Continental cuisine meets legal minds at The Common Plea

Being served a summons at The Common Plea is not as ominous as it sounds.

The popular eatery on Ross Street, Downtown, is near the Pittsburgh City Courthouse, the Pittsburgh Magistrates Court and around the corner from the Allegheny County Jail.

Lunchtime patrons are primarily legal professionals, owner John Barsotti says.

It's no surprise, then, that the restaurant's menu is printed on an official-looking summons, complete with an official-looking seal inside. A sentence says succinctly on the front: "We hereby certify the within to be a true and correct copy."

Barsotti laughs when asked about his menu. "We used to have it on a legal pad," he says. "Sometimes we get tired of stuff."

The Common Plea has been a Downtown institution for 32 years; in addition to winning awards, it has been mentioned in Esquire and Business Week magazines. Catering is a big part of its business; the restaurant is known as the largest kosher caterer in the city.

A wall of mirrors line the back dining room, which is dimly lit and decorated in earth tones. Brass plaques of certain customers' names are displayed along the walls at various booths and tables.

When Barsotti opened The Common Plea, he only served breakfast and lunch for the first five years. "Then we expanded and started serving dinners," he says. "And we didn't do any business for three or four months except for my parents, my in-laws and close friends."

Word quickly spread, though, about the place where friendly people served quality Continental cuisine in an intimate atmosphere. Business hasn't slowed since.

The Common Plea is open for lunch Mondays through Fridays and for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays. Lawyers and judges dominate the lunch crowd, but theater patrons, couples and neighbors take over at dinner.

"We treat customers like guests in our home," Barsotti says.

"It's satisfying, but difficult," he adds. "It takes a toll on your personal and private life. My wife and I are fortunate that we both work here."

Barsotti considers his restaurant different because of its stability and consistency.

"People know what to expect. Our employees are empowered to do whatever it takes to please the customer. Some of our service staff (have) been here 30 years. My bartender has been here 25 years."

The heart of the food, Barsotti says, is the chef. He says he's lucky that executive chef John Brush has been with The Common Plea for 15 years. "The chef has to be committed, and he is."

Brush, a 1983 graduate of Peabody High School, demonstrated how to make his signature Veal Capricciosa. A 14-ounce veal chop is butterflied, pounded and marinated in egg, garlic, sage, salt and pepper, then fried and baked. For serving, it is topped with arugula, tomatoes, onions and lemon dressing.

Barsotti calls it their version of Veal Milanese. "It's a good combination -- cold salad with warm, crispy meat," he says. "You can also do it with chicken. Just take a boneless chicken breast and pound it so you get even cooking."

Serve this meal with a good red wine.

• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 (14-ounce) veal chop, butterflied and pounded thin
• Unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs, for coating
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  For the salad:

• 1 cup baby arugula
• 1/4 cup ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon, strained

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a shallow dish, combine the egg, sage, garlic, pepper and salt. Moisten the veal chop in the mixture on both sides, then let it rest in the marinade for 20 to 30 minutes. Then coat with the bread crumbs <!-- ( see Photo 1, above ) --> .

Heat 1 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the veal chop and pan-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once <!-- ( Photo 2 ) --> . Place the chop on a baking dish and blot excess oil with a paper towel. Place the dish in the oven and finish cooking the veal for 3 to 5 minutes.

To make the salad: Toss the arugula, tomatoes and red onion with 3 tablespoons olive oil <!-- ( Photo 3 ) --> .

To assemble, place the veal chop on a serving plate, top with the salad and dress with the strained lemon juice.

Makes 1 serving.