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DINING Brava serves up authentic Italian Lasagna is star of the menu Comment By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Jun. 24, 2016 at 8:00 AM Updated Jun 24, 2016 at 10:55 AM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Jun. 24, 2016 at 8:00 AM Updated Jun 24, 2016 at 10:55 AM » Social News After reading Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews that swung wildly back and forth from gushing to caustic, I approached the idea of dining at Brava Italian Eatery with some trepidation. But I decided to take the plunge after scanning the menu online and identifying entrées that my husband and kids would be willing to eat — a necessary scouting technique for moms. The new restaurant at 1241 N.W. Sixth St. in Grants Pass has taken the place of The Bistro. Inside, Brava Italian Eatery is hung with strands of softly glowing bare bulb lights, while industrial lights on a side brick wall illuminate large black-and-white vintage photographs of Italian chefs at work. Music by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and singers crooning in Italian plays softly in the background, allowing diners to converse without raising their voices. After we ordered our entrées, our server brought us salads of mixed greens, black olives, grape tomatoes and croutons, plus a basket of warm, torn Italian bread with a light sprinkling of herbs in the dough. In true Italian style, the bread came with a dish of virgin olive oil for dipping rather than butter. Brava gives its olive oil zing with chopped parsley and garlic, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes. The effect was addictive, and I knew I would be craving the mixture for days and plotting how to recreate it at home. Our family quickly gobbled up the bread, and our server brought more. My entrée of Baked Lasagna ($15) arrived hot out of the oven in a ceramic baking dish. When faced with low quality, fatty sausage on a pizza, I pick the offending chunks off. But Brava makes its ground Italian sausage and hamburger lasagna with quality meats perfectly complemented by ricotta, melted mozzarella and house-made marinara sauce. My husband went with Fettuccini Alfredo, which was $15 alone plus $5 with chicken added. The $20 total was overpriced for the dish, even with the house salad and bread included. He thought the sauce was too rich and creamy and the cubes of chicken lacked flavor. My son ordered Spaghetti & Meatballs ($16) made with marinara sauce — a heaping pile of noodles and two jumbo meatballs. After eating diligently, he hardly made a dent in the giant serving of perfectly cooked meatballs, tasty noodles and sauce. (The leftovers were enough to make two dinners the following evening.) Because the restaurant is a bit pricey for a family of four, my daughter ordered Ravioli ($5) off the Bambini Menu for kids 10 and younger. She polished off the ricotta-filled ravioli swimming in marinara and shared parts of our dishes. Kid-menu prices range from $4 to $6 and include meatless spaghetti, buttered spaghetti and penne baked with three cheeses. It made more sense for our family to order a kid meal than to pay the $2 fee for an extra plate, or the $6 split plate charge in which two diners share an entrée and each receives soup or a side salad. Brava Italian Eatery has a more limited and less expensive lunch menu, as well as a wide variety of drinks, including wine. For more information, call 541-507-1800 or see bravaitalian.com . By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Jun. 24, 2016 at 8:00 AM Updated Jun 24, 2016 at 10:55 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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