It was 5:30 p.m. on a Sunday, we'd had enough turkey for awhile and we were on the road (returning from Sears), so we pulled into Vintage on the VFW Parkway at Spring Street.

At first, the only obvious difference from the old Vintage was: No more valet parking. That giant rock V is still in the front (basically right where the waving chicken used to be) and the inside looks exactly the same: Dim lights and dark wood for both walls and tables, a fireplace surrounded by dark chairs, all still looking very much like the fancy steakhouse the original tried to be (and the restrooms were still just as cold as they ever were in the original version).

Even the prices seemed the same as the old place - kind of pricey for West Roxbury. However, the new menu had a much more Italian feel - there were a number of Old World dishes to go with the traditional filet mignon - which makes sense, given that the new owners run an Italian restaurant in Quincy.

My chicken piccata was very good - but then, I never had any complaints with the food at the old place. Nancy raved about her filet mignon - not only was it done just the way she wanted (it's amazing how hard it can be to get one medium rare). Even more unusual - the kitchen cooked her broccoli exactly as she requested. Yay, new Vintage chefs!

So if you're looking for something fancier than Tony's or the Corib without having to go in town, the new Vintage might be worth a try.