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> Mickey Mantle’s |
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| Chef's Showcase |
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| THE ORIGINAL SPORTS RESTAURANT |
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Executive chef: Randy Pietro
Owner: William Liederman
Open since: 1988
Number of seats: 215-220 including bar, 215-220 with television sightlines
Check Averages: lunch, $16; dinner, $25
Number of kitchen employees: 16
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Types of parties in private dining room: book parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs, charity auctions, new product introductions, and autograph shows
Number of martinis on the menu: eight
Signature menu items: Texas-style spinach dip; hand-dipped onion rings; lobster club sandwich; chicken-fried steak with cream gravy, hickory-smoked ribs
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What’s Mickey Mantle’s secret to a long life in New York City?
--Questions and Answers
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How do you explain the difference between a sports bar and a sports restaurant?
You have to keep the focus on the food no matter what. Mickey Mantle’s never fell into the theme restaurant category — even though there’s both baseball memorabilia and merchandise here — because we try to make the food a different experience than what customers might find at a typical sports-oriented bar.
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What are some of the dishes that help illustrate that point?
Guests can enjoy lobster-stuffed ravioli at Mickey Mantle’s, or a lobster club sandwich. But they could also get chicken wings if they wanted or a creamy spinach dip for appetizers. The idea is to do everything just a little differently.
And where else in New York can you get chicken-fried steak? Not many places. People love it here. We pound out a piece of top butt real thin, bread and deep fry it, and top it off with cream gravy.
Cole slaw is another example. I call it seven-vegetable slaw because I add some zucchini and carrots, all dressed in a cider vinaigrette rather than a mayonnaise-based dressing.
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So does that mean you cook everything from scratch?
Not as much as I did previously because there are so many good products out now. It really doesn’t pay for us to make desserts and soups anymore. I’d rather focus attention on the items that do make a difference, things like chili, which we prepare from cubes of sirloin; or the chef’s salad, with sliced sirloin and roast chicken instead of the usual ham and turkey; or the onion rings, dipped in fresh buttermilk and flour. Even our tuna sandwich is different, based on a grilled whole piece of fish. Again it’s about creating points of distinction.
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Doesn’t it take a lot of training to execute a menu like that?
In that way, I’m very fortunate. I work with virtually the entire staff I’ve always had. I don’t care if you’re Paul Bocuse, you’re only as good as the people around you. To be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on the line and these people in the kitchen day in and day out are the reason we keep doing so well.
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Please tell us your secret for retaining good staff.
I’m part father, part psychologist and always a family man. It’s important to treat everyone with respect. I do whatever I can to make their lives work, providing it doesn’t impact the company or our business.
I’m not a pot-throwing kind of guy, but don’t get me wrong, I will fire you if you don’t do your job.
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What role do the “extras” play?
Mickey Mantle’s is known for its merchandise and the decor. We have a retail area right up front, and because the restaurant is located in a tourist area by Central Park, we get a lot of traffic just stopping in for that.
Watching sports events is a big deal, too. Every seat has access to a television. We’ve got satellite and we buy special events, so guests can see a lot of things they might not get at home.
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How tough is it operating in New York these days?
We’ve had quite a run since we opened. All the restaurants here enjoyed some boom times. It’s pretty challenging now, but it’s New York, so you know things will eventually turn around. People are not going to stop coming to this city, and they’ve got to eat. The key is to figure out the best way to endure through the bad times.
Our menu is very accessible, both in terms of value and variety. And that’s what it’s about: accommodating the guest no matter what.
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