A Champagne Night in the Cultural District

By Vice Chargé de Presse Ken McCrory

It may seem a bit incongruous to use the word "cultural" in the same sentence as the Iron Butterfly. Alright - the Iron Butterfly was part of a culture, but it was the 60's rock culture, not the culture of symphony concert halls, opera and live theaters found in Pittsburgh's rapidly growing cultural district.

The Iron Butterfly we're referring to had nothing to do with rock music though. This Iron Butterfly is one of the newest restaurants in Pittsburgh and is located in the heart of the cultural district across the street from Heinz Hall, home of the world renowned Pittsburgh Symphony.

But where did the name Iron Butterfly originate? Matre D' Enzo Cubito explained to us that Pittsburgh was originally the iron, and later the steel, capital of the United States. Many great fortunes were founded because of these basic medals. Today, even though the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh has declined, the foundations that resulted from those great fortunes are helping fuel the blossoming of the cultural district. The "iron" refers to Pittsburgh's past and the "butterfly" is symbolic of the arts that are a big part of Pittsburgh's future.

What better way to celebrate the introduction of a new restaurant to the Pittsburgh Chaine than with champagne. Pittsburgh Bailli Pete Hanowich worked with Steve Lewin of Clicquot, Inc. and Andrew Leach, Clicquot's local representative to arrange a Veuve Clicquot evening. A dazzling array of champagnes from Veuve Clicquot were served throughout the evening. The reception which featured such items as smoked salmon, caviar, carmelized onion and honey in pastry and pita bread with hummus introduced the first champagne of the evening Veuve Clicquot's Yellow Label Brut served from magnums. The reception was only a minor prelude to the full orchestra of dinner conducted by Chef Rotisseur Steve Malfatti. Steve is a gentlemen whose delight in food and cooking is obvious. Any conversation about food brings an instant smile to his face and that joy comes through to the food. The first course, again joined by Veuve Clicquot's Yellow Label, was one of Steve's specialties seared foie gras fondant, potato with red onions, shallots and currant demiglace with raspberries. For the next course, the grand dame herself appeared. No, not Mademoiselle Clicquot - she hasn't been around for a few hundred years, but rather Veuve Clicquot's "La Grande Dame" from the 1988 vintage. This Tete de Cuvee is the first pressing of grapes from 8 Grand Cru vineyards. Chef Malfatti matched this very powerful champagne with a rich wild mushroom and lobster risotto. The next course was John Dory and grilled sea scallops with leeks and endive. The Hanowich, Lewin, Leach trio matched this with Clicquot's 1985 Rose Reserve, again served from magnums. This interesting combination of light seafood with Pinot noir grapes gave everyone a different perspective on the use of Rose.

After fruits of the forest sorbet, we departed from champagnes momentarily since Chef Steve served an oven roasted filet with a burgundy demiglace for this powerful plate. Many of us were introduced for the first time to Bouchard Pere et Fils' Beaune-Greves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus. We closed the evening with an apple tart tatin and again for most in the room a first tasting of Veuve Clicquot's Demi-sec.

Matre Rotisseur Mike Fischetti, Executive Chef at the Doubletree Hotel, stated that Steve, the Doubletree's former restaurant chef had brought together a wonderful symphony of flavors. The Pittsburgh Chaine added a crescendo to Mike's comments with cries of Bravo! and a standing ovation.