BigBoom Vino

Vincent Barresi opened his newest restaurant, BigBoom, following the closing of his popular home style Italian restaurant Vincent’s. BigBoom adds blast to traditional Italian recipes, enjoys a full bar, linen napkins, attentive service, plenty of seating and easy parking down on Glenwood South.

My sister was again in town so my wife and I invited her along for our visit to BigBoom; she had been with us on the old restaurant’s last day; it seemed only fitting she be with us when we explored its successor.  BigBoom’s own take on traditional Italian fare, though most enjoyable, occasionally suffers from its own earnestness; the gussied up recipes sometimes lack subtlety. The setting is fun-funky, with the bar and several walls painted in a vibrant graffiti style.

That evening the weather was Chamber-of-Commerce perfect, not too hot, cooled by the incoming drift of evening air. We sat outside and watched a much younger world walk by, with the strollers getting younger and younger as we ate into the evening.

The Big Boom has a complete bar – and most importantly, a very good bar tender.  I told Scott that he was one of only a half dozen bartenders in Raleigh that could make a good martini – good by my specifications.  The martini was as delightful as the evening.

Kacy, our waitress for the evening, belongs to a dwindling population, a Raleigh native.  Her delightful smile and fond manner added greatly to our comfort. 

The three of us shared two appetizers, the “rice ball” and the Eggplant Rollatini.  The rice ball, aka arancini, was denser than I prefer, heavier on flavors, not the simple, traditional rice and cheese balls my wife’s aunt used to make. Still good, despite being over the top.  The Rollatini, unbreaded eggplant rolled around mozzarella, ricotta and pancetta, was very good.  I enjoyed the pancetta, though I would have preferred having the eggplant be the predominant flavor.

The menu almost dares one to make changes in the presentation, “Don’t see it on the menu? Just ask! We’ll be happy to make anything your heart desires.” My sister took them up on this and subtracted the cream and mushrooms from the Fusilli Carbonara and replaced them with marinara.  It came just as she ordered, a fine dish.  My wife ordered the “Orecchiette” in a marinara sauce. I enjoyed the melt in your mouth Chianti braised short rib with its elegantly decadent sauce.

My wife and sister ordered a nice Chianti which set the meal off just right.  And, at $7 a glass, the price was also most pleasant. As per my usual, I indulged myself with a second martini.

Towards the end of the meal, one of Vinny’s partners, Schaefer, dropped by to say hello. The perfunctory, “How was your meal,” turned into a long, fun conversation.  Schaefer has led a most interesting life. Next time I will ask him to pull up a chair and enjoy a glass of wine with us. During our discussion about gnocchi, he left suddenly and quickly reappeared bringing three gnocchi for us to taste.  All their pasta is imported from Italy. I wondered if this gnocchi hailed from Rome where the Gnocchi alla Romana uses semolina flour rather than potato as its main ingredient, the benefit being more than just preference, Gnocchi alla Romana’s strong independent personality can bully even the most imposing of sauces such as BigBoom’s marinara with sausage and broccolini.

What surprised us the most was finding the dining room entirely empty, though at 6:30 the night was still quite young. Even the outside tables never reached full capacity.  Perhaps the Big Boom just needs to be discovered. 

We are looking forward to going back. Those of you, also of a certain age, fear not; Glenwood South in the early evening is fun, convivial, sober, and cheerful. Getting there is easy, and the parking garage on the same block makes it truly convenient. 

BigBoom is located at 510 Glenwood South, Raleigh, NC.    919 307 4778.

Gravy Italian-American Kitchen

Think “restaurant”, and one generally thinks hospitality and congeniality – along with the enjoyment of dining. Not so at Gravy.

A few weeks back, Vivian and I saw Romeo and Juliet at Burning Coal Theater.  A wonderful and ingenious interpretation that required great skill, energy and understanding from the actors.  After the play, we were eager to discuss our views over a fine evening meal.
Earlier that morning we had reminisced about good times at Gravy, back when our friend Ray was the bartender.  His martinis were fantastic; the food was always home-cooked good.  What better place to continue our discussion of such a fine, modern interpretation of Shakespeare.
We arrived around 4:30; Gravy would open at 5:00.  It was a brisk cold day, but we made use of the interval to walk around downtown Raleigh.  But enough was enough. My wife hates the cold; her fingers, even in the best of gloves, still go blue so we headed back; at least we could stand in the entryway to keep out of the wind.

Ten minutes before five, the tables were empty, the waiters stood ready, and the receptionist was at her desk.  I motioned to her -- she courteously unlocked the door.  “Could we come in just to wait, we are both very, very cold.”  She asked her manager; he replied,” NO.”

Just freeze while we fiddle with the forks.

That disdainful manager snuffed out our joy of being back at Gravy.  We left and had our grand discussion, fine drinks and dinner at another restaurant.

Preparing to write this blog, I checked Gravy’s website for its address and telephone number.  Though hard to believe, it wasn’t there.  Not on the homepage, nor on any of its tabs, including the “about” page.  After reading and re-reading everything and fifteen minutes later, I finally found the “contact us” page, and there it was.  Not only was common sense marketing ignored, so also was an obvious courtesy to its patrons. Why make it so hard to find the obvious?

No page mentioned any obligation or interest in their guests; the site only touted the quality of the food (and it is good, quite good in fact), the credentials of the chef, and opportunities for catering and private parties. Arrogance? More likely ignorance.

To be a guest at an Italian’s table is a deep honor, and deep pleasure.  The hosts express their welcome by cooking their best dishes.  Italian dining is primarily social, what is served is a reflection of the hosts’ hospitality, and a chance to honor those who are present.  My Italian father-in-law, though a very busy corporate executive, spent time each week bringing people to his Sunday table; only after the inviting would his wife and he discuss what to serve.  The food itself was just an expression of regard for their friends.  When Italians invite you to diner, it is you they want to see; your happiness is foremost. Even a generation later, I still find this universally true.

Oh sorry, not at Gravy. 

Located at 135 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC.  919-896-8513.