Italian-American Soul Food & Chicken Chinese
The things one learns at Don Peppe . . .
Yes, dear reader, this dish is called chicken Chinese.
The Meat Maniac and I have a standing man date on Friday evenings that involves smoking cigars and some form of culinary excess, sometimes Vietnamese pizza, sometimes Argentine parillada, but quite often copious amounts of red sauce Italian food, a proclivity of his I find amusing as he is of Overseas Chinese descent. We were all set to trek to Hicksville, Long Island, to follow up on a hot tip about Peruvian ceviche, but he was tired and suggested a local Pakistani grill. “Let’s go to to Don Peppe,” I countered. I’ve been to the the cash only family style institution just down the road from Aqueduct a few times, once with him.
“Sure, but I’m not eating that chicken bruschetta balsamic thing again,” he said. The dish, Chicken Don Peppe left me so flat, I could barely remember it, but he said that it was essentially a breaded chicken cutlet with bruschetta on top. Even though I grew up with portions akin to those served at Don Peppe, I’m daunted by the menu. It’s not like it’s unfamiliar territory either. Stuffed artichokes, eggplant parmigiana, baked clams oreganata, and fried calamari were the stuff of family feasts as well as casual lunches with my father. As with another old school favorite among trenchermen Peter Luger, there are those who can order from memory menu and those who consult their waiter.