BECCO 

355 W 46th Street, New York, Hell's Kitchen New York, New York (212) 397-7597

Located on restaurant row in the Theatre District of Manhattan (West 46th Street).  Becco is part of the Bastianich chain owned by the famous television chef Lidia Bastianich and her son Joe.  It was opened in 1993 and since then has been a staple in the theatre district.

It is composed of many intimate areas just below street level.

We made our reservation rather early, since we were booked at a jazz club nearby for 8:30, but we were in no hurry.  We enjoy good Italian food and had lots of time.  We were ushered into one of the rear rooms that had a large skylight and was almost like eating al fresco.

It was early, so the restaurant was quiet, however it did not take long to fill up.  Our table was prepared with nice linen napkins, an incredible bread basket that included a variety of very fresh breads (the breadsticks were our favourites).  There was also a nice variety of spiced olives and a rich herbed butter in olive oil - very unusual but very tasty.

The wine selection here was outstanding and large.  All wines were priced the same $29.  This alone was worth the visit!  

We selected a wonderful Valpolicella Ripasso, it was smooth as silk.  There were so many good wines on this list - it was hard to choose.

In viewing the menu, we saw that there was a price fix available for $23.95, which included salad and a choice of 3 different pasta varieties available that evening.

We decided to go a la carte and chose caesar salad and a main from the extensive menu.  Only a portion of which is shown below.

Caesar Salad

My wife selected the calves liver. The liver was pan seared with bacon, caramelized onions, crispy polenta, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was was melt in your mouth perfectly cooked.

I chose one of the evening's specials veal scallopini done in a butter, wine and sherry sauce with capers and lemon.  It was divine and very rich in flavour.

It was accompanied by a garlic and olive oil spinach side dish.

We completed our meal with a strawberry cheesecake (I could not believe they did not have a tiramisu or tartuffo).  We did however eat the cheesecake so fast I forgot to take a photo of it.  We completed our dessert with delicious Cappucino coffees. 

By the time we left, the restaurant was jammed to capacity!

We really enjoyed our meal here - however it was much too hurried, we barely had time to savour each course and the bill arrived on our table.  I would recommend they retain an area in this large restaurant for those not in a hurry for a Broadway show.

http://becco-nyc.com/

 

BLUE ELEPHANT PUB AND RESTAURANT 

90 Norfolk St. Street South,  Norfolk On. (519) 428-2886 

A group of us went to the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Pub on a Friday afternoon for an early dinner. It is located in Simcoe Ontario.  It is quite a large space and has a good variety of spaces.  

It has it's own brew store where you can buy beer that is brewed in their own brewery on the premises.

Daily specials are posted at the entry which makes it easy to see them in one place.

A rather large collection of craft brew bottles and cans is displayed in the bar area.

They have their own brewery that can be seen through a viewing window.

A couple of rooms are used for evening dinners.

The bar area is a good size and with a good view of the patio in the back.

The menu begins with a brief description of the brew house and its philosophy.  The menu is easy to follow and includes most typical pub dishes with a few twists. The prices are reasonable, with most mains costing less than 20 dollars.

The menu explains how the establishment has evolved over the years and become the first brew house in Norfolk County.

The menu is easy to follow and has a good variety of offerings with nothing over twenty dollars.

One of us began with a cosmo martini.

One of us began with a white wine.

the rest of us had a red wine.

One of us ordered the quiche special with onion soup. She liked the onion soup, but found the quiche rather ordinary.

One of us had the quiche special with spinach salad and feta and she enjoyed both.

Two of us had the fish and chip dinner one had one piece the other had two.  It was a typical fish and chip pub meal.

I had the lake erie whitefish pan fried in butter with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.  This was a pretty good meal except the fish could have been hotter.

There is an outdoor patio with a variety of seating.

All in all it was a typical pub experience with a few twists and an interesting craft brewery.  We will come again when in the area.

http://blueelephant.ca/

ROLLY ROCKET'S 

470 King St. West, Hamilton On. (905) 393-3555, Open for Lunch, Dinner, Late night 7 days a week.

Decided to try Rolly Rocket's for dinner. This restaurant has been around for a few years now and has a regular following in the downtown.  It is basically a bbq ribs and chicken kind of place that is very informal and kitschy.  It has picnic tables for furniture and rock music in the background. 

The menu has an extensive list of bbq items. The interior is furnished with picnic tables and is very informal.

There is a bar that extends around into the pool table area.

There are rolls of paper towel on the tables reminding you that your hands  will get messy.

For my meal I chose 2 pounds of wings one in mild sauce and one in dry rub.

My son Thomas chose the pulled pork dinner.  It came with 3 pulled pork sliders, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, a maple covered cornbread biscuit and a cup of baked beans.  It was gigantic and he had to take the leftovers home.

All in all it was a good hearty meal.  We were full and everything tasted quite good.  The coleslaw was especially tasty.  They have karaoke on Fridays!



http://www.rollyrocketsbbq.com/index.php?pg=home