The table’s set for diners at The Porch at Siena
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Porch at Schenley in Oakland is getting a sister restaurant in Upper St. Clair — The Porch at Siena.
It will open Monday in Siena at St. Clair shopping complex, the former site of Consol Energy Inc., off Washington Road.
There are similarities and contrasts between the two Eat ’n Park Hospitality Group restaurants. While the base Mediterranean-influenced menu for lunch, dinner and brunch is identical, the daily specials and the wine and beer selections are different, said executive chef Kevin Hermann, who is moving from Schenley to Siena. Schenley’s executive sous chef Andrew Jacobson will become its executive chef.
“At Siena, we have taken what we have in Schenley and tried to expand it,” said Mr. Hermann. “We are going for the casual dining experience with high-quality and well-cared food.”
Lunch, brunch and dinner menus all feature salads and pizzas and for the same price. Field greens, roasted green beans, goat cheese, walnuts, beets and mushrooms go into the Garden Harvest salad ($11) and the Grilled Farm Bread salad ($12) is served with a charred onion vinaigrette. Pizzas on both menus include barbecue chicken ($13) topped with pineapple and jalapenos and Piggie Pie ($13), made with cured meats and smoked tomato puree.
Porch Plate items are different for lunch and dinner except for the Farmstand Vegetable Burger ($9). Lunch options include Chickpea Pasta ($12), which has roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic, and Smoked Salmon Wrap ($14). The Porch Prime Rib Sandwich ($15), with balsamic-onion jam, arugula and blue cheese creme, and ahi tuna served with truffle risotto, English peas and pea shoots ($23) are among the dinner choices.
A breakfast sandwich ($9) made with eggs, bacon and aged cheddar; Sunny Side Burger ($14); chicken and waffles with toasted almonds, sunny side-up egg and maple-champagne vinaigrette; and vegetable bagel sandwich ($10) are part of the brunch menu.
Images of Porch’s logo, the firefly, appear on the menus and as metalworks on the inside and outside walls. The firefly reinforces the name of the restaurant in a symbolic way, says Andy Dunmire, vice president of design and construction, reminding diners of sitting on their porch on a summer evening.
Made with railroad spikes, stainless steel and brass reclaimed from an elevator that was in philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s home, a 36-inch firefly surrounded by smaller ones is striking against a wooden wall in the dining room.
Differences between Schenley and Siena are more apparent in the ambiance. Unlike the all-glass Schenley, Siena has more wall space. The 200-seat Siena has a larger “porch” area as well, and there is an easy flow of space from the waiting area outside, which has a fireplace and cocktail tables, to the dining room to the bar to the patio. LED lights throughout the space add a farm-fresh feel.
While the vegetable/ fruit/flower garden is on the roof in Schenley, it is adjacent to the patio in Siena. “This way the guests are part of the garden,” Mr. Hermann said.
Eight varieties of tomatoes, two types of eggplant, watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, herbs and flowers, which attract beneficial insects, are grown in big containers. All the produce is used in the kitchen, and local sources are used to supplement.
Like Schenley, Siena has a sedum green roof above the patio that acts as natural insulation, keeping the patio cool in summer and warm in winter while also absorbing rainwater. In the near future, Mr. Hermann hopes to raise honey bees behind the restaurant and not on the roof like at Schenley.
“We are not trying to reinvent the concept with the second restaurant,” says Kevin O’Connell, chief marketing officer at Eat’n Park. “Sales have been growing every year, and we are just trying to keep up with demand.”