@

Baci’s, #3 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. 984-3337. Visa,
MasterCard and American Express accepted. Open every day for
dinner; open Monday to Friday for lunch. Take the kids or call a

babysitter? You could do either.

OCUS IS a key ingredient of any successful restau-

rant.

The wrong focus will discourage
diners; no focus will bewilder
them.

The #3 Lonsdale address has
been home to a host of restau-
rants. Some had focus; some
didn't.

Baci’sis Tasos with focus.

In 1988, Tasos Steak, Pizza and
Spaghetti House moved into what
had been the San Francisco Pizza
Department and before that had
been Delo’s.

Its initial trade was brisk, as is
the trade of most new restaurants.
But as Tasos’ multi-syllabic, fully-

. dressed, five-piece-suit name il-

- lustrated, the restaurant's focus
‘was wide, too wide. It was trying
to be too many things to too many

ple.
PsThat p philosophy i is rarely suc-
cessful for long, and as Tasos
entered the ‘90s, it was increasing-
ly fewer things to fewer people. Its
World Family Continental Cuisine .
_ was losing its appeal.

At the beginning of this year,
Tasos quietly closed. Cynics nod-
ded knowingly: another one bites
the dust, they concluded.

But owner Tasos Collias was

‘merely regrouping, getting his eye
back on the balt — getting
‘vefocused.

The result is Baci’ ‘s, a place of
extremely simple focus: pasta.

Lots of pasta. Pasta made on the
premises, stacked high upon
plates, consumed with gusto. Fifty
varieties of the stuff, with all man-
ner of toppings and accompani-
ment...

Pricing, too, has a simple focus:
pasta dishes are all $9.95, a hand-
ful of meat, chicken and rid dishes
are ail $13.95.

Starters range from around $3
up to $6.

That's it. No math degree need-
ed here, only a hunger fer
reasonably priced Italian fast food.

interesting variations on the
pasta theme abound: Fettuccine
Con Curry (with chicken, green

Restaurant at
Granville Square

Timothy Renshaw
TABLE HOPPING

onions and almords in a creamy
curry sauce); Linguine Alla
Mediterraneo (with anchovy, ar-
tichokes and olives in rase sauce);
Spaghetti Alla Salciccia (with hot

’s for Pasta

fresh Romaine lettuce, grated
Parmesan cheese beneath a
somewhat non-descript dressing,
and a bowl of Minestrone soup
($3.50).

The so..p was thick with
vegetables, beans and pasta, but it,
too, had a surprisingly one-dimen-
sional flavor.

My rigatoni dish, however, was
good and simple.

It came with slices of Italian
sausage, proscuitto ham, tomatoes
and fresh parsley.

The thick pasta came piled high
on a large oblong plate, and the
Bon Gusto sauce was well made,
featuring fiavors of garlic, oil,
tomato and herbs.

The canneloni was stuffed with
ricotta cheese and spinach. it also
featured good, clean fiavors, but
was somewhat overbaked and dry.

Baci’s pulls in the same crowd
pulled in by its various bargain-
basement fast-food predecessors.

But the walls of Tasos’ kitchen
have been removed to bring the

NEWS jneto Tinely Goodman

BACi’S BONANZA...A selection of seafood pasta fiis a table at
_Baci’s restaurant in Lower Lonsdate.

Italian sausage, onions and pep-
pers in a tomato sauce).

Table Hopping sampled a
Rigatoni Bon Gusto and a Can-
neloni Alla Spinaci.

We accompanied both with a
good 1988 Chianti Brolio ($25.95)
from Baci’s uninspired wine list.

The main dishes were preceded
by an Insalata Caesar ($3.95 small,
$5.95 large}, which was served
with big homemade croutons,

‘kitchen to the diners and make the

showbiz of frying-pan flambes and
food preparation a part of the res-
taurant’s dining experience.

And while Baci’s might not have
the culinary sophistication of Corsi
Trattoria, its neighbor to the im-
mediate south, or the social
vivacity of Anatoli Souviaki, its
neighbor to the immediate north,
it fills the gap with plates of simple
food at simple prices.

FAMOUS FOR

PRIME RIB
CARVED AT YOUR TABLE

LIVE MUSIC AND DANCING THURS. THRU SAT. FEATURING DARLA AND HER FRIENDS
FANTASTIC HARBOUR & MOUNTAIN VIEWS

NEXT 10 PAN PACIFIC HOTEL

By Day A Million Sights. By Night A Million Lights.

| 200 GRANVILLE ST.

Lunch and Dinner
From Tuesday fo Saturday

FREE PARKING AFTER & PM

689-8883

Celebrating 43 years of
successful business

Early Bird Dinner Special

Daily between 5:30 and 6:15 p.m.

located on the second floor at:
1373 Marine Dr, West Vancouver

M@ (parking at level with
®, restaurant at the back}

|_OPEN 7 DAYS

Wednesday, April 22, 1992 - North Shore News — 27

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