The Hilton Pittsburgh has long been a symbol of our city's first Renaissance. The modern structure overlooking the convergence of our two rivers is still a favorite site for proms, weddings and banquets.

Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Restaurant supervisor David Babor holds Alder-Planked Salmon with Bearnaise sauce at the Promenade Cafe at Hilton Pittsburgh. Click photo for larger image. The Promenade Cafe at Hilton Pittsburgh 600 Commonwealth Place Downtown 412-391-4600 Hours: 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; from 7 a.m. Sundays. Basics: A casual hotel food outlet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is American. Prices: Appetizers, $5-$9; entrees, $12-$29; desserts, $5; wines: $7-$12 for a 5-ounce pour. Summary: No smoking: accessible; major credit cards accepted. Parking on street or in Gateway parking lot.

When Sterling's Restaurant in the hotel closed in 2000 and was not replaced, the Promenade Cafe became the hotel's sole dining outlet. In fact, when I approached the Hilton concierge desk to ask where their fine dining room was located, the concierge directed me to Palomino Restaurant in the Gateway Center on the other side of Liberty Avenue. That may explain why I never saw more than three other tables with diners in the cafe.

The Promenade Cafe is well situated on the back side of the hotel with two long walls entirely of glass overlooking the Gateway Center's gardens and fountain. An extra-wide roof overhang protects the windows from sun glare and pounding rain. In addition to a pleasant view of the park-like setting, the windows assure that the room is filled with natural light during the day. The cafe is furnished with wooden-topped pedestal tables that are left bare and an assortment of chairs. Some were the metal frame stackable chairs that are usually used for banquet events. Tables are set with stemmed glasses and silverware rolled in a linen napkin. There are also plastic cases holding individual packets of jelly on the table at dinner.

The dinner menu begins with appetizers, soups and salads. Calamari ($8), not the most original or exciting appetizer, is treated to a bit of cornmeal in the coating, which adds a tasty crunch and extra flavor to the deep-fried morsels. The portion was large enough to share with a friend or two and comes with a side dish of herb-rich marinara sauce as the only garnish. Chicken Noodle Soup with Matzo Ball ($5) is a more unusual item, at least for a hotel dining room. The menu stated that the soup is made daily from a classic recipe. The broth is clear and flavorful and the chunks of white chicken are plentiful. Curly noodles are not overcooked. Without the matzo ball, the soup is a total success. The heavy and tough matzo simply reenforced what I think I always knew: The only place to order matzo ball soup is in a Jewish deli.

Mozzarella and Tomato Salad ($9) is a great choice this time of year. Several slices of delicious, ripe, beefsteak tomatoes are layered with fresh mozzarella cheese and basil leaves and doused with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I wouldn't order this salad when tomatoes are out of season as the whole appeal of the dish is in the quality of the tomato.

Alder-Planked Salmon ($18) is a handsome entree. The pink salmon is baked on a wooden plank and presented with yellow Bearnaise sauce, red skinned potatoes, dark green sauteed spinach, red grape tomatoes and steamed green asparagus spears. The crayon box of colors gives this dish panache.

Veal Marsala ($24), however, suffered from a lack of color and eye appeal. The veal is tender but gray, the mushrooms are brown, the sauce is beige and, with the exception of a sprinkling of chopped parsley and mashed potatoes, there is nothing to break the monotone assembly that arrives on the plate. Although the menu states that there is a choice of rice, mashed potatoes or baked potato, I was not asked for my choice and the plate simply arrived with mash and no seasonal vegetables.

Our waitress was friendly and smiled a lot, but my water glass remained empty for long periods and was refilled only when I requested. The dining room was almost empty. Although she seemed to be the only waitress, there were two people in uniforms strolling around who I assumed were assisting her. Neither of them ever attempted to help the waitress. One had a shirttail hanging outside her trousers and a toothpick in her mouth. No one ever cleared away our dirty plates before dessert arrived.

Sunday brunch is a buffet ($13.95) with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast and syrup, pasta and chicken breast. There is also fruit, yogurt, muffins and toast. It was late when we arrived, and the buffet had been sitting out for some hours. Not surprisingly, the pasta (tortellini) was dry and overcooked and the chicken also suffered from staying warm so long in a chafing dish. A Smoked Turkey Spinach Wrap ($8) was supposed to have sliced tomatoes and hummus inside with the turkey and spring greens and avocado. Both hummus and tomato were missing. The avocado was weeks away from being ripe. When I asked the waitress for mustard and mayonnaise she brought me a side dish of mayonnaise that had two balls of butter buried under the mayo.

Again, the dining room was almost empty, and again the service was friendly but lacking. All the waitstaff clustered behind a wall in animated conversation. At one point our waitress apologized for abandoning us. She seemed eager to explain why. A colleague had been recounting a mystery movie plot to a group of staff, and she couldn't leave before hearing the end of the movie.

Desserts are $5. The Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake is a hefty helping of chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate truffles, a chocoholic's dream come true.

The Promenade Cafe menu has done something I would love to see other Pittsburgh restaurants adopt. Some of the menu items have a nutritional analysis giving the fat count, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbs, protein, and calories. My Alder-Planked Salmon, for example, had 19 grams of fat, 38 carbs and 450 calories. It was interesting to see that a grilled chicken cobb salad had 38 grams of fat, 23 carbs and 600 calories but a shrimp-filled papaya boat had 6 grams of fat, 37 carbs and 270 calories. I long for the day when all restaurant menus list this information for their diners.

The wine list at Promenade Cafe is surprisingly short. There are 15 wines available by the glass. The pour, according to the barman, is between 4¹/₂ and 5 ounces. With pours under 5 ounces, there are 5 glasses to a bottle. A bottle of Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay sells for $10.99 at the retail shop. Here the bottle price is $39 and the glass price is $9. When sold by the glass, the $10.99 bottle is returning $45. Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is even worse. The bottle retails for $12.99 but is listed for $56. A glass is $12.

The Hilton Pittsburgh was sold in May to Shubh Pittsburgh LLC, part of Shubh Hotels of Boca Raton, Fla. Timothy Zugger, the new general manager, and Gary Gray, the food and beverage manager, have announced plans to totally renovate the Promenade Cafe. By next spring you can expect a new look and new menus.