MARGATE – David Salvo grew up in the kitchen. His father, Joe Salvo, owned a bar in Philadelphia, and from the time he was a teenager, David was right in there helping out.
“I grew up in the kitchen, and cooking and trying new things has always been what I loved to do,” said Salvo.
David and Laurie Salvo opened Presto at the Shore in Margate in the summer of 2006 after operating for more than 10 years in Lafayette Hill and Manayunk, Pa. They said their Pennsylvania customers urged them to open a place at the shore, and after spending many summers here as vacationers, they bought a house in Margate, enrolled their children in school and became enmeshed in the community.
Presto is the blending of tried-and-true recipes handed down through Salvo’s family and those he has created by experimenting with foods, sometimes adding a new dimension.
Veal is a staple in an Italian restaurant, and Presto offers eight different veal dishes.
In the kitchen last week David Salvo was experimenting again, this time sautéing veal medallions in white wine and fresh lemon and topping them with chopped yellow, orange and green sweet peppers, a spicy pepper and fresh parsley.
“I like to make food that not only looks good, it has to taste great,” he said.
Though there are a number of items that customers return for again and again, the owners agree that the homemade gnocchi is the menu’s top seller.
“I like to say it’s a pasta pillow, because it is unlike the heavy dumpling-like gnocchi most people are accustomed to,” Salvo said. “I use ricotta cheese rather than potatoes.”
Moving his hand in a slow rhythmic motion, he explained how he achieves the right consistency for his pasta.
“You have to feel it in the touch. I know when the dough is the way I want it. I roll the gnocchi’s fresh every day. Nothing is frozen,” said the owner.
The gnocchi are boiled, tossed in a special blush sauce, and then topped with a little more sauce just as they are about to be served.
Presto has a steady flow of patrons in the off season, and according to Laurie Salvo, in the middle of the summer there can be a wait at the 40-seat eatery.
“People tell me they are willing to wait as long as they can still get the gnocchi when their turn comes to be seated,” she said.
David Salvo said the Milan salad with romaine lettuce, shrimp, tomatoes, remoulade dressing and crumbled bacon is also a very popular item.
“Most of the time, at least one person at every table is ordering the Milan salad,” he said.
The restaurant also offers “pesce del giorno,” the fresh fish of the day.
Laurie Salvo said Presto’s South Philly-style sandwich and hoagie menu helps fuel a nice takeout business.
“People are busy. They want to grab something quick at a reasonable price, but they want really good food, and that is what our takeout menu offers: really good food at a price that makes it possible to do it more often.”
Presto also does quite a bit of catering.