Dramatic service won't upstage veal piccata - JSOnline

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Sandy D'Amato | The Kitchen Technician Dramatic service won't upstage veal piccata
Posted: Sep. 14, 2008 In the mid-70s I worked at a place called Paxtons Restaurant on the Upper East Side of New York City. Youve heard the clich that all servers in New York or L.A. are actually out-of-work actors waiting for their big or small break. At Paxtons, the clich was in full force. The restaurant was surrounded by a few small independent theaters, and a few soap operas were filmed nearby, so we had a staff of temperamental, overly dramatic thespians who would shift in and out of character between the soup and salad courses. All of the orders were called in through the half door/window to the kitchen, so if I didnt physically turn around, I would swear that the two Blue Cheeseburgers with the Shepherds Pie were ordered by a moaning Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire. Wrong. Its just Kim from Brooklyn. I actually found this slightly schizo character development to be quite entertaining during the usual repetitious night of order after order. My only weak character response was to do my best Peter Lorre, "Excuse me, your order is ready. If you don't take it out now, I'm going to have to hurt you"- which, surprisingly, never got a positive review. The one server I really enjoyed working with was Stanley Gaither. He was a puffy, stout Tim Conway look-alike with a sharp wit and actual paid acting experience in a few soaps and commercials. He also fancied himself a culinary bon vivant, so we would regularly talk food. One day he told me his favorite Italian dish was veal piccata, so the next night, a busy Friday, I put my version on the menu as a special. Usually the special sold four to six orders throughout the evening. But Stanley was so excited that his first 10 customers had no choice - they were having the piccata.

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Dramatic service won't upstage veal piccata - JSOnline

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This would have been great, but this was a two-person kitchen - just me and John, who was the dishwasher and salad maker. As I'm getting buried by six flaming saut pans filled with veal, I can hear Stanley at the window in his best Knute Rockne (as played by Pat O'Brien) voice, compelling me to "Dig deep. Plow through it. Win one for the 'Gaither.' " Here's my take on veal piccata that almost didn't make it to the stage that evening.

Recipe: Sandy's Veal Picatta

Makes 2 servings 12 ounces veal loin or rib eye 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk cup tightly packed grated imported Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce) cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (divided) Salt and pepper to taste Flour 2 tablespoons salted butter (divided) 2 tablespoons chopped shallots 1 tablespoons drained capers cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon tightly packed, coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves Cut veal into 4 even pieces and lightly pound to -inch thickness. Place egg and egg yolk in a small dish and beat together with a fork. Add Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon olive oil and beat until well combined. Set aside. Place a 12-inch, heavy-bottom saut pan over medium high heat. Season veal pieces with salt and pepper, place in flour and pat off any excess. Place remaining cup oil in saut pan. When oil is hot but not smoking, dip veal slices into reserved egg/cheese mixture one by one and carefully drop into oil. Saut 2 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from pan and divide between two serving plates. Pour out all oil from pan and return to heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and let it brown. Add shallots and saut about 30 seconds. Add capers, wine, lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon butter and let cook vigorously

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until reduced to cup. Stir in oregano, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and divide sauce over and around veal. Sanford S " andy"D'Amato, chef/co-owner of Sanford Restaurant, 1547 N. Jackson St.; Coquette Cafe, 316 N. Milwaukee St.; and Harlequin Bakery, is a James Beard Award winner. For more information, visit www.sanfordrestaurant.com. Archives When in Rome, do as the taste buds would Cranberry tart brings meal to a sweet close Hazelnuts roasting set the heart afire Hearts melt when cheese meets bread Squash dumplings fit the season and senses Bikers in Italy take to wheels of cheese 2,000 filets gave me the willies Follow taste buds, not chef Fishing for fond memories Shrimp dish good enough for jumbo billboard Right ranch can make salad, day perfect Yes, folks in Milwaukee want to eat good food Ring dinner bell for Asian chops Grill tuna for a quick dinner Guess who wins in showdown between chef and popular dish? Getting to the root of a good lunch in N.Y. Scratching that 11-year itch When it comes to chowder, I'll take Manhattan Cool gazpacho stretches out summer Young chef changes rooms and his perspective

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