Friday, November 11, 2011.
Bosco's Glows Brighter.
Worked from home, and then--with nothing to eat all day but a scone Mary Ann brought home from the English Tea Room—went for a dinner that I knew in advance would be a stomach-filler. The food at Bosco's has had that quality from the day it opened, and now that Tony Bosco's menu is growing with acceleration, there's even more to fill up on.
The parking lot was full when we arrived, and customers sat around waiting for tables. That was common in the tiny original location, but I'd not seen it in the much larger current Bosco's. I was glad for the wait. It gave me an excuse to have a Negroni in the bar, which was also busy.
The slammed state of the restaurant slowed down the service to about the way I like it. Bosco's, pushed along by its customers, has always served its food more rapidly than is my ideal.
The waiter started us off with oysters Anthony--Bosco's version of baked Italian oysters, with bread crumbs and garlic and herbs. A lot of oysters in there made the sauce a bit looser than, say, oysters Mosca. No problem there: the sauce becomes scoopable with bread, which quality Mary Ann took full advantage of.
We had a couple of house salads and both noted that the percentage of ribs to leaves was on the high side. This is what happens when the salad is free, although I'd never noticed that here before.
Mary Ann remained loyal to her passion for trout with crabmeat. Trout is very nice right now, and from Louisiana waters. This one also had artichokes and mushrooms in the sauce--a relic of Tony's time spent working the the kitchen of Sal & Judy's.
The last few times here the veal chop beckoned, and tonight I stepped up and introduced myself to it. Quite a few radio listeners told me they thought it was more than a little good. I agree. The chop was thick, pretty, and juicy. It was topped with a light sauce bearing a load of mushrooms. I think I tasted a little lemon (maybe it was white wine), and that played perfectly with the flavors of the chop.
Eating here becomes a surfeit because of the sides. I had penne Alfredo, Mary Ann spaghetti bordelaise. Each of these was the size of an entree. A quarter this much would be enough. Mary Ann moaned about how much damage the spaghetti--which she loved--would do to her less-eating program. I didn't want to think about it, and didn't.
Bosco's. Mandeville: 2040 La Hwy 59. 985-624-5066.
