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Bravo! Cucina Italiana

Written By Administrator On January 23, 2009

Bravo! Cucina Italiana

Restaurant Row is expanding westward beyond the Marketplace at Dr. Phillips Boulevard, its traditional boundary. And as it does, it takes on a decidedly Italian flair. Newly constructed strip malls give one the impression that a Venetian look was what the designers had in mind. Even the streets have Italian-sounding names, like Via Dellagio Way (well, the first two words sound Italian; Way, not so much).Bravo!

And in fact, Via Dellagio Way is the address of Bravo! Cucina Italiana, an Italian chain making its debut in the Orlando area, indeed in all of Florida. Sort of. When you visit Bravo! you may have the distinct feeling that you’ve been there before, especially if you’ve dined in a Brio restaurant.

Besides their names, which have several of the same letters, Brio and Bravo! also share the same owner, BDI, which stands for Bravo! Development Inc., a Columbus, Ohio, based company. The decor at Bravo! is similar to the Brios at mall at Millenia and Winter Park Village, at least to a casual observer. But according to a manager at Bravo! there are subtle differences, not only in the decor but also in the menu.

Bravo! is meant to be more casual and less expensive than Brio. Brio strives for a more Tuscan grill sort of environment, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Brio’s menu emphasizes more steaks than pastas; Bravo! the other way around. My most recent visits to the two Brio’s were less than impressive. But my two visits to Bravo! were encouraging.

About 30-40% of the menu is the same as at Brio, according to the manager (I wonder what percentage of that includes the many items that Brio buys premade from a certain Orlando-based culinary kitchen?). Like Brio, Bravo! features several flatbread pizzas. I liked the chicken, spinach and bacon flatbread, which had creamy spinach dollops and chunks of chicken on top of a crispy crust. A sprinkling of bacon gave it a smoky flavor, applewood smoky, to be exact.

For an entree I had the lasagna, or, as it’s called on the menu, Mama’s lasagna Bolognese. The most impressive thing about the entree was that it was huge, easily enough for two people (and as it turns out, enough for two meals). It was also pretty tasty. The addition of Alfredo sauce gave it a texture similar to Greek moussaka — and that’s the first time I’ve compared a lasagna to moussaka; usually it’s the other way around! There was also a hearty meat sauce, as you would expect from the presence of Bolognese in the name. (There was not, however, any Mama in it.)

Like Brio, Bravo! is a large open dining room, though not as big, with an onstage kitchen. Booths are comfy and the decor is nicer than casual, with big alabastery light fixtures and a large bar at the far end of the room. A nice feature of the restaurant is that there is another bar outside on the terrace, which overlooks — no, not the Piazza San Marco — Sand Lake Road below. It’s a nice large patio and a pleasant place to dine when the balmy weather returns.

Service was good, not exceptional. Prices, according to the manger I spoke to, are roughly $3-$5 less than at Brio. As diners scale back during this recession, those few dollars saved will be more attractive, especially given the generous size of the portions. Pastas range from $11.99 to $15.99; other entrees are more, reaching to $25.99 for a steak. Most items, however, are well below the $20 mark.

Bravo! serves lunch and dinner daily. The address is 7924 Via Dellagio Way (one block west of Dr. Phillips Boulevard at Sand Lake Road), Orlando. The phone number is 407-351-5880. For information and menu, visit Bravo!’s Web site.

We hope you find our reviews and news articles useful and entertaining. It has always been our goal to assist you in making informed decisions when spending your dining dollars. If we’ve helped you in any way, please consider making a contribution to help us continue our journalism. Thank you.

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