Eating Elk Grove Feature: Bravo’s

by: Ashley Newell

One of the biggest trends in food right now is a farm to fork approach.  Bravo’s has been bringing that to Elk Grove for the last 3.5 years.  All of the food served in their restaurant is sourced within a 100 mile radius.  Owners Jim and Lisa Brown (or Cowboy/Mr. Jim and Miss Lisa as regulars call them) wanted to bring Elk Grove back to a more wholesome and family oriented time where people sat down together at the table and enjoyed the kind of food that grandma makes.  In fact, Mr. Jim’s grandmother is the inspiration for the cooking style at the restaurant which focuses on the harvest, family and country.  Mr. Jim was raised by his grandmother in Yukon, Oklahoma where she taught him how to cook.

While Farm to Fork sounds like a new trend, it is actually pulling us back to our roots.  It is picking the vegetables from your garden, getting the eggs from your neighbor, or running down the the local butcher shop.  The term Farm to Fork can be misconstrued as haughty food, but stripped down to its core it’s just eating the local and seasonal food available in your area.  Mr. Jim says that it’s basic food 101, eating real food will help our bodies.  The Browns have 1/3 of an acre on their ranch that they use to grow vegetables and herbs for the restaurant with no GMOs.  Any other produce comes from Farmers Market.  All the meat they serve is either natural or organic.  The meats are grass fed, from open-space ranges, and free from steroids and hormone injections.

Bravo’s serves sandwiches, salads, a variety of mac and cheese, and soups all day and they have dinner specials in the evenings.  Their sandwiches and salads are made with meats that they slow roast on the premise.  They try to use less salt and more herbs or fruit juices (citrus or pineapple) to bring flavor to their meats.  Their sandwich and salad menus have been thoughtfully put together so that all the flavors from the different ingredients marry together to create a wonderful dining experience.   Their dinner menu changes with the seasons; as we approach fall and winter they are bringing out more pot roasts, beef stroganoff, and meatloaf.  They also use their meatloaf, meatballs, and other meats from their dinner specials to make lunch specials for the next day like a meatloaf sandwich.  They will also be offering Thanksgiving turkey or full Thanksgiving dinners for people to take home to their families.

Beyond the food aspect, they are trying to pull that old time wholesome customer service to their restaurant.  They want to take the time to get to you know.  They want to check back to make sure your food is to your liking.  The Browns want people to connect over food.  They call their dinners “slow me down dinners” so people can relax and unwind after a long day.  They focus on beautiful plating and mouthwatering aromas to give customers full dining experience for all the senses.

If you are looking for comfort food made the way grandma used it make it, Bravo’s is the place for you!  Speaking of grandma, be sure to stop by every other Sunday to try the Chicken and Dumpling soup made from Mr. Jim’s Grandma’s recipe.  It was one of the dishes that inspired the concept of the restaurant.

You can find Bravo’s on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bravos-Soup-and-Sandwich-Shoppe-510659535653767

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravossoupandsandwich/

About the Author:

Ashley Newell is a wife and mom who lives in Elk Grove.  She is a food enthusiast who wants to feature the amazing food that Elk Grove and the surrounding areas have to offer.  You can follow her journey on Instagram @ashleynewell.me, her lifestyle blog http://www.ashleynewell.me, and for more Elk Grove food tips you can visit her Facebook page EatingElkGrove.