Epicurean Delights
by Kelli Cardenas
This column will
serve as your restaurant
review. With every issue
of the Bronco's voice you
can rest assured that I
have dined in a restaurant
and formed an opinion. In
turn I will report back
on the experience to
fellow Bronco's.
Restaruants will be
judged on atmosphere,
service, and quality of
food. They will not
always be local, but
usually within a
commutable drive. My
first review(s) will tell
you about 3 dining
establishments that I
visited during my summer
touring excursions. They
are the most memorable
from 3 different cities.
CHARLESTON, SOUTH
CAROLINA
At the end of the spring
semester my sister, Traci
and I went to Charleston,
South Carolina. In
Chariest on one never has
to worry about going
hungry. There is a myriad
of dining, munching and
dessert choices. My
absolutely favorite place
to dine in Charleston is
Bocci's Italian
Restaurant. Located in
historic downtown on
Church Street, Bocci's
offers an exquisite array
of Italian food. My first
experience at Bocci's
actually occurred on a
previous visit to
Charleston. The
wonderful memory left no
doubt that I must return.
Outdoor sidewalk dining
is available, but seating
inside was more conducive
to the hot and humid
summer day. The decor is
simple and comforting.
The walls are painted a
soothing terra cotta and
are trimmed with flowing
vines of grape leaves.
The dining tales are
sturdy blockwood and
flowers grace the table.
There are two inside
dining areas. The front
area is where you will
find the bar and tables
that seat up to 4 . The
back area can hold larger
groups.
I remembered our
waiter Chris from last
years visit, but not as
well as I remembered my
eggplant sandwich with a
side of pasta salad. For
the past year I silently
searched for an eggplant
dish as delectable as
this . I even tried making
it at home. Finally, I
was at Bocci's again and
I could savor the taste
if only in my mind. I
ordered the sandwich to
which Chris informed me
was not available. Traci
and I had arrived during
the dinner hour, eggplant
sandwiches were on the
lunch menu. Sensing my
disappointment Chris said
he would check with the
kitchen. It was my lucky
day. I was only minutes
away from having melt in
your mouth eggplant. The
sandwich is served on pita
bread and the eggplant is
grilled with olive oil.
I believe the secret is
in the spinach, garlic
and butter spread. The
chefs at Bocci's must use
an artists' spatula to
spread it on the pita
bread because when it is
all combined it is truly
a work of art . Traci
ordered spaghetti with
marinara sauce to which
she described the same
melt in your mouth
sensation. Bread and
butter are served before
your meal, and Chris
recommended a slightly
dry red wine that was a
little too dry for my
taste. The prices are
reasonable, $6-10 for
dinner entree's. Not only
was Bocci's our first
meal in Charleston, but
my sister insisted that
it be the last meal when
we were leaving a few days
later.
WASHINGTON D.C.
For the fourth of July
weekend Tommy (my
boyfriend who will be my
regular dining companion)
met my sister in
Washington D.C. The most
memorable meal we has was
a top the Washington
Hotel . The restaurant is
located on the roof of the
hotel and offers diners a
spectacular view of the
wh i te house, the
Washington, Lincoln and in
the distance the Jefferson
monuments . We were there
in the evening so the city
sparkled from this view.
The menu was not very
extensive. As a
vegetarian my only option
was a fruit and cheese
plate or a salad. I chose
the fruit and cheese.
Traci had the salad. Tommy
ordered a pasta dish, and
Traci's companion John
ordered lasagna. All
servings were generous as
I actually got full with
my meal. There's nothing
better than sweet, juicy,
ripened fruit, and there
was a good variety of
cheese and crackers.
There was enough on my
plate so that when Tommy
finished his pasta, be
snacked on the cheese and
crackers from my meal .
Traci was served a
humongous salad. It's a
good thing too as John's
lasagna was served to him
long after everyone else
began their meals. The
waitress had forgotten to
write his order down,
embarrassed she hurriedly
prepared his meal. After
several minutes he was
served piping hot lasagna.
It was not an epicure' n
delight, but tired and
hungry from touring all
day, it hit the spot. The
view of the city made up
for the service.
While in Washington
we attempted to get into
continued on pg. 6
Tommy and Kelli at Ocean Eddie’s haying after-dinne, coffee