Robin Rombach, Post-GazetteDisplaying dishes of scallops and cheese ravoli in a roasted red pepper cream sauce, left, and wild Tazmanian salmon with portabella mushrooms and asparagus at Tambellini's on 51, are, from left, senior vice president of operations Michael Schumacher, chef Rachel Mitch, and John Tambellini, who once helped run the restaurant.
Click photo for larger image.
Brookline
412-481-1118
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner 4-9 p.m. (until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday) daily except Sunday.Prices: Appetizers, $3-$12.95; entrees, $15.95-$28.95; desserts, $5.95-$6.95; wines, $7-$11 for a 5-ounce pour.Summary: Smoking in bar only. Accessible; major credit cards accepted. Valet parking, $2. Tambellini's is not just a restaurant, it's a Pittsburgh institution. In fact, when I moved to Pittsburgh just a few years ago, I was convinced that Tambellini's was a local chain. How else could there be numerous dining spots with the same name?
As I became more familiar with Pittsburgh lore, I learned that each restaurant was owned by a different member of the Tambellini family. Four Tambellini brothers from Italy arrived in Pittsburgh in 1939, and all of them eventually ended up in the food business. Louis Tambellini opened a small restaurant on Mount Washington after World War II. He became known for his fresh fish and fine pastas, and soon the site was too small to satisfy the hungry crowds. In 1981, Louis moved into new digs on Route 51, near the south end of the Liberty Tubes. His reputation for fine food grew, and business boomed. The 600-seat restaurant became synonymous with good food in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Tambellini passed away in 1996, leaving the restaurant to his nephew, Andrew. This year, the business was sold to Ann and Ed Dunlap, owners of a number of other restaurants in the area.
The Dunlaps do not want to change a winning formula. The menu at Tambellini's remains virtually the same, and the waitresses that serve it have not been replaced. The only difference is that Michael Schumacher, the new senior vice president of operations, insists on all fresh ingredients in the kitchen. Frozen fish and vegetables have been replaced with fresh. The tomatoes used in his marinara sauce are plum tomatoes imported from Italy. It is not surprising that generations of Tambellini's customers are noticing that their favorite dishes are tasting better than ever. The Dunlaps have even brought John Tambellini out of retirement to receive their guests.
The menu is extensive. There are 14 appetizers, including oysters on the half shell ($11.95) and copious crab or shrimp cocktails ($12.95). Stuffed Banana Peppers ($7.95) might be a cliche but they were an exceptional example of this Pittsburgh favorite. The fresh peppers were slightly al dente, stuffed with flavorful sausage and topped with a light and airy tomato sauce and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. It was a welcome change from many I have had that were overcooked and swimming in something that looks like canned tomato sauce and completely covered by a layer of melted but tasteless provolone cheese.
Stuffed mushroom caps ($6.95) consisted of four mushrooms filled with crab. The stuffing was so rich that one cap was all I could eat. I suggest that at least two people share the mushrooms. I chose another appetizer from the Hot Sides a la carte section, Eggplant Parmesan ($3.50). This was an overly generous portion of battered and fried eggplant topped with the light tomato sauce and a thick layer of melted cheese. This would have been a wonderful dish if only one of the eggplant slices had not been almost raw.
There are eight fresh fish on the a la carte menu, and each may be prepared in the fashion you prefer. Prices range from $16.95 for rainbow trout to $23.95 for swordfish. Other menu staples include veal, chicken and steaks, and calf's liver ($17.95) is also available. The entrees come with a choice of two sides.
A long list of pastas to mix with a choice of sauce can be tailored to suit the diner. All are $15.95-$16.95 and can be ordered as sides for $4.95-$5.50. Pastas entrees include a house salad.
Schumacher gives special attention to the Chef's Features menu. There are 15 entrees on the Chef's menu, which changes daily. They always include fish, pork, veal and beef. plus two pasta specials. Wild Sea Bear Salmon is from New Zealand. A 9-ounce steak is prepared differently each day; mine was blackened, Cajun-style ($21.95), but on a subsequent visit I saw it listed with an orange glaze. I opted for two vegetable sides: The squash medley was a combination of yellow squash and zucchini, sauteed with onions, and seasoned with salt and pepper and thoroughly delicious. The steamed broccoli spears, however, were cold and lacking any seasoning at all.
Linguini putanesca with shrimp ($17.95) was sized for a family of three. Twelve ounces of pasta formed a bed for 10 giant shrimp. The putanesca sauce, a spicy marinara with ripe olives, was tamer than I would have liked but the shrimp were plump and juicy. Two-thirds of it went into a Styrofoam box and became dinner for two people a few days later. The salad that should have come with a pasta entree never arrived (not that it was missed). Another pasta special was cheese ravioli in red pepper cream sauce with crab and shrimp ($17.95). The pillows of soft ricotta cheese were well coated in the creamy red sauce and generously embellished with jumbo crabmeat and large shrimp. I didn't count the ravioli, but I can tell you that the portion is huge.
The bread basket on my first visit had some tasty breads, but when I returned it contained a braided loaf of soft and tasteless white bread. Perhaps that is one of the things that the loyal Tambellini customers do not want to change.
Desserts are frozen products from Incredible Foods, which imports a number of the desserts from Italy. Tiramisu is $5.95 and season appropriate Eggnog Cheesecake is $6.95. The wine list is modest but adequate. Wines by the glass range from $7 to $11 for a 5-ounce pour.
Perhaps because the waitresses at Tambellini's have become like family members to the regular guests, they have forgotten what good service really means. One waitress brought our desserts and left them on the table next to dirty bread and butter plates and the bread basket. Another had absolutely no sense of timing. While we were eating our appetizers, she delivered a salad and two entrees, which sat on the table getting cold while we hurried through the first course. But the most egregious behavior was from a waitress who stood at one end of the dining room with a plate of food in her hand, eating her dinner in view of the entire dining room, while clustered with other waitresses who were drinking beverages and shooting the breeze.
At one point, two men in uniforms were yelling from one end of the dining room to the other to give instructions about where something could be found. Even if the new owners do not want to rush into making changes in what has been a winning formula, I suggest they might want to tighten up the standards of the waitstaff.
There is little charm in the brighly lit dining rooms, which have outdated decor, acoustic tile ceilings and ugly brass light fixtures that hang much too close to the ceiling. I have no doubt that once Mrs. Dunlap and her decorator get busy, this will all disappear and be replaced by a handsome and tasteful interior. After seeing what they did to The Colony and Cafe Euro, I feel certain that eventually Tambellini's, too, will get a face-lift that will bring it into the 21st century. In the meantime, the faithful Tambellini regulars keep coming back for more.
First Published: December 21, 2006, 5:00 a.m.
