Bravo! Cucina Italiana restaurant reviewed at Northlake Mall

I had the good fortune to be invited to come and taste the brand new menu at Bravo! Cucina Italiana restaurant last night atNorthlake Mall.

WOW!  What a wonderful time all of us Chef's had.  We went with Chef Kenya, her husband, ROC, Chef Stormy, Chef James Thomas and myself, Chef Marti.  Being an Italian from up North, and growing up with red sauce in my veins - I'll be the first person to straighten your head out over pretending to serve authentic, Italian food.

At Bravo! Cucina, the only thing I could find to straighten was my perfectly cooked spaghettini!  Ma ma, Mia!  Pa pa, Pia!  Bravo Cucina!

By the way, real Italians code name call red sauce, gravy.  We don't call it sauce.  We call it gravy.  Hey, fuh-ged-aboudd-it.

The first thing I liked was the free, curbside valet service offered by this restaurant.  They validate.  My Chef wife, Stormy liked that.  Like a clown, I forgot my camera in my car.  Not a problem.  The very nice, uniformed, valet man, drove me back out to my car - and then back to the restaurant.  Now that is service my friend, that is service.

Vincent Ponzio, the General Manager, greeted us immediately, with Nate (the kind front desk fellow) and then Executive Chef Rich Schnell came out.  Both of these guys are very friendly, they obviously work very hard at making the Bravo! Cucina brand, the success that it is.

I enjoyed being served by Michele (spelled with one L as the Doctor made a mistake on the birth certificate) as she was an expert at her duties.  Extremely customer focused and her life is consumed by, "living for the guest."  Only humans such as these professionals were ever found at the White House or serving royalty in palaces.  AND, I would know.

The menu at Bravo! features sustainable wine growing, friendly wineries.  That is extremely important to all of the Chefs at the table, as well as myself.  Impressive!  They also cultivate their own house collection for your selection.  As a nice aperitif love of mine, I thought I would test Bravo! with the first Italian truth that all Italians live and die for - the great question of, "do you have Campari?"  With an answer of, "Yes, of course we do, Chef Marti," I was falling in love with Bravo! Cucina.

Soon, a Campari and Orange Juice showed up.  I could have ordered a Lunetto Prosecco glass of sparkling wine (called Champagne in France) for $7.95, or a bottle for $29.00.  It is nice that they offer a glass of champagne, how very nice.  Not everyone wants to buy a whole bottle.  Of course, Bravo! is smart, and they also offer regional Italian wines. 

We started off with Chef Schnell sending out the new Flatbread Roma (thin pizza) - which was wafer thin and baked in the brick oven with tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil.  He also delighted us with Crispy Shrimp Napoli (meaning from Naples) and a Verduta Pizza.  All of which were terrific, however, I just have to say that the hand breaded crispy shrimp dish was out of this world.  How tender the crust, how spicy the sauce and how nice the temperature of having just come out of, what was obviously, fresh oil.

We got nailed with two salads after this and settled in for a long, grueling evening of losing our minds, "oohing," and, "ahhing," over each dish that came out - and snapping photos.   

Sitting under those Corinthian pillars wasn't bad either.  The carefully selected furniture outside of our window, the exacting detail of the traditional European light bulbs hanging on strings, the umbrellas - these are all things that come from my home country - and having lived in Europe for many years, I enjoyed seeing them again.  Especially the precise light bulbs on strings.  Those are so unique, where in the hell did they find them?!  Whoever picked those out, you made my life.

The Bravo! staff also picked out molto bello (very beautiful) plates to serve items on.  At each turn, you were treated to another vision of excellence.

We tried two salads of Chilled Shrimp & Spicy Spinach Salad - A+, and an Arugula Salad featuring roasted red plum tomatoes.  Oh those were so good!

Michele recommended the crab cakes, which got a lot of press from THE ROC (my huge bodyguard), and then sneaked off into the kitchen to tattle on our desires.  Having, released our Top Secret wants to Chef Schnell - we were delighted to enjoy the new main entrees of Rigatoni Melanzana, Spaghettini Carbonara, Mahi Mahi Rustica, Sauteeed Crab Cakes and Grilled Scallops with Gnocchi.  Each dish, one after the other, was fit for an Italian Opera singer or President.  His Holiness, the Pope should be invited to Bravo!.  Who cares if he is German?  This food is so good, His Holiness would enjoy himself.

I commented to the Chefs that I had never seen gnocchi sauteed after being boiled.  It was a delightful touch - as were the roasted, diced sweet potatoes.  The sherry-lobster sauce with them, was magnificent.

The crab cakes barely had any cheap filling - all pure, loaded beefcake, baby.  That Mahi... (oh that Mahi mama...).  I'm crying.  WE ALL CRIED.  We're still talking about it.  Tender, flaky, perched on high above fennel, roasted carrots and red onions with escarole and tomatoes.  We all loved that.

As some magician turned the lights down lower, a lovely atmosphere came about us and my only want was for the kindness of a candle casting it's light out of, miniature glass spires.  Alas, there was no candle to be found to match this intimate setting of excellent food.  THE ROC's wife, Chef Kenya, stated that they used to have candles.  Where did they go?  Bring them back Italian masters...bring them back!

Bravo! white knuckled down and stated they would master any Italian, former White House Chef - and launched a traditional carbonara our way.  Then a Rigatoni Melanzana.  Oh, yummy.  That guy walking around with the cheese, where is he???  There he is! 

NOW HOLD ON RIGHT THERE.  Let me ask you something...  Do you like cheese?  ET DET DET DET!Beforeyouanswerholdon. 

Who doesn't?  

Even people who are not allowed, to eat cheese, love cheese!  Bravo! Cucina has a guy walking around with a cloth napkin and a huge wedge of Grana Padano offering as much cheese as your joy, can enjoy!  "Is that enough cheese, sir?", I was asked.  "No, a little more, please," I replied.

We, "got our just desserts, " also at Bravo!  We shared their carmelized cheesecake, warm berry cake topped with gelato, tiramisu and chocolate chip bread pudding.  I've got to tell you, that bread pudding was cooked so tender I couldn't find a single burn mark on it.  Was it steamed in the pan?  WOW, it was terrific.  So moist, so spongy, and drizzled with a house made caramel sauce. 

I sipped on a cappuccino while dreaming about possibly finding a panna cotta one day on Bravo!'s menu.  If anyone could do it, family-wide, they could.  It's the creme brulee of Italy.

Bravo! Cucina won the 2010 Taste of Charlotte for the Appetizer Category and proudly displays a silver platter.  They have a terrific, private dining room.  Stop in and ask for Vincent - the next time you want to exhilarate in magnificent, Italian cuisine!

Charlotte - Northlake Mall
6851 North Lake Mall Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28216

704.597.1455

Located between Border's and Dick's Sporting Goods.