 |
|
Chef Bottini by entrance to the "vault room." |
Originally Published In the Branson Courier on Jan.13, 2007.
With all the excellent restaurants in Branson why would anyone want to travel 45 minutes down the road to Harrison, Arkansas to go to a restaurant? Well, if it’s a special occasion you are celebrating you can “bank” on this, Bottini’s Restaurant will provide one of the most unique and satisfying dining experiences available anywhere.
Starting with its unique location in an old bank building through its service and the excellent variety and quality of its food Bottini’s is a dining experience that a lot of visitors to Branson, as well as locals, will appreciate. From fresh baked bread to the desserts everything is prepared on the premises either directly by or under the supervision of owner chef Nicholas Bottini. The Ole Seagull has eaten there three times within the last six weeks with a variety of people and each time the experience has been consistent and delightful.
We have had a number of Bottini’s appetizers such as Calamari, Chicken Mushroom Raviolis, and, the Ole Seagull’s personal favorite, Smoked Salmon Carpaccio. All have been excellent. Usually there is a choice of two soups, one of which is French Onion, a wonderful tasty combination of lots of onions languishing in a tasty broth that is topped with a crouton and baked cheese. Normally the Ole Seagull is a salad guy and passes on the soup but everyone who tried it raved about it so much I had to try it last time and boy was I glad I did.
Bottini’s menu has something for everyone. From some of the best steaks you will ever put in your mouth, aged on the premises, to veal, a selection of pastas, seafood, and poultry. But the news gets even better because each item is prepared and served like it is a specialty item.
Each entrée comes with a choice of soup or tossed green salad, freshly baked bread and an appropriate starch, wild rice, oven-roasted garlic potato, or pasta as appropriate. The Ole Seagull loves steak so he has stuck with the Tornadoes of Beef, twin filets of beef, pan seared and topped with a delightful mushroom cream sauce and sautéed fresh spinach. Well except for the last time when he just had to try the Tornadoes of Beef Oscar, twin filets of beef topped with fresh crab meat and asparagus and a tasty béarnaise sauce. It too was excellent. Another excellent dish that was enjoyed is the fresh Sea Scallops that are pan seared and topped with a mango cream sauce. Of the 14 meals that have been ordered by people with the Ole Seagull on his three visits to Bottini’s there has been nothing but raves on the food.
Service is an important part of the fine dining experience. The service at Bottini’s is excellent and unobtrusive. There is plenty of water and your every need is taken care of yet, there is not someone hovering over you poring water every time you take a sip or trying to sweep a bread crumb off the table cloth every time you drop one. We have had the same server on all our trips to Bottini’s, Marie. Her extremely personable, efficient, and accommodating service added substantially to the enjoyment of our total dining experience on each and every occasion we visited.
Above all, save room for dessert. As with just about everything else Bottini’s desserts are all made on premises. Usually there will be a special dessert but their standards Tiramisu, New York style Cheese Cake, and Crème Brule are outstanding. The Tiramisu is so good that the Ole Seagull actually ordered it the second and third time he went instead of one his favorite desserts, Crème Brule. And it wasn’t that the Crème Brule wasn’t outstanding, it was, just that once he tasted his wife’s Tiramisu he had a new favorite.
Bottini’s unique restaurant building, an old bank, is located at 103 West Rush Street, in Harrison, AR at the corner of West Rush and Business Hwy 65 (Main Street). It is open for lunch Tuesdays through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and for Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. The phone number is 870-743-9873 and, on most evenings, particularly weekends, reservations are suggested.
