Continuing George’s Recipe For Success

When Lou Graziani, Jr, became the new owner of George’s Pizza & Restaurant on Route 302 in Dodgingtown two years ago, he promised not to tamper with success.

Indeed, the rstaurant looks much the same as it did when Mr Graziani helped the late George Hoti launch the business in 1986. It has the same experienced kitchen and wait staff, and the same food that has made the restaurant so popular.

But Lou Graziani, a 1975 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, learned quite a few things in the more than 25 years that he has been in the food services industry. One of them is to keep abreast of what customers want, and to provide it.

The result has been three new features that have been very successful: a monthly menu of low-carbohydrate specials, daily early bird specials, and both regular and low-carb “to-go” specials.

The low-carb menu changes monthly and includes eight entrees with six grams of carbs or less. Served with a salad and two vegetables, for $17.95, the entrees for January include New York Strip Portabella; Grilled Jamaican Pork Tenderloin; Grouper Livornese with tomato, olive, and onion; half semiboneless duck with an orange, maple, honey glaze; Chicken Saltimbucca prepared with proscuitto, fresh sage, portabella mushrooms, and cream sherry; grilled salmon with a tomato, chaper, garlic, white wine sauce; Stuffed Breast of Chicken Thermidor with a shrimp and scallop stuffing; and grilled swordfish Oscar with crabmeat, asparagus, and a brandy cream sauce.

For dessert there is a low-carb crème brulee, $4.75.

The menu at George’s includes a large selection of veal ($13.95–$17.95), chicken ($9.95–$15.95), seafood ($12.95–22.95), and pasta dishes ($8.50–$12.95), served with salad or soup, bread and butter and a side order of linguini, ziti, or rice and vegetable. Caesar salad is available for $2 extra.

George’s also offers pizzas, calzones, grinders, burgers, appetizers, and salads .

There are six blackboard specials daily including two appetizer specials. On a recent week it included spinach ravioli, veal cacciatore, chicken portabella, groupa boscaiola, and shrimp madiera, priced from $12.95 to $17.95. The house-made soups of the day were Italian wedding soup and cream of vegetable.

Everything is made to order at George’s. On a recent morning Lou Graziani was working in front of the pizza ovens, cutting bread into small cubes for croutons. As he worked, Mr Graziani talked about his newest creation: low-carb pizza.

“I’ve been working on a recipe for dough using a combination of almond flour and soy protein to reduce the carbs, making it 55 to 60 percent less than regular pizza,” he said. “It will be an ultra-thin crust.”

Dinners to-go are popular at George’s. In December all dinners to go were pastas priced at $7.99 including salad and bread. This month there are eight chicken dinners, $10.99. A free liter of Pepsi goes with each lage takeout pizza. Quarts of soup, sauce, and dressings are available to take home.

Early bird specials, $10.95, are served daily from 4 to 6:30 pm. The menu, which changes weekly, includes a choice of six entrees, bread and butter, soup or salad, a side dish, and coffee or soda.

George’s has a full bar and has expanded its wine list with 15–20 bottles of $15 wine specials on a rack in the foyer.

“I sell a ton of it,” Mr Graziani said. “These are a lot of wines that you don’t see, wines from small vineyards, new vineyards.” There is also a wine special board that, on one recent day, included Jacob’s Creek shiraz/cabernet, Camelot chardonnay, and San Ripolo chianti at $15 a bottle or $5 a glass.

 “In our whole kitchen staff, no one has been here less than eight years,” Mr Graziani said. “Hawk –– Momiul Hoque –– our chef, has been here 14 years. Mohammed Latif, the pizza maker, has been here 17. I’ve been here 17 years, and my wife, Giulia, also works here.”

George’s Pizza & Restaurant, 1 Dodgingtown Road, is open Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 to 11, and Sunday, 4 to 10. Major credit cards are accepted. Off-premise catering is available with two days notice. Call 426-2715 or 426-6793 for reservations and takeout.

 

Grilled Swordfish Tomato And Capers

2 8-oz pieces of swordfish filet

3 cloves garlic, sliced thick

1 large tomato, diced

2 Tbs capers

Juice of ½ lemon

3 oz white wine

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs oil

Lightly grill swordfish on both sides; set aside. Saute garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and simmer until soft. Add white wine, lemon juice, capers, and swordfish. Cook on low heat for approximately eight minutes. Turn off heat and add butter until it melts. Serves two.