LAURELVILLE, Westmoreland County -- Bell's Steak & Sea House gives a whole new meaning to the term "family restaurant." It is family-owned, with three generations working there, and it does welcome families.

V.W.H. Campbell Jr., Post-Gazette Beverly Collins, foreground, stands with partners Don Bell and her daughter Bonnie Bell. Click photo for larger image. Details: Bell's Steak & Sea House, Route 31 at Route 982, 724-547-9700.

But it's larger than you might expect, a 150-seat restaurant in a barn -- yes, a barn -- situated at a crossroads called Laurelville that's 44 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Bell's is not a chain or a franchise, and its food emerges not from boxes, bags and freezer wrappers, but is cooked the old-fashioned way.

"We thought if we made good food, they would come," said Beverly Collins, a former dental hygienist. She and her husband, Bob, retired from Allegheny Power after 37 years, are partners with their daughter, Bonnie, and her husband, Don, who is the chef.

Customers did come, but not as many or as often as they had hoped, and now the family are coming to grips with the three rules for making money in the restaurant business: "Location, location, location."

The barn structure itself is more than 100 years old, built from timbers from the 1801 Jacob's Creek gristmill. A year ago, The Barn Restaurant got a name change. "A restaurant needs to make its own name," Bonnie says today. "The biggest surprise is how difficult it is to get it going."

The restaurant dream is notoriously difficult to attain, and some estimates put the failure rate at even higher than the 90 percent for any new business. The challenges were not unknown to Don, a 1993 graduate of Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Downtown. He had observed the business from the kitchen and was eager to give it a go. He was the first chef of Shakespeare's Restaurant in Ellwood City, worked at private clubs, and was sous-chef at the Golden Trout in Nemacolin Woodlands. Working for others is one thing, Don says, but "this is very difficult -- like multiplying by 10."

But this is the Bells' own place, and they were willing to make sacrifices. One of them was selling their home and sharing the Collins home in Scottdale. Nobody's blaming the restaurant, but Bob Collins had what's known as a "silent" heart attack the week of our visit. They had served 350 people at the Mother's Day brunch.

Talk about an intense family project. The family does everything, from polishing chandeliers to cleaning restrooms. They do hire someone to mow the lawn. Sons Ian, 21, a recent Triangle Tech graduate, and Brandon, 20, a California University of Pennsylvania student, work at the restaurant, as do Don's sister, Kim Spicola, and her daughter, Kristi, and a niece and a nephew, Travis and Britany Pierce. They cover a lot of ground, including two lofts. Beverly says her mother, 82-year-old Violet Ulery, "has shown us the way -- how to stick together."

That carries over to their "best asset --the personal touch -- if they aren't happy, we make them happy," she says. "It's working with people, whether it's in the dentist's chair or a restaurant."

Don mentors two young cooks and the experience is do or die. "I tell them if they don't have a passion for food, it's time to get out," he says bluntly. It is clear he has that passion.

Aside from an occasional soup base, he does everything from scratch, including cutting steaks and breading shrimp. "We have the best prime rib, and I'm a connoisseur of prime rib," Beverly says.

Unlike many restaurants, the desserts are made there. Bonnie, also a dental hygienist, took a baking class at Westmoreland Community College and is eager to take another. She makes such treats as Orange Dreamsicle Cake, Peanut Butter Pie and creme brulee. (Call ahead, and she'll make a sugar-free batch.)

Her yeast rolls are light and flavorful. "They bring people back," she says. Don, who describes himself as a grazer, may dip into the bread basket after Sunday brunch and call it dinner.

In addition to the name change, Bell's, which will mark its second anniversary in October, has undergone other changes, including dropping the music. Beverly says wryly: "The dancers didn't eat, and the eaters didn't dance."

The food is less upscale. "We had risotto on the menu, but people would rather have baked potatoes," says Bonnie.

In addition to regular old russets, their baked sweet potatoes are a favorite. Entrees, which come with two side dishes, range from $9.95 for baked tortellini to $17.95 for a 12-ounce T-bone steak or a shrimp, scallop and lobster pot. Sandwiches are in the $8 range.

The ambiance is more casual, especially at lunch. "People used to come in here wearing jeans and say, 'We're not dressed well enough,' and leave," Beverly recalls.

The casual atmosphere suits the area, with Seven Springs and Hidden Valley among its neighbors. Bell's is open daily except Tuesday, and the family estimates they work 12 to 14 hours a day. "It's a 72-hour week for us," says Bonnie.

Despite the occasional tensions, in close quarters, a family business has its joys. "I've seen my family more since we opened the restaurant than I've seen them in the last 10 years," the chef says.

And it's not every day either a traveler or a native can dine on coconut shrimp and creme brulee under a chandelier -- in a barn.

PG tested

Ms. B's Three-Day Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

	V.W.H. Campbell Jr., Post-Gazette Mrs. B's Three-Day Vanilla Bean Cheesecake is featured at Bell's Steak & Sea House restaurant, where the motto could be: "We don't thaw food; we create it." Click photo for larger image.

Crust:

• 8 to 10 ounces graham cracker crumbs
  
• 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted
  
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) sugar

Mix ingredients and press into bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake until lightly brown. (We baked for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven.) Wrap the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Base:

• 2 1/2 pounds softened cream cheese
  
• 1/2 pound (1 cup) granulated sugar
  
• 1 1/4 ounces ( 1/4 cup plus 3/4 teaspoon) cornstarch
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 12 ounces (6 large) eggs
  
• 2 1/2 ounces (7 tablespoons) heavy cream
  
• 14 ounces sour cream
  
• Seeds of 1 vanilla bean (split bean and scrape out seeds)
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Add eggs slowly, one at a time. Scrape bowl and paddle often. Add in heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract. Scrape sides of bowl and paddle. Pour into container; cover and refrigerate overnight. (The cheesecake filled our springform pan almost to overflowing.)

Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 50 minutes in hot water bath until set. Time may vary depending on oven. (Ours took 1 hour 45 minutes.) After removing from oven, loosen edge around cheesecake with a knife. This will help prevent cracking. Refrigerate overnight and serve on third day with your favorite topping.

Hot water bath: To bake in a hot water bath, fill a large roasting pan about two-thirds full with hot water and set in oven. Place springform pan encased in heavy aluminum foil in center of pan.

Tester's note: In converting the restaurant recipe, which uses weight, to one to make at home, we went online for equivalents and double-checked the measurements when we tested the recipe.

Bonnie Bell, Bell's Steak & Sea House