Dinner Out

While having dinner at "Brand X" we learned that two of our favorite restaurant people were now at what used to be known as the Bainbridge Restaurant and is now known as "Aprile's European Restaurant"—European with an Italian approach.

So, we decided to check it out.  It was a good decision.  We thoroughly enjoyed out time at dinner there on Saturday evening.  The food was good and the conversation was good and the atmosphere was good and the service was good.

The new owner of the restaurant is Mr Eddie Aprile.  We met him and found him to be interesting to talk with.  His father owned the restaurant of the same name in the North End of Boston.  Eddie's Father was a cook in the Navy and then started out as a cook in a North End Restaurant, moving up to Chief and then partner.  The business may be in the genes.

I dropped off my wife and daughter and parked the car.  Walking in I ran into Karl, who is the manager and someone I knew from his previous incarnation here in Lowell.  Karl and his wife and daughter moved up here from Connecticut to manage a restaurant and he was doing an excellent job, IMHO, when the chain ownership moved him aside.  That was our loss and the owners' loss.

Also there at this new restaurant was our friend Joanne, the "manager in training", someone we also knew from before.

Ricky (Rixk on the printed bill), was our waiter.  He too is someone we knew from before, at a different venue.  Rickie is a sophomore at Middlesex, and studying "business".

We had the Fried Mozzarella for an Appetizer and my wife thought it was as good as what we used to get in Naples, Italy.  Then we had salads, which were huge.  That was followed by Chicken Marsala, which was very generous.  Up to that point it had all be delicious.  Finally, deserts, with my wife having Creme Carmel and I had chocolate cake.  We both enjoyed our deserts.  Our daughter, who was with us, had Minestrone soup, a big salad and a vegetable pizza, much of which came home with us.  This morning I was talking about the restaurant with someone and he noted that he had taken his kids (grandkids?) there on Wednesday and they had all had pizzas, which they all enjoyed.

Yes, it was more expensive than "Brand X", but the portions were bigger and the taste was great.

Except for deserts, they have a "scratch kitchen", which means it is being prepared for you as you wait.

Looking at ambiance, the lighting is good and one can read a book in the restaurant (but not the bar).  A bonus is that no one came around and turned down the lighting as the sun went down.  The level of chatter is just right.  It is constant, but it does not intrude and drown out one's own conversation.  Our last time there, as Bainbridge, my wife had noted that it was quiet as a morgue.  I think the high ceiling makes for an open feel and allows the conversation to move up and not across, to intrude on others.  Last night, as we got up to leave I looked around at those dining and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The Restaurant is open for lunch and open until 10 in the Evening during the week and 11 PM on Fri and Sat.  Brunch buffet for Sunday, from 1030 to 2:00 and then dinner from 3:00 to 9:00 PM.

They have their own Web Page, which includes menus and hours.  There is also a link to the sister restaurant, Gaetano's, in Stoneham.

Aprile's European