I love carbs and cheese. I recently joined a gym to combat my love of carbs and cheese, while still planning on indulging in my favorite foods consistently. When Bravo Cucina Italiana at the Walden Galleria invited my for an incredible multi-course dinner, complete with LOTS of carbs and cheese, I could not say no. It’s National Pasta Month at the restaurant after all, let’s celebrate!!

My roommate Kara and I were treated to amazing customer service from our server, Adam. Multiple managers, including the General Manager, Brian,  visited our table as well. As someone who has worked in hospitality industry I am so appreciative of attentive and timely service, they did not disappoint at all. Kara and I felt like royalty as we stuffed our faces with not 1… not 2… but 3 appetizers, entrees and desserts. Needless to say we went home with leftovers, but what an amazing problem to have! And Adam gave us lots of insight on his favorite dishes on menu. The Chicken Spring + Bacon flatbread that he brought us to sample, neither of us ordered, but it was such a good choice!

 

 

When I worked at Longhorn Steakhouse, back in the day, I loved the Wild West Shrimp (popcorn shrimp with sweet peppers). The Crispy Shrimp Napoli reminded me a higher end version of this. Complete with a buttery wine sauce, what’s not to like?

Kara and I could have probably eaten the appetizers alone and been satisfied with our visit, but the food kept on coming! In honor of National Pasta Month we had no problem selecting pasta themed dishes from the menu, but before we get to that, let’s talk about our salads:

 

It should come as no surprise to anyone that, in my opinion, the most important part of a salad is the cheese. Bravo Cucina Italiana seemed to understand this, loud and clear! LOOK AT ALL OF THAT CHEESE. Yes, I would like a side of lettuce with my cheese. Judge me.

Caprese is a staple of my diet, meaning I have it about 3x a week, with no regrets. All it takes to make me happy is a tomato, a healthy portion of fresh mozz, a good balsamic dressing and some shredded basil.

 

Finally we made it to the main meal! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t filling up already.. but once Adam set down my plate and I saw the beautiful dishes, my appetite somehow returned. I love a good lobster ravioli! I had never had one topped with baby shrimp and pesto breadcrumbs.. Nomnomnom.

Kara selected the beef raviolis, a featured dish on the #NationalPastaMonth two course pasta combo list. From October 3-29th you too can have this limited time special with a soup or salad, for $14.99 at lunch or $16.99 at dinner.

An awesome fact about Bravo that I had never known before this dinner is that they are one of the few chain restaurants left in 2017 that employ Executive Chefs in their kitchens. Everything the chefs create is highly customizable, so if you want the Chianti Braised Beef Ravioli minus the roasted sweet potatoes (you are crazy) it’s easily do-able. Would you like another vegetable instead? Also possible. Picky eaters, unite!

 

No matter how full I feel, I cannot say “NO.” to dessert. Entering the food coma stage of the evening, I somehow made room for a nibble of each of these treats. The Pumpkin Butterscotch Bread Pudding just exudes fall and warm delicious happiness. It’s available seasonally, and as a skeptic of bread pudding I was hesitant, but I would certainly endorse ordering this if you are a fan of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, caramel or autumn in general.

Thank you Bravo Cucina Italiana for a delicious evening -and for filling my fridge for the next week! I am feeling incredibly fancy, watching TV and eating leftover lobster raviolis.

For more information on the #NationalPastaMonth promotion at Bravo click here or “like” them on Facebook.