The Bungalow on Park

The Bungalow on Park

Last night I went there for a friend’s 30th Birthday Celebration. I think the inside of the place is charming. We had a back room all to ourselves that was full of black and white photos, some from France, and a few large-scale paintings. We could see from the room that there was a nice outdoor patio with space heaters for chilly nights. One thing, that we found hilarious, was a realistically painted headless mannequin in the Ladies Restroom of a woman breast-feeding. Completely creepy, unexpected and bizarre, but with my circle of friends, made for a great laugh.

Our server, Kyle, was great – but I have to admit, we know him from a previous establishment he worked at, where we are regulars. Either way, he always provides quick, friendly service and it was nice to see a familiar face.

It’s my understanding that the Bungalow has a bit of a before and after existence - that they had a rough patch and then revamped their menu and pricing. I was never there “before”, but my friends tell me they did lower their prices substantially (maybe by $2 -$3 an appetizer and $4 - $5 an entrée).

Ok, on to the food.

My husband and I shared the following to start:

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad – Marinated Roma tomatoes with fresh mozzarella cheese and basil over mixed field greens with our house balsamic vinaigrette and our port and balsamic syrup.
$9

This was tasty and a good portion. Enough to share.

He had the:
Stuffed Chicken Marsala – Pan-seared chicken breast stuffed with black forest ham and Swiss cheese topped with our rich Marsala wine and mushroom sauce.
$16

They have 6 sides to choose from, he got the Sweet Potato Fries and Tator Tots. This was also a big portion. I wasn’t blown away by it, but I am pretty picky about Marsala sauce because I make it at home fairly often. He enjoyed it.

I had the:
Captain Crunch Chicken Strip Platter – By popular demand these juicy chicken tenders breaded in captain crunch cereal are now no longer just on the kids menu! Sorta silly… but really tasty… Served with your choice of sauce.
$11

I had mine with Sweet Potato Fries and Asparagus (and Honey Mustard Sauce for the chicken). The Sweet Potato Fries are AMAZING. I have had them before but these were perfect. Right size, salted well and not over-cooked. The asparagus were good too, but there were only 3 tiny ones. The chicken was good, and tasted slightly different than most chicken strips, but I didn’t taste a trace of Captain Crunch, which made me a little sad.

At first I felt it was a bit over-priced. But now that I have had time to mull it over, for the amount of food you get it actually isn’t bad. It may not be as unique and flavorful as Biscotti’s or Orsay but the food quality is good and you get a lot of it. Let me mention that I am not the type of person who expects hoards of food on my plate when I order, but it is nice to have leftovers for work the next day.

A few friends had the Cajun Meatloaf and they all liked it. Unfortunately, a lot of people ordered the Fettuccini and all mentioned it came out cold. I’m sure if they commented, the situation would have been remedied, but I think at that point everyone just wanted to eat.

The birthday girl ordered the Fried Gouda appetizer and one was an empty pocket with no cheese, so they brought out a second full order of it, which was really nice. Someone else ordered the Cheese Tray appetizer and for $7 you get SIX different cheese, crackers and apricot sauce - this was truly a bargain and delicious.

My husband had 2 beers and I had 2 house chardonnays ($5.5 a glass).
Without drinks our bill was $39 plus tip. Not terrible for a nice dinner out and enough leftovers for 2 full lunches.

One thing I think they could do to attract more business is to offer some sandwiches on their dinner menu. The Brick for example, has some great options, like a French Dip, that fall into the $10 - $14 range. Other than a salad, the dinner options are all pretty hearty and some people don’t want to eat that much (especially on a week night).

I can definitely see myself coming back here, especially on a nice day to sit outside on the patio, either for happy hour or brunch. The service and atmosphere were nice and that alone will have me going back for more. Eating out isn’t just about the food, it’s about the experience and environment with friends and family.

B+

View Menu