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.

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Oct 27 - Oct 30, 1999: wore:

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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