A Trip to Rolling Rock - Without Beer!

By Vice Chargé de Presse Ken McCrory

It was April 19, everyone's tax return was filed (or extended) and Spring was breaking out all over - what better time for a Pittsburgh Chaîne road trip? But where to go? A route with a scenic drive is easy to find in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania, but we needed a classy destination. Bailli Pete Hanowich had it - Rolling Rock. "But Pete - this group isn't interested in a brewery tour and beer blast." "No - not the famous Rolling Rock Brewery (home of green bottles with the mysterious "33" on the label), but Rolling Rock Club."

The Club is the heart and soul of what Pittsburghers often call "Mellon country" - the area about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh where many members of the Mellon family and their friends bought country retreats. Yes, that Mellon family, founders and financiers of many of America's great business enterprises - Mellon Bank, Gulf Oil, Alcoa, Koppers and General Motors to name just a few. Richard Beatty Mellon originally had a country retreat where he and his friends could visit for sport and relaxation. The group organized the Rolling Rock Club in 1917. The Clubhouse was completed in 1921 and today is surrounded by a golf course, tennis courts, a swimming pool and bridle paths all set in a 13,000 acre preserve. The Club even has its own fish hatchery and raises pheasants and wild ducks for shooting season.

The Pittsburgh Chaîne, however, didn't travel all this way for scenery, but rather food. You would expect that a world class club would have a world class chef, and you would be right. Chef Grillardin Willi Daffinger, Executive Chef since 1964, is a legend among area chefs. This dinner was as much about Chef Willi as this beautiful club, and neither of them disappointed us.

Upon arrival, after society photographer Peter Wolf finally got a staircase photo of the group ("organizing the Chaîne for a photo is like herding cats"), we ventured into the Great Room and the Garden Room for hors d'oeuvres. Willi produced such specialties of his classical training as marinated lamb chops served cold, wild Rolling Rock duck breast served with a port orange and red currant jelly sauce, pâté of quail, escargots bourguignonne, smoked salmon and goat cheese in pastry all accompanied by champagne from Bollinger.

We adjourned to the main dining room, with its parquet floor, where Club Manager Bob Altimore had arranged beautiful floral displays and table settings, for the first course of pheasant soup with puréed lentils served en croûte. True to Willi's German heritage, the pheasant soup was accompanied by a 1996 Flonheimer Adelberg Spätlese.

The white fish course was served with a taste of lobster in a lobster sauce with rice topped by a périgourdine truffle. This wasn't just any rice, however. When Chef Willi buys his truffles for the season, he stores them in rice so the rice takes on the flavor of the truffles over time. This flavorful dish was perfectly complimented by a light Monfort Vouvray.

After an intermezzo of taragon flavored orange sorbet, we were presented with one of the most interesting, tasteful and historical dishes ever done at a Chaîne dinner - ris de veau Rumford, named for an English diplomat to the King of Bavaria. This recipe, from a Michelin three star restaurant in Munich had the sweet meats wrapped in prosciutto and surrounded by chopped leeks, foie gras and truffles, all baked in a strudel. A magnificent dish!

As we discussed the wonderful dishes and the Chef's obvious joy as he described the evening's presentations between courses, Chef Grillardin Gene Lichter observed that "Willi has executed this dinner from his heart". That heart was evident in each careful preparation.

A filet of beef marinated with Chateauneuf-de-Pape served in a cherry and port wine reduction sauce reduced overnight was the next course. The filet, grilled on the outside and rare inside, was matched with the strong Pinot Noir grape of Pierre Gelin's 1993 Gevrey-Chambertin.

A beautifully presented salad, simple in style but with the wonderful flavor of Roquefort and Reblochon cheese set the stage for a perfect dessert ending. Chocolate manderin pâté "Rolling Rock" a solid chocolate plate on whipped cream over mousse with a chocolate and vanilla checkerboard - perfectly sweet and light! The 1983 Warre's Port provided a wonderful close to the wine selection. Coffee with a vast array of mignardises brought the food to a close.

Bailli Pete Hanowich thanked John Douglas, the Club's Chief Operating Officer, for having us and for he and the Club members making the commitment of maintaining such a splendid setting. Club Manager, Bob Altimore, introduced the wait staff and kitchen staff along with Executive Chef Willi Daffinger to a standing ovation.

Certainly this dinner was something to brag about but as Chef Grillardin Gene Lichter observed, Chef Willi was the epitome of humility. Perhaps someone should have told him, "it ain't braggin' if you've done it"!