Pittsburgh Magazaine

Pittsburgh magazine's 2002 Blue Ribbon Committee honors exceptional performance by the region's chefs and restaurants.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Cala Lily Café

Cala Lily Café seemed to burst suddenly onto the dining scene. But chef/co-owner Rick "Chico" Rivero had long been dreaming about it. "I've always wanted to own and operate a small, more casual restaurant," he says. "But one with upscale quality. And I wanted to create an environment where the staff, including me, would look forward to going to work every day."

From conversations overheard as he schmoozes the dining room, Rivero thinks his customers enjoy the diversity of the menu and all the friendly people buzzing around -- including partner Paul Anzaldi, wife Connie and sous chef Ron Jelinek. Every night he also reads the guest-book comments. "It gives me reason to get up the next morning and do it all again," Rivero says.

 
The long menu certainly is diverse, reflecting Rivero's life experiences. Of Mexican descent and Spain-born, he lived in Germany, France, Texas and Alabama before working for 24 years in Rico's. Dishes reference all of these cuisines, but Rivero personalizes the traditional with his own inventions: adding pistachios to oysters Rockefeller, stuffing poblano chili rellenos with Spanish drunken-goat cheese, creating a version of the spicy Spanish relish pico de gallo, called "pico de Chico" -- nine different chilies, four vinegars, vegetables, potatoes and pureed lentils, all cooked down for hours.