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Chow, Baby
No-Stress Lane
Cruising down Camp Bowie Boulevard one day last week, Chow Baby took a fast turn out of a traffic jam and into Aventino's Ristorante, 3206 Winthrop Ave. And a lucky turn it was, too. Daughter Erica Paez took over the family-owned operation about a year ago and has done a fabulous job of keeping what worked (the food, the service) and getting rid of what didn't (the wagon-wheel chandeliers). Amid the soothing strains of the biggest-hits classical music that people of our generation recognize mainly from Bugs Bunny cartoons, Chow, Baby took a comfy leather chair and raised a nice glass of shiraz in toast to the congestion half a block away. Chumps. The menu comprises timeless family-Italian standards ($7-$10 lunch, $9.50-$19 dinner) -- pasta and sauce; baked dishes -- plus a nice range of Northern Italian specialties. Chow, Baby's oregano-y chicken Milanese, a pan-fried breadcrumbed cutlet with a side of spaghetti marinara, was fabulous. So was Chow, Baby's server, who could not be stumped by any ingredient, wine-compatibility, or food-history question. The housemade tiramisu ($4.50) was as great as he had promised; a soothed Chow, Baby ordered another slice to go, tipped large, and headed back into the Camp Bowie fray.
Warning Flag A couple of days later Chow, Baby found itself riding the bricks again, this time heading for Banderas on the Boulevard (4255 Camp Bowie Blvd). Whoever wrote the menu here should get an award, because the soups, sandwiches, and plates all sound delicious. But nothing we ate on-site rated better than an eh. Queso ($3.95) was Campbell's-soup bland. Chow, Baby's companion dubbed his chicken enchiladas ($7.95) "Tex-Mex lite" for their lack of oomph. Jim Bowie Chicken ($10.95) was -- um, apparently it was unmemorable. There may have been a sauce. The service was slappable. Our waitress kept asking what salsa, vegetable, salad dressing, or potato we wanted without listing the options (not evident on the menu), forcing us to repeat "What have you got?" "What have you got?" "What have you got?" like a CNN tribute to Marlon Brando. "Bottomless" chips and iced tea reached bottom and stayed there way too long. Our ingredient and preparation questions were eye-rollingly conveyed to the kitchen instead of being answered on the spot. But Banderas has been around only a month -- it took over the Goose West space -- and Chow, Baby has faith that dim waitstaffers either learn or leave, while bright spots on the menu are contagious.
The bright spots were in Chow, Baby's to-go order, placed with dinner in mind. All afternoon, however, the office fridge called to Chow, Baby, making it come over every few minutes for just a nibble of tender pan-seared pork tenderloin medallions topped with a tart raspberry glaze ($10.95), served with oven-roasted potatoes and nice grilled asparagus. And then just a taste of wonderful cinnamony bread pudding with not-too-sweet cr¸me anglaise ($4.95 on menu, but $3.95 on bill). By quitting time, there was nothing but sauce stains in either box. Normally the interns are blamed for fridge disappearances, but they've learned to keep their hands off go-boxes marked CHOW, BABY RESEARCH. The ones who still have hands, that is. Chow, Baby could blame only itself ... hey, where's that tiramisu?
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