A recent New Yorker article, The Brass Ring,  named Sheldon Adelson as the third richest person in the United States. Mr Adelson once yelled at me—well, it was loud in the kitchen, and he raised his voice to be heard over Trump's Saturday night kitchen clatter, but he did point a finger at me and yell.  At that moment in time, as far as I knew, he was one of Michael Roberts' investor friends who ponied up considerable amounts of money to own part of a hot Hollywood restaurant.  Sheldon Adelson is now a multi-billionaire who owns the Venetian and the Palazzo Casinos, in Las Vegas and Macau, and is a major player in the world of international politics. 

In the New Yorker article, Adelson was said to refer to himself as "Sheldon Adelson III." The source being quoted said to him, "I never realized your father was Sheldon Adelson II," Adelson replied, "He wasn’t! But I’m the third-richest American!" In 1984, he was just a regular at Trumps and one of the investors who like to be a part of the action. He had a special table, he ate special food, drank special wine, and expected special service.

I had been working the grill for two weeks and was just beginning to get the hustle and flow of Trump's kitchen. Line cooks prep for the station they work and the grill station was heavy on butchering and portioning. There were lamb chops to be frenched, squid to clean, whole fish to bone and filet, live lobsters to wrangle, chicken pieces to brine, and ribeyes to trim and portion. It was Saturday night at 9:00—service was revved up and going full throttle, when word came back to the kitchen that Sheldon was here. Special party, special table, separate menu, and hop to it. Mr. Adelson was usually a seafood/lobster kind of guy, so I was on the alert .

At about 11:00, he made his usual appearance in the kitchen, paused to chat with Cheffie and strode over to the grill. "Who portioned the ribeyes tonight?" All tongs pointed down the line at me.  "Well my steak was too big", he said. "Let's get those ribeyes and check them out!" Sure enough, three of the remaining nine steaks were two ounces too big. "Can't let that happen", he said. "Food cost, ya know!". He gave me a conspiratorial wink, slapped the counter, and disappeared behind the swinging door.

Rich people—ya gotta love em.

Steak Marinade

• ½ c. olive oil
• 3 T. red wine vinegar
• 2/3 c. soy sauce
• 3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. dry mustard
• 1 T. Tabasco
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. black pepper 

Marinate skirt steaks, rib eye or sirloin overnight for a savory barbecue. Serve with horseradish mustard. 

Horseradish/Mustard:

• 1 c. stone-ground mustard
• 3 T. horseradish