We went out for a nice dinner last week at a lovely Italian restaurant. Never having had veal before, I opted for the veal parmigiana.
Now, quite aside from the ethical aspects of eating veal, who likes this stuff? We have a friend who orders it every single time he eats Italian out. To me, it tasted like a fairly tender, very thin steak with little or no flavor at all. Hrmph! Give me a bloody rare filet mignon or porterhouse any time.
A couple of the best dishes I’ve ever had were veal. One was a very simply prepared chop (I think) with a mango chutney on the side. The other was a fondue. Just plain veal, dipped in a yummy curry mayonnaise. To me the combination of very delicate flavor and very soft texture is very appealing.
GT
A true Wiener Schnitzel is made from veal. However, at least here in the US, they often substitute the veal for pork. My guess is for financial reasons - the price of veal is substantial and would make it a very expensive dish. The last time I considered making it at home, and saw the price in the supermarket, I opted to make something else instead.
However, if you ever go to Austria or Germany and order a Wiener Schnitzel, you will understand why it is only made with veal!
We buy breaded veal at Sam’s and serve it with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. It’s a very tender, soft cut of meat.
I had it plenty of times in Germany with pork instead of veal both in peoples houses and in resturants. It’s right there on the menu which one they use. It’s been quite a while since I lived there but it seems the price difference in Germany would be much more greater than in America. When I was there most beef came from Argentina and the pork was local.
To answer the OP I love veal. Most low level Italian resturants don’t get good cuts of veal. If you don’t get a good piece it can be tough and tasteless. Get the veal in a good Italian or German resturant. My favorite veal dish is Jaeger Schnitzel.
Hmm, maybe I should try it again. I tend to like to be clocked upside the head with flavor* in my food, so maybe that’s why I didn’t find it terribly interesting.
*I like very tannic red wines, kalamata olives, lamb, anchovies, stinky sheepsmilk cheeses, etc.
I’ve tried it once, and it was very nice, but that was in a pretty fancy restaurant so I don’t know how it would compare to other meats generally. I still prefer venison, though.
I’d wager that every piece of veal I’ve ever had was overcooked (I like my meat rare), because I’ve never had a tender piece. And it doesn’t have a gamey-enough flavor for my taste. But I’m sure the right sauce could make up for it.
It seems to me that veal is most commonly seen when a region has an extensive dairying tradition but not an extensive ranching tradition.
So in Italy most of the cows you see are dairy cows, not beef cows. And when you have dairy cows you’ve got to get rid of the male calfs somehow. So you butcher and eat the males when they’re young and keep the females for milking. So veal is used when you want a neutral, unassertive tender cut of meat. In the US we’d usually use chicken instead.
Sure I like it. Veal parmigiana is very, very good if done right, and schitzel as well. If you make your own spaghetti sauce, try using ground veal instead of ground beef or “hamburger” - it isn’t chewy in the least. It’s soft and tender and makes a real difference.
Of course, you know I meant to type schnitzel in my post.
My typoing skills are improving.
I love it, especially with a mushroom sauce.
Yes, but I believe if they do not use veal, they cannot call it Wiener Schnitzel on the menu, just “schnitzel”…at least that was what they told me when I was living there.
I’m with you there.
MixieArmadillo, If you haven’t enjoyed veal and think it is too bland I can only suggest you savour the meal a little longer. The hidden flavours will reveal themselves.
Hmmm, what a gourmet I seem to have become. 
Mmmmmmmm, veal. Love it. The osso buco at La Strada in Reno is the best I’ve ever had. I got the recipe.
Correct. If it’s made with pork it’s Schnitzel Wiener Art in Germany (and, I believe, Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein in Austria.) I believe it’s sometimes called Wienerschnitzel in the English-speaking world but that’d mean it was made from Viennese, i.e. from long pork.
(bolding mine)
I didn’t think the Viennese were that into cannibalism. . . 
Try a nice veal rib chop from a quality butcher. Rub them with garlic and grill them like a steak (medium rare), and serve them with lemon wedges and accompanied by a simple butter and cheese pasta. I’ve found that very young veal, which is quite pale pink and soft, is not really to my taste - it’s extremely bland. I look for veal which is a darker pink, yet still not as red as beef.
I had veal at Club 33 in Disneyland. Just plain veal steaks, seasoned, but not like veal parmigiana or anything. It was freakin awsome. I almost felt guilty, almost.
Before that, the only veal I ever had was ground and mixed with ground chicken and beef in Olive Graden’s Caneloni al Forno (man, I miss that) so it wasn’t distinctive or nessesary.
Good Osso Bucco is well worthwhile. I agree though that the veal steaks you get in a typical good Italian restaurant don’t do much for me, but I had what was basicaly a veal T-Bone steak in a good restaurant in Bristo. before the government made it illegal to serve beef on the bone, which was fantastic.