Review: Bravo! has great atmosphere

Four out of Five Stars

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

I needed help choosing a restaurant to review this week, so I went to one of the greatest minds I could think of: my grandmother. She is a no-nonsense sort of women who likes good things at a reasonable price.

She suggested I head out to the Eastwood Towne Center, on Lansing’s northeast side, and I did. I was in the mood for a pasta so I chose “Bravo! Italian Kitchen.” I spent just under $55 dollars, but I got an appetizer and an entrée.

I had the Meatballs & Ricotta as an appetizer, served in threes. While it wasn’t the appetizer I would usually choose, I was pleasantly surprised. Made with house-made beef and pork, they went really well with the ricotta.

I was in a hurry and burnt my mouth a bit, but I am certain this dish would have been even better at room temperature. Don’t you hate a restaurant with good service?

I finished my order with Bravo’s signature dish, the Pasta Bravo. It was a good pasta, but it didn’t wow me.

The Pasto Bravo is made with grilled chicken, rigatoni, mushrooms and a roasted red pepper cream sauce. On the menu it sounded like a perfect plan. On the plate, I tasted a bit of improvisation.

I would have chosen a different pasta. I am very specific on the shape of my noodles. For a long time, it made me think I was crazy but, in light of recent research, there seems to be some science behind my strange preference.

According to tastingtable.com, a thicker noodle with more of a surface area will carry a more intense grain flavor, whereas something thinner will have a less starchy flavor.

Not to mention, some shapes hold sauces better than others. It has been said that thin noodles go with thin sauces and thick noodles go with thick sauces. This was a thick noodle and a somewhat thin sauce.

I enjoyed the flavor enough to ask for a box and thanked my waitress honestly. The service alone earned this review an extra star. I didn’t want to be out, but she made me feel like I was just in a very nice woman’s living room.

As I was leaving, I admired the atmosphere one last time. It was a nice place and had a roman theme that wasn’t too overdone, which is hard to do.

I would go back for the atmosphere and appetizers. Trying something new was a success. Bravo!