Bravo = Cucina, 1209
Lonsdale Avenue, North
Vancouver, 985-3006. Visa,
MasterCard and American
Express accepted. Open
Monday to Friday for
lunch. Open every night for
dinner. Fuily licensed.
Vegetarian options? A few.

e the kids or call a
babysit? Cail a babysitter.

Menu for tonight:
* Gihiss of
Sauvignon Wente
($8.50) -
® House
($38.75)

®@ Steamed Mussels ($10.25)
© Piccata al Limone ($14.95)
@ Capesante ¢ Gamberi
Vino Bianco ($17.95).

© Pear Sorbet ($4.95)

Cabernet
Vineyards

Special Salad

timothy

table
hopping

A bigger Bravo for
Sami Bentroudi.

And a rousing round of
applause for the rest of his
restaurant’s tine staff.

Because the expanded ver-
sion of Bentroudi’s North
Vancouver City restaurant is
more than a match for the
original, which is high praise
indced.

It’s a bigger, better Bravo

north shere sews

© DINING

on all fronts.

And that was nota given
when Bentroudi enbarked
on the project to expand his
Bravo Cucina earlier this
year.

The intimate house of
inspired Italian cuisine and
first-rate seafood was doing
just fine as it was.

And ia the dining trade,
reom size is crucial.

Too small, and diners
encroach upon the meal-time
enjoyment of their neigh-
bours.

Worse still, the better the
restaurant, the nore chance
they have of getting turned
away at the door. And no
matter how good that restau-
rant, the more times patrons
get turned away, the more
hkely it is that they won't

come back.

Too big, however, and
that key clement of intimacy
is lose.

According to Table
Hopping's law of dining
mathematics: a half empty
large restaurant is twice as
empty as a half empty smail
restaurant.

So Bentraudi faced the
classic culinary crossroads
when the storefront adjacent
to Bravo Cucina became
available in May.

He chose change.

Good for him.

And good for all his loval
customers. Some might
lament the loss of Bravo's
original 40-seat venue, but
the new 80-seat model (60
inside; 20 outside) has added
much to Bravo's personality

NEWS photo: Paul McGrath

BRAVO Cucina owner and chef Sami Bentroudi (standing) with sous-chef Steve Simpson in the dining room

of the new, expanded North Vancouver City restaurant.

S a er the right to limit it quar y en ri

Cloverleaf Flaked
Light Tuma in water

eed

Oct 27 - Oct 30, 1999: wore:

OA Sb Po SORA NOP ENS A ANE AE TS SS

Wednesday, October 27, 1999 — North Shore News — 37

without sacrificing any ingre-
dients of the original.

After all, Bentroudi and
the rest of his talented Bravo
team needed a bigger culi-
nary canvas.

And thar they now have.

Approximately owe
months in the making, the
expanded Cucina features an
interior colour scheme of
hunter geeen and salmon ter-
racotta. Its walls are decorat-
ed with alabaster Roman
busts, assorted artwork and
wooden crates of £ne wine.

The large contrat dower
arrangement now has room
to breath, as does the entire
dining rowra.

Bravo’s skilled serving
staff has flourished in the
new surroundings. No longer
cheek by jowi they can now
sweep with suitable grace and
flounsh between tables and
present evening specials with-
out the message intruding
into the conversation of
every dining room table with
each repetition.

The new Bravo is simply a
more expansive, more invit-
ing and more attractive din-

ns naj Cae HE OE Ge Oe CS ee

! BUFFE Tig

Sua. & Mon. 5-8 p.m.

Anrversezy Celebration

Our sincere thanks {9 our patres2

for 7 years of support

Take-out oavice also a

ing room in every detail.

The kitchen, meanwhile,
remains unchanged. And
that’s good news,

With Bentroudi and expe-
rienced Cucina chef Ted
Stefas at the helm it remains
one of the North Shore's
best.

Entrees from Bentroudi’s
latest menu offer diners
excellent [talian gastronomy
at reasonahie prices: Linguine
al Salmone Affiumicate
(smoked salmon cream
sauce) — $12.95; Fettuccine
con Gamberi (prawns in a
herb cream sauce and cracked
black pepper} — $14.95;

Red Snapper with

See Bentraudi’s next page

MoTrnar Insta
Tans our Fooss &
Hewe Ousrvary

5-10 pm 7 days/week
900 W, 16th. North Van.
Ph: 985-8860 _Fax: 986-5546

Flavour J]

of
India

apn eee

§ 175 E. Sard St, N.Van. 285-5477 Open 7 Days a Week until 10 p. =

_--—=

Valid when two or more dinner entrees are purchased.
Limit 1 coupon per couple & 2 coupons per table.
- Offer valid 7 days a week 5-11:30 pra ,
uniil November 30/99... ©

ristorante italiano’
§ 1560 marine drive, west van.

servations 92.6 - 4228.

COD «

With this cou

_ chips, and receive a second cod & chip

ot ann

‘CHIPS.

dinner of equal or ay value =

* Monday to Thursday only, 2 p.m. to closin

* Horseshoe Bay

location only ‘© Dine-in only

© Not valid with other promotional offers

lo o Substitutions