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Culinary WHIRLED / QUICK BITES
Take the Cake
Marry at the Mattress Factory, taste the tarts, and make amazing
pasta — the region’s finest foodies come together for wedded bliss.
Edited By Victoria Bradley
WARM WEDDING
The BoxSpring Café at the Mattress
Factory adds a unique element of
classy comfort food to winter
January 2009
weddings. Chef Rich Rosenthal
recommends warming up hors
Publishers' Page
d’oeuvre menus by offering shots of
Special Event Preview
smoked tomato bisque with
WHIRLED Culture
miniature grilled cheddar
sandwiches. “Take advantage of the
Corporate WHIRL
Culinary WHIRLED
Quick Bites
Chef
cold by offering heart-warming menu selections,” Rosenthal says. “This appetizer has the
perfect mix of comfort and class.” BoxSpring Café at the Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia
Way, North Side. 412.231.3169. mattress.org. —V.B.
Recipe
WHIRL After Midnight
Sugar rush: Raspberry-lavender tartlets
Edible Excerpt
Sweet tarts
Features
An array of edible gems baked up by Sonoma Grille’s
A Dramatic Love Story
pastry chef, Kelly James, were nestled amongst the
Its All in the Details
glittering displays of diamonds at the Pittsburgh Athletic
Fantasy Football Team
Worth the Weight
Association’s Le Plus Exquis Diamond Gala. The dazzling
desserts sparkled alongside real rocks from jewelers,
including Frost & Co., Brooks Diamonds, and Schiffman’s
Rocks of Ages
Jewelers. For the affair’s 250 guests, James baked
Band Together
almost 700 treats — dark chocolate Grand Marnier mini
Event Coverage
House on the Block
WHIRLED Style
éclairs speckled with silver luster dust, mini pumpkin
cheesecakes festooned with gold-leaf details, chocolate
soufflé cakes brilliant with gold luster dust, raspberry-lavender tartlets with a tourmaline
sugar garnish, and pretty petit fours.
Style News
Style File
James caters cookies for wedding receptions, too. “We can definitely do pretty much
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anything,” she promises of taking the traditional Pittsburgh cookie table to new heights. For
Shopping Spree: Party Time!
Style Feature
Workout Wisdom
upcoming spring and summer nuptials, serve James’ cranberry-walnut, lemon, and key-lime
margarita tartlettes, or try the blackberry and poppy seed angel food cake petit fours,
decorated with the same flowers featured in the bride’s bouquet. Sonoma Grille, 947 Penn
Ave., Downtown. 412.697.1336. thesonomagrille.com. — Nicole Barley
One Last WHIRL
WHIRL Wedding Pasta
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
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By Chef Michael Schumacher
Culinary Concepts of Pittsburgh, culinaryconceptspittsburgh.com.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces red onion, diced
1/2 ounce (2 tablespoons) garlic, chopped
6 large flat anchovies
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup capers, drained, rinsed
1 cup (about 30) Kalamata olives, drained, halved
3 tablespoons fresh basil
1 pound pasta
Parsley, chopped, to taste
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in large saucepot over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until light gold,
about 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté until soft and transparent, about 5 more
minutes.
2. Add anchovies and tomatoes. Stir in olives and capers. Cookfor about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in basil.
4. Cook pasta; drain.
5. Pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Cheers! Friends celebrate at The Cabaret’s
Wednesday Wine Flight.
IMBIBER’S EDUCATION
The Cabaret at Theater Square, the intimate space
where we catch some of the funniest shows and most
extraordinary talents in town, also hosts a wildly
popular Wednesday Wine Flight. On January 7,
special guest Carol Pascuzzi, everyone’s favorite
cheese expert at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company and
the woman who incessantly refers to everyone as “Dear Heart,” will be presenting her favorite
pairings for exquisite wines. Students with a slightly different palate might prefer the Craft
Beer School on January 20. Both classes come with light appetizer fare by the celebrated Chef
Toni Pais. Purchase tickets for the entire series soon; they sell out quickley. The Cabaret at
Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. 412.456.6666. pgharts.org. —V.B.
REHEARSAL DINNER
Palomino, with its grand gaping windows and vistas of Downtown, is setting splendid tables this
year for brides and grooms. The European-inspired spread with special tapas features is
perfect for a private rehearsal dinner of 27 people or a semi-private party of 50. We love
celebrating with the restaurant’s oven-roasted mushrooms paired with the signature New York
steak. Plus, Palomino gifts the night-before dinner for newlyweds-to-be as a delicious
congrats. Palomino, 444 Liberty Ave., #100, Downtown. 412.642.7711. palomino.com. —V.B.
Elixir’s Krystal Kepner sips in sophistication.
Wild Hibiscus Martini
By Daniell Viszlay
Elixir Ultra Lounge, 1500 E. Carson St.,
South Side. 412.481.1811. elixirpgh.com
Ingredients:
2 ounces Rain Organics Red Grape Hibiscus Vodka
1 ounces White Grape Juice
1/4 ounce Wild Hibiscus Syrup
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Splash of Champagne
Wild hibiscus flower garnish
Directions:
1. Place wild hibiscus flower in bottom of chilled
martini glass.
2. Combine vodka, grape juice, syrup, and ice in cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously.
3. Pour into martini glass, and top with Champagne.
Note: The edible Hibiscus flower sits in the bottom of the glass with the Champagne bubbles
streaming off, opening up the flower.
Treats times three at the Omni William Penn
DESSERT TRIO
The Omni William Penn Hotel plays host to plenty of
splendid weddings. In addition to delicious spreads of
black angus tenderloin with ruby port glaze and the
martini salad with field greens and boursin crostini, happy guests get to toast the bride and
groom over a trio of desserts infinitely more interesting than plain cake. Chef Jacky Francois’s
miniature fruit cake is dense and sweet while his lemon crème brûlée is light and lively. He’s
famous for his fruit shooters, and for the newlyweds, he likes to do a passionate raspberry
pomegranate granita. Cheers! Omni William Penn Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, Downtown.
412.281.7100. OmniHotels.com. —V.B.
CUPCAKE LOVE
CoCo’s Cupcake Café is hosting “Forever Love, Forever Cupcakes,” a wedding open house on
January 25, where brides and grooms can sample unique treats, feast their eyes on festive
displays and designs, and even have a swig of Champagne. CoCo’s Cupcake Café, 5811
Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside. 412.361.2625. cocoscupcakecafe.com. —V.B.
Hey Sweetie! Color-coordinated candy table
ROCKIN’ CANDY
The Candyman, Doug Alpern, at Village Candy mixes up
a luxe supply of rock candy for weddings. With 14
assorted colors, the crystal-y candy comes in colors to
match every wedding whim. Alpern recently catered
the wedding of his nephew, Adam Brenneman, who
married the lovely Valerie Figueredo, with gorgeous
green and white sugared sticks and sweet jewels
scattered about. Alpern even suggests a good groom
would have a sweet treat mounted on a ring for his
bride. Village Candy, 344 Beaver St., Sewickley.
412.741.1490. — V.B.
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU!
The folks at Right By Nature, the hip natural foods store in the Strip District, are ready for an
influx of new shoppers following their foodie resolutions to eat healthier this month. “We’re
here to help,” says owner Bob Stone. “We’re going to make sure nutrition is not a fleeting
thing, but an ongoing goal.” Stone recommends starting in the nutrition department for items
such as Nature’s Secret Super Cleanse and essential fish oils. “We have everything in stock
that’s critical for purging the system,” he says. Right by Nature, 2305 Smallman St., Strip
District. 412.454.6200. rightbynature.net. — V.B.
Cool! Ice Lolli Cake
Cool Cake
“Traditional wedding cakes are out,” John Vallese,
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owner of Yes, We Cater, says with a laugh. He’s
Copyright © 2008 - Whirl Publishing - All Rights Reserved.
invented a whimsical treat to wow at weddings: an
ice sculpture tower with lollipops jutting out in jolly
tiers. He ties them up with color-coordinating ribbons
and lights them from underneath. Newlyweds Ashley
Snider and Dan Loxterman called on the catering
company for this cool cake. Check out their wedding
in “It’s All in the Details,” on page 76. Yes, We Cater,
2326 Mosside Blvd., Monreoville. 412.373.9322.
yeswecater.net. — V.B.
Chef Brandy Stewart
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Soba is celebrating Chinese New Year January 26-29
with a four-course tasting menu. Chef Brandy Stewart is
cooking up an outstanding spread of Pan-Asian cuisine
to commemorate the first days of the Year of the Ox.
The chef was actually born in a Year of the Ox,
explaining the confidence she inspires in her stellar
team of chefs, line cooks, and colleagues. Soba, 5847
Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside. 412.362.5656.
bigburrito.com/soba. —V.B.
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