Bravo! Meh

Slowly we're catching up on this blog, but in order to do so, I'm going to have to alter the chronology of things. So, here's a recent outing. A Friday or two ago Summer and I got to go on a date, thanks to some generous friends who offered to watch our kids. Given that we had no plans for that evening, we struggled with what to do, finally settling on things we love: books, food, and spending money.

We decided then to visit ABQ Uptown, an outdoor shopping area off the freeway near Louisiana Blvd. Situated between the low-style Coronado Mall and the practically vacant Winrock Mall (both within spitting distance of ABQ Uptown), this new shopping area stands out as a welcome respite from the poorly-lit mall spaces that cropped up a generation or two ago. Outdoor shopping area like this, with lots of pedestrian spaces and outdoor seating, are ideal to the ABQ climate and lifestyle.

But the place is a bit fake, the shopping simultaneously pretentious and uninspiring, and the dining options limited. But since there's a bookstore, a Williams Sonoma, and a Pottery Barn, it was worth the trip. We choose from among the eateries Bravo! Cucina Italiana, and we got what we (should have) expected.

Not having done our homework, we didn't realize that BCI was a chain, but this became immediately obvious when we stepped in. The place was clean and attractive, but a bit over the top with the faux stucco-on-brick archways adorning the place. It wasn't bad, but it just seemed to be trying too hard.

The service was great. We were a party of two, so we got a seat right away, and the hostess was replaced within moments by the waitress, who was helpful and attentive without hovering. Our appetizer arrived quickly, and they even split the shared entree among two plates (a little less romantic than eating off the same plate, but definitely more convenient).

A note on this. A while ago we chose to share an entree, and it's been an amazing experience. Since restaurant portions are obscenely large, this helps up avoid gluttony, save room for dessert (so, I guess we're just delaying the gluttony), and feel better about ourselves. Just a great innovation in our dining experience.

We ordered calamari for the appetizer, and it was fine. Nothing great, but not awful. This became the theme for the night. Like the decor, the food seemed to be trying to look authentic and great without actually doing anything great. Just what a chain ought to do, I suppose.

We ordered a BCI "specialty," which was penne with a moderately spicy creamy tomato sauce and chicken. Again, not bad. I never made yummy noises, but I was not unhappy. But once we were done (sharing the entree also means we can usually eat the whole meal, so no awkward leftovers to cart around, let stink up the car, or go bad in the fridge), we were too unenthusiastic about the place to consider a mediocre dessert, so we waited to get a sweet at the nearby Nestle cookie shop.

So, how does BCI rate?
Yumminess: 3
Budgetability: 4
Table-for-six-ness: 5 (lots of space and big tables, pretty kid-friendly)
Kids-will-eat-it factor: 5
Non-ickiness: 6 (almost too clean, you know?)
Show off ABQ?: 1 (unless the goal was to demonstrate that ABQ has the same kind of Italian you can get in Omaha or Spokane)
Total: 24