FRANKLIN PARK, Pa. -- Stone Mansion, located off the Wexford exit in Franklin Park, is one of Greater Pittsburgh's most prestigious, casual and fine-dining restaurants.

Inside are eight working fireplaces, including a 1920's original from the Wabash Railroad Station.

The beautiful wall of stained-glass and hand-carved wooden accents and paneling add to the extraordinary atmosphere.

Owner Don Mervis said, "Stone Mansion is an old Depression-era mansion, built from homes throughout the city of Pittsburgh. When they located enough pieces, they built the home. We came in 14 years ago and renovated everything. We really made it a beautiful restaurant, keeping the integrity of the house."

A state-of-the-art kitchen, headed by Executive Chef Jason Dymun, offers a fantastic menu including French, Italian and regional American cuisine.

"A lot of my specialty dishes include pastas and fresh seafood. I was raised with my grandmother doing roasted garlic and lots of seafood in Canada," said Dymun.

Dymun takes great pride in cooking everything from scratch.

"We are using the best, not processed foods that so many restaurants have come to use," said Mervis.

Stone Mansion is also proud of its plate presentation.

"We do a lot of fresh spices and garnishes. We are about 'you eat with your eyes first,' so when you get a plate of food and say, 'Wow, look at that,' it's going to taste better," explains Dymun.

Dymun has a number of fabulous signature dishes on the regular menu.

He also started doing seasonal menus as well that have some great items on them.

"Every season change, we're going to change the menu. Plan on a lot of fresh seafood and hand-cut steaks."

There are a lot of unique and intimate rooms to dine in at Stone Mansion. One unique room -- the shower.

"It's all Tennessee marble (floors, ceiling and walls) with a brass shower stall," Mervis described.

He adds, "We can do a lot of private events. We can have groups as small as four and up to 400 people."

In addition to the great rooms, Mervis said, "We have a great bar."

Three nights a week, there's live entertainment in the bar.

I was there for a performance by the Good Guys.

Mervis, who is friends with the band members, said, "They were performing together at the age of 9 and recently got back on stage."

Mervis, a drummer, plays with the band.

"We have a lot of fun together, and that's what it's all about," Mervis said.

Stone Mansion has gained a reputation for being a special place to go for special occasions.

Mervis said, "What people fail to realize is it's a place you can go to after you're done shopping. Even if you're in jeans or what you may feel is too casual for the restaurant, we would still like to see you regardless."

Click here to visit Stone Mansion's Web Site.