Matt Cooper
Lantern Staff

One eager Venetian entrepreneurial spirit. Antonio Bravo has taken a chance on the city of El Dorado, bringing the town a new Italian eatery.
Bravo’s Bistro opened doors in place of the failed steak joint, El Dorado Chophouse, last September.
Not originally equipped with a liquor license or even a credit card reader, Bravo’s might seem to be the epitome of a slow starting restaurant in the city. Third-year sophomores may have had to find a different spot to imbibe Jager Bombs and Pornstar Shots…at least until after Thanksgiving.
However, a sluggish start in terms of business model is by no means a death sentence for Bravo’s Bistro.
This is because at the start up is offering a brand of Italian cuisine that appeals to one aspect of customer service of all others: the palatability of the food.
According to owner Antonio Bravo, taste along with service is the top priority for customers who walk through the door. He is confident that his business will last.
“In the beginning, there was some skepticism,” Bravo says of the perceived public faith in his restaurant.
Though he did go on to say that hopes were high of continued service in El Dorado.
“We’re confident we will succeed,” he said.
Bravo’s confidence, in this Lantern correspondent’s opinion, is entirely justified. The cuisine is purely toothsome and delectable in a way that engages the taste buds.
Upon visiting the restaurant recently, Bravo who acts as head chef as well as part owner, prepared his personal recommendation for us to sample.
The menu items for the candid evening meal were Shrimp, Chicken and Veal Tetrazzini. Bravo served a chicken balsamic vinaigrette salad dressed with zucchini, cucumbers, mushrooms, lemons and fresh heirloom tomatoes for good measure.
A large framed print of the Rat Pack shooting pool looked over me while dining on the tetrazzini.
The tetrazzini noodles were no effort whatsoever to chew. They’d been simmered in white wine, basil, and smothered in white-alfredo cheese sauce.
The initial consensus reached was that the noodles and veal weren’t popping with taste. However, what we discovered was that the tetrazzini Bravo had served was swarming with zest and a savory flavor that lasted well into the after taste.
As if the veal, chicken and shrimp weren’t succulent enough, we were able to sample Tiramisu for desert.
Most varieties of Tiramisu found in hipster coffee shops and supermarket delis simply taste of hyper-sweet chocolate cake. What we sampled though was proper Italian in flavor.
It tasted of warm mocha and vanilla that was sweet enough to enjoy, but tame enough to call sophisticated.
Through it all, Bravo occasionally visited the table and told stories from back home in Venice.
The restaurant is personal like family.
Both the tetrazzini and chef salad that we sampled were near the top of the menu in price at $15.95 and $9.95 respectively.
With delectable food and a personal environment, Bravo’s Bistro is well worth the visit.
The restaurant offers 10 percent discount to all students as well.
Author’s note: Bravo’s Bistro will be serving liquor before Christmas and will have the ability take payment by credit by the start of 2017.