The Broadcast Booth

With its ambitious menu, the Broadcast Booth is more of a restaurant that is also a sports bar. Yes, the busy lounge is dominated by a huge U-shaped bar and scores of TVs; but other areas are sedate and smoke- and TV-free. Only $8.95 will score a “Hat Trick” appetizer composed of four buffalo wings, five crispy fried-ravioli bites stuffed with cheese and jalapeño, and a lively spinach dip. For many, the “mild” rendition of the juicy chicken will be plenty spicy. The ample portion of deep-fried but mercifully lightly floured little calamari rings with marinara is another decent starter. Most of the mains are less than $17, with the kitchen justifiably proud of its tender, fall-off-the bone baby-back ribs basted with a mild hickory barbecue sauce. The simple char-grilled Lake Superior whitefish with a wine-lemon-butter sauce is more sophisticated than one would expect in a sometimes-raucous sports bar, while the steaks are both generous in size and cooked to order. There are a few surprises among the other entrées that range from jambalaya, to scampi with squash, zucchini and tomatoes over angel-hair pasta to a hearty meat loaf with barbecue sauce, to boursin-stuffed chicken with spinach, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes accompanied by garlic smashed redskins. Penurious wine drinkers will enjoy the short wine list, and the bar flaunts a wide variety of mass-produced and boutique beers, with 47 in bottles and 10 on tap.