The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 19, 2005, Page 9, Image 9
RESTAURANT REVIEW
JENNIFER FREEMAN/THE GAMECOCK
Tuscany’s serves up savory Italian entrees such as this pasta dish, Riso con Mare. This
meal includes shrimp and scallops sauteed with tomatoes, scallions and white wine.
Pricy fare worthwhile at Tuscany V
Tuscany's Italian Grill and Bar
★★ ★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By BOBBY BROOKS and
JENNIFER FREEMAN
THE GAMECOCK
With the lights dimmed, candles lit
and. soft music playing in the
background, Tuscany’s Bistro and Bar
on Devine Street in Five Points is the
perfect atmosphere for a romantic date.
Tucked away off the street, it is easy-to
miss, but well worth the venture.
To start our meal, we shared the
crab spread appetizer ($6). The spread
was a pureed mixture of cream cheese,
capers, garlic, crab meat and a crab
base to intensify the flavor. This was
served with toast points and was a
light appetizer that piqued the interest
of our appetite. The waiter also
suggested the roasted-garlic, hickory
smoked bacon and feta cheese spread
($6) for those who aren’t fans of
seafood.
After appetizers we sampled the
salads, which are included with every
entree. Bobby tried the house salad,
which had a Catalina-like dressing.
Jennifer had the Caesar, which was
much better than most Caesar salads
you find at restaurants. At many
restaurants the dressing is bland, but at
Tuscany’s it was tangy and everything
Caesar dressing should be.
Instead of ordering a random dish
off the menu, we asked for the most
popular dishes. Bobby had the Polio
Tuscany ($16) — marinated chicken
breasts sauteed in garlic and marsala
topped with mushrooms, roasted red
peppers, proscuitto and mozzarella
cheese. This dish was extremely
delicious with the cheese just melted
on top. The proscuitto, which is
basically an Italian ham, fiercely
competed with the other flavors of the
entree, almost overpowering the
chicken. Anyone who does not like
this meat should steer clear of this
dish. Garlic mashed potatoes came on
the side instead of pasta. The potatoes
were good, but not the best Bobby had
ever had. The glass of house
chardonnay ($4.25) Bobby had with
his meal was dry with a good, crisp
flavor and was a great companion to
the chicken. If you aren’t a
connoisseur, Tuscany’s has a suggested
wine listed with each entree item to
make the choice easier.
Jennifer tried the Riso con Mare
($18) — shrimp and scallops sauteed
with tomatoes, scallions and white
wine then tossed with Italian riso, or
risotto. Served in the same style as a
pasta dish with no side items, this
seafood entree was definitely satisfying.
After the appetizer and salad, Jennifer
couldn’t even finish her meal, but was
happy to take some home to share with
her roommates. For a lighter version,
our waiter suggested replacing the riso
with angel hair pasta. It had a very
strong seafood flavor, but if you like
this sort of thing, it would be a good
choice. The tomatoes’ flavor
complemented the riso very well.
The highlight of the meal was
definitely dessert. We are not fans of
tiramisu ($5), but when the waiter
came out with the enticing dessert tray,
it was a unanimous decision. Served in
a dessert goblet, this tiramisu was the
best we had ever tasted. The ladyfingcrs
were topped with fresh whipped cream
and dusted with cocoa powder. It was
like an ice-cream sundae, but the ice
cream had been replaced with
ladyfingers. It was extremely delicious
and the perfect end to our meal. If you
aren’t in the mood for a big dinner, you
should certainly stop by for some
tiramisu and coffee. It’s a special treat
that will not disappoint.
Tuscany’s Bistro and Bar is an
excellent restaurant for a date, but if
you are looking for a casual meal or
simple food, this isn’t the best choice.
Lunch can be reasonable with smaller
portions and lower prices to go along
with the open-air dining experience
provided by the sliding door in the
front. Dinner can be more expensive,
with entries ranging in price from $10
to $29. However, for that special
occasion, it is well worth the price.
Check out
www.tuscanybistrobar.com for more
information.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.se. edu
MOVIE REVIEW
Grace makes ‘Good Company ’
“In Good Company’’
Starring Dennis Quaid,
Topher Grace
★★ ★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By MARJORIE RIDDLE
THE GAMECOCK
“In Good Company” brings the
rising talent of Topher Grace and the
charm of Dennis Quaid to the big
screen in a coming-of-age comedy that ■
attempts to present big life questions
but unfortunately leaves unsatisfying
ambiguity in its answers.
Topher Grace plays Carter Duryea, a
26-year-old who takes over the *
advertising department for SportsAmerica
magazine. Dennis Quaid is Dan
Foreman, a dedicated family man who is
demoted when Duryea is given his job.
Duryea begins his new position at
SportsAmerica with a failed marriage,
which meets its demise because of his
overzealous dedication to work.
Void of any real life outside of his
workaholic nature, Duryea latches onto
Foreman and comes to admire
Foreman’s antonymous dedication to
family. Duryea especially notices
Foreman’s college-age daughter Alex,
piayea Dy ocanett jonansson.
Fresh from his divorce after mere
months of marriage, Duryea finds himself
smitten for Alex and reluctantly pursues
her. The inevitable complications ensue
as Foreman confronts his new boss and
daughter about their relationship.
As the movie progresses, the ad
department Foreman managed to
maintain for more than two decades
slowly begins to sink, and Duryea
realizes he does not know quite as much
as he originally thought.
Thus the cliched soul-searching
begins for Duryea, and he questions
what success really amounts to.
“In Good Company” provides just
that — good company in great actors,
but also underdeveloped relationships
and overly mushy and predictable
sentiments. Duryea and Alex meet, have
a little chemistry, but the majority of the
supposed relationship is insinuated. And
while the main emphasis should be on
Foreman and Duryea because their
relationship represents the whole of the
movie, the audience might like to see
more of the extenuating interactions to
more fully understand who exactly the
characters are.
In fact, other than Duryea and
Foreman, the characters associate so
little that even Foreman and his wife’s
relationship seems a little too imposed,
when it should be one of the main
focuses because it is the core of Duryea’s
admiration.
For about’ th^ first hour, the movie
promises to leave viewers with the
anticipated warm, fuzzy feeling it
supposes it will arouse but dissipates to
lukewarm by its semi-antidimactic
conclusion.
As a grappling-for-life’s-meaning film,
“Company” imparts good questions —
questions Duryea and Foreman should
answer, but don’t.
Enjoyable enough, but “Company”
slightly disappoints. The main reason to
see this film is Grace’s good-ihtentioned
but clueless portrayal of the 26-year-old
workaholic who comes to appreciate
what might be missing from his life and
how to obtain it.
While the movie ranks
unsatisfactorily overall in its lack of
enrapturing plot and character
relationship development, Grace —
combined with the consistent allure of
Quaid — manages to win over audiences
by capturing the essence of Carter
Duryea through a steady dose of
vulnerability and heart.
Comments on this story? E-?natl
gamecockfeatures@giLm.sc. edu
■ .. .«.* . v-.& “ „** -
, y ' . ' PHOTO COURTESY OFTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dennis Quaid and his boss, played by Topher Grace right, appear in
a scene from the film comedy “In Good Company.”
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Golden Globes set stage
for Oscar front runners
By DAVID GERMAIN
AP MOVIE WRITER
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The
Golden Globes set up an Academy
Awards rematch between Hilary Swank
and Annette Bening, while Jamie Foxx
firmed up his Oscar front-runner
status. And a win for “The Aviator”
gave Martin Scorsese the edge for
finally coming away with a best-picture
win at the Oscars.
The Howard Hughes epic “The
Aviator” was the big winner with three
Globes, including best dramatic picture,
but Sunday night’s ceremony was a split
decision for Scorsese, who lost the
directing prize to Clint Eastwood for the
boxing saga “Million Dollar Baby.”
The road-trip comedy “Sideways”
was named best musical or comedy
film, while lead-acting honors went to
Swank for “Million Dollar Baby,”
Bening for the theater farce “Being
Julia,” Foxx for the Ray Charles film
biography “Ray” and Leonardo
DiCaprio as Hughes in “The Aviator.”
Clive Owen and Natalie Portman
won supporting-acting honors for the
sex drama “Closer.” Their wins were a
bit surprising given that Morgan
Freeman for “Million Dollar Baby” and
Cate Blanchett for “The Aviator” had
been viewed as more likely favorites.
Foxx, considered the best-actor
favorite for the Oscars Feb. 27, said
backstage it was the best night of his
life, winning the prize for his uncanny
re-creation of singer Charles, who died
last year.
“It’s a beautiful thing for Ray and
everything he leaves us,” said Foxx,
who won for best actor in a musical or
comedy. Foxx had a record three Globe
nominations going into Sunday but
lost the other two, supporting movie
actor for Collateral” and TV movie or
miniseries actor for ‘Redemption.”
Bening won the musical or comedy
actress prize for Being Julia,” playing a
conniving 1930s stage diva exacting
vengeance on the duplicitous men in
her life. It was the first awards-worthy
role Bening has had since “American
Beauty” five years ago, when she was
the front-runner but lost the Golden
Globe dramatic prize and the best
Ictress Oscar to underdc^ Swank for
“Boys Don’t Cry.”
Not wanting to jinx her Oscar
chances, Bening sidestepped a question
backstage at the Globes about what she
would wear to the Oscars. “Trick
question,” Bening quipped.
Swank, playing a fighter whose life
turns tragic, won the dramatic-actress
Globe for “Million Dollar Baby.” She
downplayed the potential Oscar
rematch with Bening.
“I don’t really see it as competition,”
Swank said. “Annette’s amazing, and
she was so gracious to me five years ago
when we were both nominated. She
gave me good advice and she was
gracious, and she’s an inspiration.”
“I think it’s just unfortunate that
things are seen as winners and losers,
because in the end, the performances all
speak for themselves and make
everyone, I think, a winner. I’m just
honored to have my name mentioned
with her.”
The Vj lobes serve as the most
prominent ceremony in Hollywood’s
pre-game show leading up tothe_
Academy Awards. Globes are presented
by the Hollywood Foreign Press
Association, whose small membership
of about 90 people pales compared to
the nearly 6,000 film professionals
eligible to vote for the Oscars.
Yet the Globes historically serve as a
solid forecast that helps set the odds for
subsequent film honors.
Golden Globe winners gain
attention that can put them on the
inside track for prizes from acting,
directing and other filmmaking guilds
— momentum often sticks with them
right through Oscar night.
“The Aviator” also earned Howard
Shore the Globe for musical score. The
award for best screenplay went to
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for
“Sideways.”
In the TV categories, “Desperate
Housewives” won for best musical or
comedy scriesfc and “Nip/Tuck” was
honored as dramatic series, beating
“The Sopranos," ‘'24" and “I.ost."
COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Natalie Portman won a Golden Globe in the best-supporting actress
category for her role in the provocative drama, “Closer.”