Bacco Restaurant
718 Dutchess Turnpike (across from Adams in the Arlington Wine Plaza)
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
845-454-1882
Update May 2012 Bacco Restaurant has closed
A Family Affair
Our plans called for an early dinner, at 5 PM on Sunday, timed to get us to the 7 PM Sharon Jones concert at the Bardavon. We were surprised to find a very large family gathering already there, complete with balloons, and we were ushered to a quite spot in the rear of the dining area. Our waitress, Nancy, balanced our request for a speedy dinner with the demands of the twenty odd revelers in the next room. She did it without breaking stride.
Bacco has been open a few months. We stopped in for dinner with the Wednesday Night Boyz last October when they had first opened. They were still finding their footing but the menu looked promising. They are still keeping a very low profile for some reason that I don't quite understand. I had trouble finding a phone number for them on the internet and they haven't done any advertising. I might suggest that they are hiding their proverbial light under a basket, as the place is most certainly worth talking about - and worth a visit.
Our waitress Nancy explained that her family - her father, grandfather, and uncle were all in the kitchen, preparing the southern Italian specialties that appear on the menu. The highlights include many seafood dishes and pastas that Gaetano, Salvatore, and Carmelo D'Aprile grew up with along southern Italy's sea shore.
I started with a dish of Cozze and Vongole - mussels and clams - served in a garlicy bath of olive oil and broth and julienned zucchini. My pile of sweet plump shellfish hid a large piece of grilled bread, soaking up the sauce. A very nice presentation. Mary's appetizer was even better - a Parmigiano Reggiano flan ($9) - served over pesto and arugula. The savory custard, laced with the salty grated cheese, was a wonderful counterpoint to the sweet pesto and peppery arugula. Killer dish. Other appetizers included a caesar salad ($7), carpaccio ($13) served with arugula and shaved parmesan, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and grilled peppers ($13), grilled octopus ($13), and sauteed shrimp and cannelini beans ($10).
I started with a dish of Cozze and Vongole - mussels and clams - served in a garlicy bath of olive oil and broth and julienned zucchini. My pile of sweet plump shellfish hid a large piece of grilled bread, soaking up the sauce. A very nice presentation. Mary's appetizer was even better - a Parmigiano Reggiano flan ($9) - served over pesto and arugula. The savory custard, laced with the salty grated cheese, was a wonderful counterpoint to the sweet pesto and peppery arugula. Killer dish. Other appetizers included a caesar salad ($7), carpaccio ($13) served with arugula and shaved parmesan, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and grilled peppers ($13), grilled octopus ($13), and sauteed shrimp and cannelini beans ($10).
The wine list is limited to a few inexpensive selections, but we did find a bottle of nebbiolo from Spinetta, a "baby barolo" from the Langhe hills in Piedmont. The wine, which retails for around $25, was on the list a very reasonable $40. I hope with some time and demand the list expands to include a greater selection of wines to match the kitchen.
I tried a dinner special of chicken breast, sauteed with olive oil, hearts of artichokes, and black olives and finished with a splash of white wine - very nicely done. An even better kitchen effort was the risotto. I love a well prepared risotto - with just enough starch to bind the rice grains together but still enough texture to remind you that you are eating rice. Restaurant risotto - typically reheated with added broth - can be soupy and washed out. When its done right, its great. Kudos to the kitchen on this dish, which was fabulous - chock full of asparagus and surrounded by sauteed shrimp.
Other entree choices include a grilled bronzino ($22) - (Mediterranean sea bass), served with asparagus, a Misto di Carne ($24) a mixed grill of fennel sausage, grilled chicken breast and steak. One of the house made pastas is gnocchi tossed with garbanzo beans (chick peas), potatoes, and mussels for $19.
The dessert selections are house made and apparently in good hands as the family patriarch divides his talents between Bacco and his job as pastry chef with the Vanikiotis family at The Daily Planet in Lagrange. Save room. We were pressed for time so we settled for a cup of espresso and a glass of Sambucca.
Bacco has made great strides since its opening and I look forward to returning with the Wednesday night crew for seconds. I do hope that risotto is listed as a special.
I tried a dinner special of chicken breast, sauteed with olive oil, hearts of artichokes, and black olives and finished with a splash of white wine - very nicely done. An even better kitchen effort was the risotto. I love a well prepared risotto - with just enough starch to bind the rice grains together but still enough texture to remind you that you are eating rice. Restaurant risotto - typically reheated with added broth - can be soupy and washed out. When its done right, its great. Kudos to the kitchen on this dish, which was fabulous - chock full of asparagus and surrounded by sauteed shrimp.
Other entree choices include a grilled bronzino ($22) - (Mediterranean sea bass), served with asparagus, a Misto di Carne ($24) a mixed grill of fennel sausage, grilled chicken breast and steak. One of the house made pastas is gnocchi tossed with garbanzo beans (chick peas), potatoes, and mussels for $19.
The dessert selections are house made and apparently in good hands as the family patriarch divides his talents between Bacco and his job as pastry chef with the Vanikiotis family at The Daily Planet in Lagrange. Save room. We were pressed for time so we settled for a cup of espresso and a glass of Sambucca.
Bacco has made great strides since its opening and I look forward to returning with the Wednesday night crew for seconds. I do hope that risotto is listed as a special.
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