Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette The Station Brake Cafe in Wilmerding has been chugging along nicely since 1986.

By Elizabeth Downer Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I wasn't around for the glory days of Wilmerding. To me, the name sounded more like a character from a Roald Dahl novel. Willy Wonka's cousin?

It is not clear how the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. happened to choose the Wilmerding Valley for its first flagstop station in 1884, but that station most certainly was what drew George Westinghouse to the borough where he built his bustling air brake manufacturing plant in 1889. Under Westinghouse's influence the borough played a major role in the industrial age. Mr. Westinghouse is reputed to be the most productive inventor on record. His inventions changed the way people lived and how they traveled and the center of his world was Wilmerding.

	STATION BRAKE CAFE 500 Station Road Wilmerding, 15148 412-823-1600 Hours: Dinner: 4:30-9 p.m., Monday-Friday, 5-9:30 p.m. Saturday and 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Basics: A restaurant in a time-warp with prices and decor stuck in the 1970s. The kitchen uses mostly fresh ingredients and prepares each order from scratch. Friendly service can seem bumbling at times. Prices: Appetizers, $2.99-$11.99; entrees, $8.99-$28.99; desserts, $3.99-$5.99; wines: $5 for a 6-ounce pour. Summary: Separate rooms for smoking and non smoking; accessible; major credit cards accepted. Free parking. Noise level: Low

He built an impressive castle patterned after one in Scotland as his corporate headquarters. That castle today is a Historic Landmark with a museum devoted to Mr. Westinghouse and his genius. The building is open from Monday to Saturday. (www.georgewestinghouse.com, 412-823-0500)

The town of Wilmerding is sadly diminished from its Westinghouse heyday. Population has declined from 6,441 in 1920 to 2,145 in 2000. One would hardly expect to find a restaurant with a six-page menu and a large wine list thriving in such an environment.

The Station Brake Cafe was created by Tom Setz in 1986 after he bought a large property formerly owned by an American Legion Post. Tom was born in nearby Wall, and grew up helping his grandfather run a tavern in Wall that has since been named Karen's Kitchen and is managed by Mr. Setz's mother. Originally, the Station Brake Cafe featured a doorman in top hat, waiters in black tie and valet parking. Over the years, the cafe has changed its profile and now attracts a more casual crowd. The food, although not pretentious, is definitely on the sophisticated side.

Chef Tony Ceresa began his kitchen duties at Station Brake as a dishwasher in 1989. Working with a number of chefs who passed through the cafe, Mr. Ceresa learned his trade on the job. Today, he is entirely responsible for the menu, which features eight veal entrees, eight seafood dishes, eight pastas, six beef and lamb choices plus poultry and stir-fry dishes.

This is a menu worthy of an industrial legend, one that would make Mr. Westinghouse proud. From the appetizer list, there is Escargot Ronaldo ($6.99). A plate of five mushroom caps, each containing an escargot with parsley and garlic sauce, is covered with grated Parmesan and baked. Oysters Lorenzo ($8.99) is four blue point oysters covered with crabmeat and Bearnaise sauce and passed under a broiler to brown. This rich dish definitely has roots in the American aristocracy of the industrial revolution.

An appetizer special on one of my visits was Braised Wild Boar with Sauteed Mushrooms ($11.99). The wild game pork was marinated in hoisin sauce and stewed for four hours to make it succulent and fork-tender and not the least bit gamey in taste. The hoisin sauce introduced a slightly sweet taste and some intriguing spice aromas which reminded me of star anise. The wild boar is a good example of the unexpected pleasures of this unusual dining spot.

Other specials might feature Kobe beef or Karabuta pork. Soup is $2.99 for a cup or $3.50 for a bowl. I tried both the excellent Manhattan clam chowder (tomato base) and cream of chicken soup.

All entrees come with a choice of soup or salad and a vegetable or starch. The salads are essentially iceberg lettuce. Try the balsamic vinaigrette made in the kitchen. The cafe also lists special salads that are prepared tableside. Caesar Salad or Spinach Salad is $5.99 for one or $8.99 for two. Both are made the old-fashioned way with the dressing ingredients assembled by the wait person at the table.

Daily features available weekly on specific days include a generous slice of Prime Rib ($12.99) on Sundays, Snow Crab Legs ($14.99 for first pound and $5.99 for each additional pound) on Mondays and Shrimp Fest ($12.99) on Tuesday. The specials also include a choice of sides.

One page of the vast menu lists Customer Appreciation Specials. This value-packed menu offers a 6-ounce Black Angus Filet with sauteed fresh mushrooms for $13.99, Broiled Salmon with capers in lemon garlic butter sauce for $12.99 and Veal Parmesan for $12.99.

For vegetarians, there are Stuffed Shells or Jumbo Ravioli with homemade basil marinara for $7.99. Vegetarians will also appreciate Sesame Stir Fry ($9.99).

I had the stir-fry with shrimp ($13.99). The attractive assortment of fresh vegetables in a slightly sweet sauce flavored with sesame, ginger and garlic tops a large portion of steamed rice. For the shrimp version, there were at least 15 good-sized shrimp mixed in. The result was a portion so large that the leftovers taken home from the restaurant were dinner for two later in the week!

Chicken Neptune ($21.99) is an entire chicken breast (both lobes) sauteed with sea scallops and lobster meat and finished with lobster sherry cream sauce. The chicken was moist and flavorful and the sauce delicious. The smallish scallops and pieces of lobster added another texture and all were enhanced by the sherry in the sauce.

New York Strip Steak ($18.99) is 12 ounces of USDA "choice" beef served with sauteed mushroom caps. Although grilling a steak does not especially test a chef's skills, the kitchen gets full marks for delivering the steak exactly to the degree of done-ness requested.

Desserts are the standard offering of Pumpkin Cheesecake or Reese's Peanut Butter Pie or Espresso Chocolate Cake and the like, all priced at $3.99. Flaming Desserts prepared at the table are $5.99 for one or $8.99 for two. I watched as Bananas were prepared for a neighboring table. The bananas were sliced, sauteed in butter and sugar, flamed with liqueur and served in a banana split dish over two scoops of ice cream.

The wine list is divided into numerous categories, separating American and Imported whites and reds by country. In white wine for example, there are bottles from California, France, Italy Germany and New Zealand. Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc, an excellent wine from New Zealand is $20. Rosemont Cabernet/Shiraz from Australia is also $20. The wine prices in fact are the lowest markup I have found in the Pittsburgh region. Wines by the glass are $5 for 6 ounces or $7.50 for 12 ounces. Twelve ounces is very nearly a half bottle.

There are two dining rooms at Station Brake. One is in a glass atrium which has been added to the building. It has a large corner fireplace and pleasant ambiance. It is by far the most desirable space, but it is unfortunately the room designated for smokers. The nonsmoking dining room is the ugly step-sister with plywood paneling and 1950 wagon wheel light fixtures. The light in both rooms is bright. Tables spacing is rather tight, but conversations at the table don't suffer. The room is not noisy. Some aspects of the service are a bit amateurish but always done with a smile.

For well-prepared food at value prices, I suggest a detour to George Westinghouse's Wilmerding and the Station Brake Cafe.