew melon balls wrapped in prosciutto. We ordered the hotel's signature seafood gumbo and the soup of the day, cream of mushroom ($5). The gumbo was extremely spicy from andouille sausage added to the shrimp and lobster. I preferred the milder mushroom soup, which was filled with fresh mushrooms and made doubly creamy and rich from the brie cheese that had been melted in the mushroom broth. The sourdough bread from BreadWorks was served with a bowl of mashed cannellini beans and olive oil.

The Aveline salad ($5) was a pretty presentation of mesclun greens "gift-wrapped" inside packaging of thinly sliced English cucumber and daikon (white Japanese radish), smothered in toasted pine nuts and gorgonzola, and dressed with a slightly sweet vinaigrette. Shrimp and blue crab cakes ($10) served with a tomato-ginger coulis was a delicious update of an old classic. The ginger gave a welcome zing to the light tomato reduction.

Other appetizer possibilities sounded equally appealing. Scottish smoked salmon with new potato, sweet onion confit and salmon caviar ($8) or marinated Jakarta petite tenderloin with crisp vegetable slaw ($8) could probably replace an entree. Having an appetizer and a salad in lieu of a full dinner can be a great way to enjoy upscale dining on a budget.

Pan-seared Muscovy duck breast with Bing cherries in a cherry-cabernet glaze ($21) was a delicious marriage of sweet and sour sensations. The duck was perfection and the deep red sauce a pretty addition. Braised Jamison Farm lamb shank with Moroccan spices ($21) was another entree. The lamb was tender, but I was somewhat disappointed in the appearance. It seemed not to have been browned before braising, which left the meat an unappetizing gray color. I could not identify any Moroccan spices, which must have been too mild for my palate.

Both entrees were served with the same steamed asparagus and risotto sides. I would have loved to try the wild mushroom lasagna with gorgonzola and white truffle oil ($16). Or the chorizo crusted pork chop with fire-roasted bell pepper and herb aioli ($19) or one of several beef entrees. There is a separate section of the menu offering low-carb dishes.

At Sunday lunch, we had a choice of the brunch or lunch menu. There were many tempting items on the brunch menu from $8.50 to $14.75, but we chose to have lunch instead. The halibut in tomato coulis with pilaf and squash ($14) was well prepared but with a very light hand on the seasoning. I couldn't help wishing for a few more herbs or some garlic and condiments. The chunks of zucchini and summer squash had been cooked like hash browns and had a wonderful, crunchy crust on the outside. Fettuccine carbonara with blackened chicken ($11.75) suffered from overcooked pasta.

On weekdays, the luncheon menu features sandwiches such as the famous Pittsburgh Devonshire ($10.25), burgers, and a large selection of salads in addition to the traditional entrees.

The kitchen brings in desserts from outside sources. The lemon tart was a sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice filling in a graham crust. It was served with overly generous amounts of whipped cream. Although this was certainly not an original dessert, not a crumb was left on the plate.

The wine list has a wide selection of bottles from $28 (Placido Pinot Grigio) to $276 (Opus 1) and glasses from $7 to $11. We were thrilled with our generous servings of Monterra Chardonnay for $10 and Rutherford Merlot, $11. I only wish that the pricing of the wines on the list had been more in line with today's wisdom on smaller markups. The old restaurant formula of tripling the wholesale cost of a wine dates back to a time when wine was considered a luxury and was only consumed by the most privileged patrons. Today, with wine an integral part of our dining experience, it is time for restaurants to make wine available to their customers at the same markup they make on food, which would mean in the 20 percent range. I will continue to cite and applaud those restaurants that have adopted the policy begun by the Carlton Restaurant, of adding a flat $10 per bottle to the cost.

To dine at the Terrace Room in such splendid surroundings, with excellent service, heavy silver and the ghosts of Pittsburgh's industrial giants all around, I was willing to forgive the chef a few moments of disappointment. The overall experience of dining at the Omni William Penn Terrace Room is something I recommend to any devotee of art, history and culture. This is Pittsburgh at its best.