Very Little Italy

Desserts proved consistent, if unsurprising. The ubiquitous crème brûlée was overly caramelized on one visit but held a quiet sweetness and superb consistency, while the tiramisu stood out more for a creamy texture than anything else.

Considering prices, though, it's difficult to expect more from the kitchen. There's nothing offensive and nothing spectacular, just lap after lap of middling creations. To aficionados of Italian-American classics (comfort fare, in other words), everything at this Grapevine neighborhood strip-mall joint will suit them just fine. People accustomed to gorging themselves at buffets will find portions here quite worthwhile. Servers bring out warmed garlic bread until you demonstrate the effects of gluttony, and salads prove ample.

Gourmands will aspire to something greater.

At this point our discussion of Frost's walls and location seems, once again, apropos. In the poem, nature and those open-minded few willing to explore beyond convention tear away at artificial impositions. Each spring, however, the author and his faceless neighbor "meet to walk the line/And set the wall between us once again/We keep the wall between us as we go." The constructions of humankind, whether physical or mental, serve to designate one from another. To many living inside LBJ, driving beyond the wall for any reason is mere folly. Nothing worthwhile, nothing unique exists in "Oklahoma." Still, if it were possible to resurrect Bravo Italia in Uptown or Deep Ellum and add a dash of character, insulated inside-the-loopers would flock to the place. Rave about it, in fact. They'd even feel pretty damn smug for doing so.

After all, Bravo Italia is not a chain. It's just a straightforward, unchallenging, functional Italian neighborhood space. And, like so many neighborhood faves in Dallas, it's not really all that interesting. 2030 Glade Road, Grapevine, 817-421-9998. Open for lunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; open for dinner 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $$