Bosco's

It's been more than four years since I reviewed Bosco's! It was a group effort and probably a bit wordy for my casual readers, so here's a new look at an old favorite.

Bosco's Squared
2120 Madison Avenue
432-2222

The past few Sundays, we've found ourselves driving around in search of food. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to go to Bosco's. We used to live right behind Bosco's and it was my regular drinking spot. I go for lunch and late night drinks from time to time and Warren and I have been known to pop in before a movie, but we hadn't taken the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) in over four years!



We arrived pretty early--around 6:00pm--and found the restaurant fairly quiet. (There was also snow in the forecast.) We were seated along the west wall in a large booth. There was one other family dining in the same area and I was glad to see it.

When we sat down, we had an immediate issue--the candle on the table. "Can I blow it out?" was the first thing Satchel asked. We went ahead an let him so that the fire would not continue to be a source of conversation/annoyance for the rest of the meal. (Sadly, I can't blame the lack of candlelight for the quality of these pictures. Half way through our meal, they adjusted the lighting to be even lower than it already was. Good for ambiance, bad for pictures.)



The hostess gave the monkeys fancy crayons to color their kids' menus/placemats. I love that they are still young enough to tackle kids' pages with gusto. Our first order of business was getting drinks. Warren ordered a Poor Richard's Ale and the rest of us got water. (Had it not been a Sunday after two nights of imbibing, I probably would have had a beer too.) The kids' waters came in styrofoam cups. (Doesn't it seem like an institution like Bosco's should be PGF certified?)



In terms of food, the kids' menu seemed about the same as I remembered. It cracks me up that you can get fruit with a side of fries. The macaroni and cheese is Kraft, and overall I think the menu is pretty amenable to little kids.



Jiro quickly decided on the cheese pizza, but Satchel wanted soup. The soup of the day was clam chowder and he was fine with that. Warren and I went back and forth. If I wasn't on a healthy choices kick, I would have totally gotten the Buffalo chicken pizza. Instead, I opted for the ahi tuna tacos. I offered to share them with Warren for a bit of his steak sandwich and he agreed.

The first thing to come out was Warren's side salad. It was fine. Nothing exciting. Looking closely at the picture, I'd guess it came from a bag. The carrots definitely did.



Then the tuna tacos arrived. They are an appetizer. The description reads "Chopped Sushi Tuna, Shredded Lettuce, Pico De Gallo, and Smoky Sour Cream in Crisp Wontons." I've had them several times and like the way the pico and the sour cream combine. I am also a fan of the crunchy shell. However, the tuna was cooked way more than I would have liked.



Our main dishes arrived soon after. Jiro's pizza looked very small. He can pack away an entire slice of the Trolley Stop Market's giant pizza, so ordering from the kids' menu may have been a stretch for him. He complained that the cheese was sliding around, but once it cooled off a bit, he easily ate it up. (I definitely expected him to be hungry about an hour later and he was.)



Satchel's clam chowder, on the other hand, was gigantic. I definitely should have gotten him a small. He loves nothing more than dipping bread into soup, so he was golden. (As much as he claimed to like this soup it took a lot of string arming to get him to polish off the leftovers a few days later.)



Warren's Angus steak sandwich looked yummy, and it was, but I definitely did not feel the power of my healthy choices with the buttered and grilled bread smothered in mayo. Oh well. I ate some fries and got over myself.



We all cleaned our plates, except Satchel. Warren was still working on his beer (he tried enlisting Jiro's help to polish it off!), so I agreed to get a slice of Key Lime pie for everyone to split. I think it must be the first thing Satchel looks for on a menu!



It was good--again, nothing special. Our tab came to $50, $60 with tip. Ouch!

Looking back, I guess I never noticed how blah some of the food is at Bosco's. Next time, I'll suck it up and have a Flaming Stone and the Buffalo chicken pizza. This is not the place for healthy choices! Although, I think the seared tuna salad probably would have been a better--and more filling (but more expensive)--alternative to the tuna tacos. And I'd probably have the monkeys split a regular pizza and avoid the kids' menu.

I am a fan of Bosco's and love that they continue to bring in the crowds. Overton Square definitely needs a solid place to anchor it. The patio is amazing and the service is usually just fine. Definitely worth going to, especially if you are monkey free and thirsty.