This has been a very busy week off. That being said, I haven't been able to eat out as much as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong, I have had a fabulous week but not so much for my Bites. Last night I went to Brazi's with DJ. We wanted to go out for a nice dinner just the two of us. Before we left we visited with my aunt and uncle for a little while. I wanted to go to dinner early because we didn't make reservations (I believe I overheard someone last night say that Brazi's doesn't take reservations) but because I wanted to see my uncle, we didn't leave as early as I would have liked. When we got to Brazi's it was mobbed. There was a private event in the front room, the lounge as filled, and the dining room was filled. People were waiting all along the front hallway. It was after 6 when we arrived. We were told the wait would be 45 minutes. We didn't mind, so we waited. It was more like an hour wait, but the service was great when we were seated, so it was fine.
We sat at a table for 2 right outside that gazebo type thing in the middle of the dining room. It wasn't the best place to sit but at that point I really didn't care. I would rather be in the middle of the room than pushed in some corner where you can be forgotten. The waitress we had was very nice. For an appetizer we had shrimp casino. This was a special of the night. I had never heard of shrimp casino before. Clams casino, yes. Shrimp casino, no. I didn't know what to expect. In my mind I envisioned like a casserole almost. Small shrimp with pepper and onions sprinkled with bacon and cheese. That was not at all what it was like. When it came, there were three large shrimp served tails up with all of the casino stuff on the shrimp. Shells were still on. If you're having trouble trying to imagine this appetizer, just think of the scene from Beetlejuice when they're singing Day-O. The shells were on but split so it was easy to pull the shrimp out. It was okay. I didn't really like it too much. The peppers were too raw tasting. I ate it but I wouldn't choose it again.
Then we were given a choice of soup or salad with our meal. Actually, we were served this before our appetizer. The waitress said the kitchen was backed up so she brought that out first, which I thought was great. I chose the soup, DJ chose the salad. The soup that night was chicken escarole. Oh was it delicious. It was mostly escarole and carrots with a few tiny pieces of chicken. I thought it was perfect. It's just a little soup before you eat dinner. I'm happy that it wasn't to filling and boy was it flavorful. I just sprinkled a little grated cheese on top. Perfection! Do other people do that? In my household grated cheese is put on the table when soup is served. Do other people do that? I think I've only seen my family members do that. Please comment and let me know. DJ had the salad and well, salad is salad.
For dinner I had the salmon San Marino. Now that I have a wedding in the foreseeable future I need to watch what I eat. It was delicious. There were three pieces of salmon served on top of spinach with hot cherry peppers scattered around. It was cooked in a white wine sauce. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the spinach was delicious. The peppers started to bother me a little bit, but good thing I keep Tums in pocketbook. It also came with a side of pasta and vegetables. I did not eat the pasta, only the vegetables. They were a little plain but good for people watching their weight. It was zucchini with carrots and onions. DJ had the Pasta Bella which is fettucine with chicken and I think artichoke hearts and tomatoes and some other vegetables. No cream sauce. That's my one complaint about Brazi's. Every single pasta dish that is not baked has a cream sauce. I hate a cream sauce. I don't like vodka sauce (way too over played). I also hate pesto. Just give me a nice tomato sauce. He said it was very good. Overall, a very nice meal. We had to wait but I was pleased with service and the food.
I also just want to quickly mention Village Bistro. I went there the other day with my mother and her cousin. We wanted to go somewhere where you can just sit and have coffee and some nice little eats that's not Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. Places like that all close early. It was only about 2 when we left but I believe Breugger's closes at 3. So then where is there to go? No where. A restaurant or Cafe Atlantique are the only places that come to mind. I thought about Village Bagels which has now moved up the street and has turned into Village Bistro. I was impressed, at first. It looks nice in there, very dark. I thought it reminded me of a place from Spain but my mother and Honey insisted it was a middle eastern theme. I wanted to get a pumpernickel bagel but they were out of them. Honey got coffee and an apple muffin. My mother got a tuna sandwich and then I ended up getting a Greek salad. Now I'm not crazy for salad but normally I love a Greek salad. This was not a good Greek salad. Mostly lettuce, a few tomato chunks, a few feta chunks, a few kalamata olives, a few hot peppers and that was it. The dressing was just oil and vinegar. By my fourth bite, I wanted to numb my tongue. Everything was OKAY but then when we went to pay we decided never again. My Greek salad and snapple cost $11. The salad didn't have any meat or anything. It was pure crap. Not to mention their menu said it was $6.50, so what was the Snapple? $5? I know I could've asked but I'm not confrontational. They said that pretty soon they'll be open at night to serve wine, beer, and tapas. Now that sounds pretty cool to me. I wanted a place just like that but the only thing I had from there so far was crap. I'm not sure if I'll get back there or not. You've been warned but of course, the decision is yours.
That's all I've got for right now. Until my next bite....
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