Columnist Muriel Stevens: Sometimes pepper can be a real grind

Friday, June 3, 2005 | 8:21 a.m.

Salt and pepper have been staples in restaurant kitchens for centuries. A pinch of salt and a grind of pepper can do much to liven up a dish. Ask any chef.

It's the restaurant chains that have me gnashing my teeth and the pepper bits stuck between them. Two experiences in one week was a bit much.

Both started off badly; one had a happy ending; the other had me vowing never to return.

Until recently I viewed Applebee's menus with a jaundiced eye. So much fattening food! Recently, a selection of Weight Watcher-approved dishes was added.

Each time I eat at an Applebee's I order the grilled shrimp on skewers. Included are fresh broccoli and summer squash and a small portion of saffron-colored rice speckled with diced red and green peppers.

It is an ideal meal for a constant waist watcher.

I didn't hesitate to join a friend at Applebee's at Desert Inn Road and Maryland Parkway on a recent Wednesday. We both wanted the grilled teriyaki shrimp. We ordered, the food came.

One bite and my friend, who is sensitive to most pepper, turned purple, grabbed the water glass and chugged almost the entire contents before she paused to gasp, "Too much pepper!"

I had not yet tasted my shrimp. It took only one look to see that the shrimp were polka-dotted with pepper. I tasted the shrimp and could feel the pepper specks on my tongue along with an inordinate amount of salt.

It was the same with the rice. It was my turn to slug down water.

The restaurant was busy, but we managed to catch the eye of the waiter as he sped by on his way into the kitchen.

Once there, he would share our problem with the cook, who more than likely thought that the amount of pepper that covered our over-salted shrimp was just fine.

In the kitchen listening to our complaint was assistant manager Ken Brown. He arrived at our table calm and eager to listen. Our plates had not been removed. One look was enough.

Ken removed the plates and was back in less than 10 minutes with freshly cooked shrimp and vegetables.

Happy to have what we had ordered, we enjoyed our simple dinner. Caring AM Ken had saved the day.

We were not so lucky with our next chain adventure. The same friend joined me a few nights later for some pizza and pasta at a Las Vegas outlet of a Southern California chain.

The name of the chain doesn't matter. What does matter is that for the most part, chains large and small do not employ cooks; they have a corporate chef who creates the menus and recipes and recipe readers who cook them according to the directions.

Robots could be programmed do this job. At least the dishes would be consistent.

This chain is prettier, more upscale. The staff is friendly, the servers polite.

It doesn't matter.

What matters is the food in its new incarnation is awful. The same Chinese chicken salad my friend was so fond of was now (you guessed it) speckled with black pepper. It was ground coarsely in a mill, so it was easy to see.

My order -- angel hair pasta with tomatoes and basil -- would have been OK, but it too was speckled with black pepper I could see and white pepper that wasn't visible.

My friend, of course, returned her salad; I was waiting for someone to respond to our complaints. It was a long time coming.

Finally, a very nice female manager arrived to assess the situation. Unfortunately, she was not empowered to make any changes. Only the corporate chef could do that.

The pleasant manager offered to make us any dish we wanted. By now I was not interested in the food, any food.

My friend opted for the tapas-size cracker crust pizza topped with vegetables. She was advised that the vegetables had been marinating since early in the day, but were not peppered.

Sounded fine. At first glance, looked fine. Atop the pizza was a small, inviting salad ... liberally sprinkled with black pepper. The Pavlovian-influenced kitchen person knew no other way to do it.

It was the last straw.

We asked for the check. They declined to give us one. We accepted, left a tip for the server and called it a night. At home I comforted myself with a cup of tea, a slice of toasted cracked wheat bread covered with all-fruit Morello cherry jam from Trader Joe's and a few chapters of "The New American Steakhouse Cookbook," by David Walzog and Andrew Friedman.

The saga continues: A few nights later another friend wanted me to join her for dinner. When I declined, she offered to bring takeout from a nearby Bulgarian restaurant. It also owns the adjacent pizzeria/Italian takeout service.

"How does spaghetti and meatballs sound?" asked my pal.

"Nix on the meatballs," I responded. "I'll have pasta with three tablespoons of marinara sauce. It's the way they eat it in Italy and if there's too much pepper it won't matter."

I was kidding.

The table was set; the salad was on the table; the pasta was in bowls; the soggy garlic bread had crisped up once it was out of the tightly wrapped foil. We were ready to eat. I tossed my pasta with the small amount of sauce and discovered pepper streaked throughout. It didn't matter. With such a small amount of sauce, the pepper was OK.

We spent the evening reminiscing about the Las Vegas that once was. There were no national chains, but plenty of Italian eateries. Only a fancy few had pepper mills.

Short orders

Van V. Heffner moves on: Van Heffner, president of Heffner & Associates, Inc., a longtime management consulting company, has been name chief executive officer of the recently created Nevada Tourist Alliance.

NTA is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to fostering a business partnership that joins those interested in the financial health of Nevada's travel and tourism economy, gaming industry and non-gaming business.

Heading the organization is former Nevada Gov. Bob Miller and Larry Ruvo of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada. They will serve as co-chairs of NTA. For additional information about NTA, call 878-8832, ext. 107.

Casa Fuente opens: Casa Fuente, inside the Forum Shops at Caesars, celebrated its grand opening Thursday with appearances by the Fuente family, trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval, actor Andy Garcia and celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

Casa Fuente features the very best in fine cigars, an outdoor patio and full-service bar.

Premium Casa Fuente cigars are made by the Fuente family and are sold only inside Casa Fuente.

Cafe Capri opens: Cafe Capri has opened at 3743 Las Vegas Blvd. South (suite 125) featuring Northern Italian cuisine.

Owner Flaminio Malaguti is from Venice, Italy. Cafe Capri features a bar with a large selection of specialty drinks, hookahs, a gelato fountain with 48 flavors of handmade Italian ice cream and a special karaoke system. Cafe Capri is open 24/7.

Sports enthusiasts will find much to talk about with Malaguti; he stars on Bally's Hotel Tennis Team, was a professional soccer star in Italy and has appeared on the silver screen. For more info call 367-0331.

Charity cook-off: Sammy's Woodfired Pizza will sponsor a benefit Monday on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that includes a pizza cook-off. Local VIPS and radio and television personalities will vie to create a new Sammy's pizza.

The winning pizza will be featured on the menu of both Sammy's locations from June 10 to June 24.

During that time, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will receive 100 percent of sales from the winning pizza.

On Monday, 25 percent of all sales generated at the Henderson location will be donated to LLS.

Pizzas will be judged by Elizabeth Foyt, Las Vegas Sun society columnist; author Robin Jay and Les Kincaid, the host of "Lifestyles Las Vegas" on KLAV. "Forever Plaid" cast member Mark Perkins will emcee.

Recently added to Sammy's menus are 23 new selections, mostly tapas size, to mix, match and share.

The drippy, gooey, gorgeous Giant Messy sundaes, salads and pizzas still represent the heart of the menu.

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