I was always struck by how fast that veal dinner came. If it were truly the best in the city, there should have been more preparation. You couldn't microwave a Morton's frozen dinner in the time it took for McCluskey to be served.
The speed of the dinner's appearance saved FFC and Puzo from having to write "kill time" dialog while they waited. Otherwise we might have been treated to several minutes of repartee like the following:
SOLLOZZO (to Michael): Mikey, you still, uh, "doin' the job" on that little WASP from New Hampshire? How's yer ol' man feel about that, eh,
compare?
MICHAEL: Well, Virg, at least I'm gettin' mine for free--I don't have to go into the dope business with Tattaglia to get a discount coupon at one of his whorehouses. What an
infamia, hah-hah-hah.
SOLLOZZO (not to be outdone, turns to McCluskey): Yeah, Mark, try the veal--it's the finest in New York. A
big improvement over the usual Irish Seven Course Dinner: a boiled potato and a six-pack.
(He and Michael ROFL, rapping each other in the ribs and making the
cornudo under the table at McCluskey.)
It was in a deleted scene.
