Local Legend: Bambino’s Cafe

Imagine sitting at your dinner table with the smell of tender meat filled pasta being cooked just a few feet away. Then imagine not having to cook the food or clean up after yourself because you have a smiley upbeat waitress to fulfill your every wish. This is what you will experience at Bambino’s Cafe in the cozy Phelps Grove neighborhood just south of Missouri State’s campus.

This is the type of local legend restaurant that you wouldn’t know about except through word of mouth. You can’t see it from any major road, as it is tucked in the middle of a neighborhood. When pulling up to the front you feel as though you’re headed to a dinner at a friend’s house because you must park on the street in front of people’s houses.  

Once inside you immediately feel the coziness, like you’re in your own home. The worn wooden tables are close together, but without the sense that it’s too crammed. The aromas of garlic bread and pasta immediately hit your nose. If it’s not too busy you can take the liberty of seating yourself, maybe you’ll develop a favorite spot. But the laid back atmosphere is just the tip of the iceberg.

My friend and I quickly ordered a Boulevard Wheat on tap and a glass of red wine. It wasn’t more than two minutes before the waitress had them to our table with a basket of bread, olive oil, and garlic. They don’t skimp on the wine either; the glass was easily more than half full.  

The alcohol wasn’t the only part of the menu that was intoxicating. Each one of the five dinner specials made my mouth water. There was the Tortellini Gorgonzola that was filled with cheese and simmered in a gorgonzola pesto sauce mixed with broccoli and roasted chicken. But the choice I went with was the Baked Ziti. This was tube-shaped pasta mixed with tender beef roast, smothered in cream and topped with a huge portion of mozzarella cheese.  At home this meal would take me at least 30 minutes to prepare, but the waitress had it out in less than ten, with no signs it had been pre-prepared or microwaved. Did I mention that each of the dinner specials range from $8.99 to $9.99 and could easily serve two people? 

Bambino’s also has a wide range of house pastas that are served for either lunch or dinner. These include your basics like the Fettuccine Alfredo and Angel Hair pasta with meat or marinara sauce. But then there are several more that are sure to steal your taste buds’ heart. The Nonna includes linguine with roasted chicken breast and simmered red peppers, covered in a light Alfredo sauce. I’m not usually a fan of red peppers or Alfredo but it was hard to limit myself to one bite off of my friend’s plate.  

If you feel as though the freshly baked bread with olive oil and fresh garlic isn’t a good enough appetizer then you can order one of their seven other choices; all less than $6.99. These appetizers are classic Italian foods; toasted garlic bread, garlic cheese bread, toasted ravioli, bruschetta, and spinach and artichoke dip with garlic bread. I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and it was hands down the best that I’ve had, not to mention the large portion. And if somehow you finish all the garlic bread before the dip, you’ve still got fresh bread at your disposal.  

The sole experience I’ve had at Bambinos was at 6 p.m. on a Thursday, and it was not busy. By the time I left about 45 minutes later it had picked up, but still nothing crazy. So if you’re looking for a quick in-and-out experience I recommend arriving before six because, from what I saw, the crowd was increasing with time. And if it happens to be a nice day, there is an outside patio with a screen cover that adds another ten tables to the restaurant.  

If you’re looking for a place to bring the whole family on a budget, you can’t beat the prices. I almost always finish my meals, but even I had to get some of my Baked Ziti to go. The waitress also gives you the option to get the lunch portion of the house pastas for two dollars less, which is still plenty of dinner after the bread appetizer. Bambinos also offers a kids menu with pasta, mac n cheese, or pizza, all for $3.99.

This restaurant encompasses every good aspect a customer could want: fast and friendly service, great prices, large potions, and a homey atmosphere.  If you’re looking for a place to bring a date or just the next place to go for a family dinner, Bambinos is that place.  

 

 

Specifics 

Hours:  Monday-Saturday  11am-10pm      Sunday 12pm-9pm

Alcohol:  White and Red wine  $4.00-5.75 ($20-25).  Beer: tap and bottled.

Prices:  < $10 per person

Reservations:  No

Catering?  Yes

Coca-Cola products

1141 E. Delmar St.

(417) 862-9999

 

Prelude to the Final Four

My mind is racing right now trying to think of what exactly I should write regarding Kentucky basketball.  Should I smash the misconception that UK has had an easy schedule throughout the regular season?  Maybe educate on the ignorance people have towards Coach Calipari?  Or should I hype up the UK / UL rivalry that’s about to take center stage throughout the country this Saturday?  Looks like I’m going to have to touch on each of these pressing issues.

Most people throughout the college basketball world see the SEC as a joke.  While they are not entirely wrong, the SEC has more power than commonly seen.  There’s UK, Vandy, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi State; all of whom were ranked in the top 25 at some point throughout the season.  But it’s not the conference schedule that represents UK’s overall schedule.  Out of the seven teams other than UK that made it to the Elite 8, UK played four of them; one of which they met three times.  Out of those six games the Wildcats went 6-0.  Then add the Elite 8 game and UK played five of the seven teams, going 7-0 overall.  Out of the remaining three Final Four teams KU has gone 4-2, OSU has gone 2-1, and UL has gone 1-2 for a cumulative 7-5 record.  Not only has UK played more Elite 8 teams than any other Final Four contestant, but they have won all seven of them, enough said.  

When it comes to a great coach there are certain traits you need to look at.  These are recruiting, leadership, knowledge of the game, integrity, and the players best interests at heart.  Nationally, Coach Calipari is known as a punk coach because of a couple things.  He gets the best players every year and just sends them to the NBA and he’s had a couple recruiting violations at previous coaching positions.  Does this make him a bad coach?  No way.  He’s the nations best recruiter.  Some may say “who couldn’t be when violating the rules?”, but you don’t need to cheat to recruit when you’re coaching at Kentucky.  Leadership – he has taken the nations best prep talent and gotten them to put aside their egos and work as a team for a national title, that takes amazing skill.  Knowledge of the game – Rick Pitino recommended Calipari to his first coaching job at UMASS and he’s been a head coach since, his records show his knowledge of the game.  Integrity – while he has had a few recruiting violations which forced him to vacate a Final Four with Memphis, he’s yet to show any sign of foul play in the three years at UK.  Players best interest at heart- he has said countless times that he wants to make his players dreams come true.  If that means they go to the NBA after one year of school, then that’s what he’s going to train them to do.  If he doesn’t think they’re ready he tells them.  Why does this issue of finishing college pervade every issue in college basketball?  If it weren’t for the NBA imposing the one year of college rule we wouldn’t even be talking about it.  Most of these players would have gone pro out of high school.  If you have a gift like these players, you’d want to use it before you run the risk of injury too.  We go to college to educate ourselves for  a job in the world.  They have a job in the world making millions of dollars.  They’ve been educated in the world of basketball.  That doesn’t make any college graduate any better than them just because they didn’t graduate.  

 

In regards to the UK / UL rivalry, this is going to be the most watched Final Four game of all time.  Unless you’re from Kentucky you simply have no idea what this rivalry means.  KU vs. Mizzou? That’s a joke.  Duke vs. UNC – strong but nothing close.  This article written by a Pat Forde, a sports writer from Louisville says it perfectly.  If you feel the earth shaking this weekend don’t worry, it’s just 3 million people jumping around to the east.  

2012: Eerily Similar to ’96?

Kentucky Basketball is one of the most storied athletics programs in all of sports.  Three seasons ago we became the first team ever to win two thousand games.  We have the most NCAA tournament appearances of all time with 51 and are tied for the most tournament wins of all time with 105.  We’re 4th on the list for most Final Four appearances (14) and 2nd for the most NCAA championships with 7.  Differing from the first place team on that list, we have those seven championships with four different coaches; the only program to accomplish such a feat.  Rupp Arena boasts the largest seating capacity in the nation with 23,500, but rarely do you see it with less than 24,000.  But with all of the great teams throughout the years, one clearly stands out; the 1995-1996 championship team.

The ’96 team featured a record of 34-2, with the two losses coming to future Final Four teams.  This squad won their games by an average of 22 points and featured nine future professional players.  It was coached by the legendary Rick Pitino who has taken three different schools to the final four, including three at Kentucky.  The leading scorer was Tony Delk with 17.8 ppg  and the leading rebounder was Antoine Walker with 8.4.  According to the Sagarin computer ratings, this was the best collegiate basketball team of all time with a score of 103.26, beating out the ’76 undefeated Indiana team by a full point.  But even though this is considered one of the best teams of all time, the current 2012 squad may be very close.

This year’s team has lost only one game; a buzzer beater on the road at IU.  We’ve currently been atop the rankings for seven weeks which is as long as we’ve been in that position since the ’96 team.  We’ve got six future NBA players with five who will go in the first round of 30.  CBS just today named our star player, Anthony Davis, the freshman player of the year.  Davis is also in the top two for the National Player of the Year that will be decided next Tuesday.  He will most likely be the number 1 draft pick in the NBA draft with his teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely going second.  Davis has led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks with 14.4, 9.8, and 4.7 respectively.  Our top six players average 10 or more points per game and the team is currently #6 all time in blocked shots with 278.  But besides the numbers it’s the way the team fits perfectly together.  You’d think with six future pros each of them would only care about themselves, but this team has come together and shown no signs of selfishness through the entire season. They truly want to bring UK it’s eighth championship and I feel good about their chances.  It’s March now and the tournament starts one week from today, but I’ll be counting down the days till the championship game.

Mystery Thriller of the Decade: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Many times films try to portray a certain era and fail drastically, but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is right on the mark in regards to Cold War era communist phobia in Britain. The film was originally a novel written in 1974 by John Le Carre and later made into a six-hour miniseries on the BBC. The film, nominated for 27 awards in 2011, depicts two time periods that are seemingly close together, where the later period is a reflection on the earlier used to discern who is spying on British Intelligence for the Soviets.

The movie begins with a focus on Control, the leader of British Intelligence played by John Hurt (V for Vendetta). But it doesn’t take long for George Smiley, played by the incredible Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), to steal the show from an incredibly talented cast. While in many films he is a wordsmith and expositionist, in Tinker Tailor he is a master of silence and stares. There are countless close-ups on his face that typically lead to twists of the ever-confusing plot or show his despair from uncovering which of his co-workers is in fact a communist sympathizer; which during the Cold War would compare to being in Al Qaeda today.

In the beginning of the film a sting operation is carried out, setting the stage for many of the characters that will be featured throughout the film. This operation results in the shooting of the accused defector, resulting in interrogation by the British Intelligence. But just as many of the characters do, he returns, adding even more confusion to the plot.

From the unexplained killings to the ex-government official now working as a school teacher, the story is more confounding than the dream phases of Inception.  Every time the audience thinks the mole is dug up, director Tomas Alfredson spins you in a new direction, mixing up their beliefs.

Most movies center on the acting or the plot, and while this film scores highly in both, they share the stage with another technique. It is the silent close-ups, or shots of Oldman walking through a park on a dreary British day that gives the movie its true mystery. Just as in Sherlock Holmes, when the camera shows Holmes’ unorthodox crime-solving tools, Alfredson enhances the viewer’s thinking skills by putting them in the shoes of Oldman and contemplating the crime. In effect, the silent scenes seem to allow the audience to recuperate and figure out what’s truly happening. If he didn’t allow for this, the plot would be a jumbled mess moving too quickly and impossible to figure out.  But with these scenes the audience is able to insert themselves into the film just as if they were in the investigation. They see a confusing scene and can’t discern what is happening.  But then they see a silent shot, mainly of Smiley walking under a lifeless sky, and are able to think about what happened. Then they can bring that knowledge to the next scene and have a more complete view of what is happening.

Peter Guillam, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, plays Oldman’s makeshift sidekick in the effort to unmask the communist traitor. In the film it is not clear what his job specifically is, but he seems to be under the command of almost everyone else. This gentleman should be nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.  In his key scene he is completing some undercover work for Oldman which could possibly be the most nerve-wracking scene of the entire movie. Guillam needs to find some documents that will either solve or destroy the case with the risk of going to prison for many years.

Similar to every other aspect of the film, the dress for each character is spot on for Cold War-era secret intelligence.  Everyone wears drab browns and grey with the knee-length trench coat that one would imagine the original Sherlock Holmes would have worn. The English atmosphere mimics the attitudes of people during this era with dreary, dark grey skies and an almost constant mist and rain. Whether Alfredson offered this portrayal to give the audience a sense of England in the 1970s or to put them in the mood for a quiet, mind-exhausting spy thriller, it worked.

If you are looking for a film for a first date, I recommend going to see The Vow.  But if you want a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat and your brain reeling with mystery-solving efficiency, this surpasses Sherlock Holmes as the best mystery thriller of the past decade.

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