My Perfect Date Night: Brava Cucina (Weymouth, MA)

When it’s date night AND National Martini Day, the challenge is on to find the perfect cozy spot with amazing food and a killer cocktail program. Luckily, I found it for you and it’s right here at Brava Cucina in Weymouth on Boston’s South Shore. Brava is that hidden gem you hope pops up in your neighborhood someday so you can make it “your place”. Consistently delicious, scratchmade food, innovative cocktails, a great wine selection, and a vibe that channels your mood, whatever that may be.

Romantic and cozy for date night – done. Chill and casual after a day at the beach – yep. Cocktail dress if you are feeling a little “extra” – do it. Jeans and a tshirt when you aren’t – absolutely. I love that Brava literally just does it’s thing and let’s you decide how to enjoy it.

My hot tip of the day (write this down): they have a PARKING GARAGE. I have to shout this from the rooftops right now because if you are not aware of this magical little gift from owner, Devin Adams, and the Brava crew, you could circle around multiple times to snag a spot on the street. It is right behind the restaurant, in the same building, and boasts 16 parking spaces for restaurant guests.

The bar is the focal point of the front of the restaurant and Bar Manager, Jose Carrasquillo, has created a zero-waste program featuring homemade ingredients, creative flavor combinations, fun twists on classic favorites, and a wine list (curated by owner, Devin Adams himself) that is 95% Italian and/or Italian heritage.

Nate was behind the bar on National Martini Day making his own ice cubes from the large ice blocks they make downstairs (fun fact: he gets about 50-60 cubes per block). While most of the cocktails are created by Jose, Nate has also infused the cocktail menu with his Manhattan style cocktail, “Fiore” made with rye, vermouth blend, maraschino, and bitters.

The “Martini molto freddo” was the perfect choice for the national holiday that night and the Brava spin features four corners gin, dolin dry, dolin blanc, italicus bergamot and a whisper of absinthe.

I can also tell you from personal experience that you can’t leave Brava without ordering an “Espresso Martini” (made using local Speedwell coffee) with their housemade cream on top (homemade using egg yolk, sugar, heavy cream, cold brew, and vanilla extract).

Now that you have your cocktail (maybe you chose this pretty & fun island-style cocktail “Alicudi Isle” right there in the background), it’s time to dive into the menu created by Chef James Bourassa. Everything on the menu comes from Chef James’ scratch kitchen: fresh, homemade pasta and focaccia bread, housemade sauces and dressings, hand-tossed salads, nightly specials, and the Pasta Dinner Special which is probably the best special offering I have seen anywhere on the South Shore for a budget-friendly night out with amazing food.

The Pasta Dinner Special is offered 7 nights/week and includes your choice of Bruschetta + a half-size salad, Arancini (mozzarella & fontina) or the Polpette (beef & pork meatballs) + your choice of pasta entree. You can easily share this and you can add on additional Bruschetta, salads, antipasti and more. My daughter and I share this special and add an extra dish to share, too. You can mix and match all of the offerings to create your perfect meal all for $33.00.

I asked Chef James why this special is offered 7 nights/week. The food is amazing, the weekend crowds are there, and I know plenty of us are happy to pay full menu pricing for consistently incredible food. He explained that Brava, along with the restaurant’s sister concepts (The Drift in Hull, Pearl & Lime in Quincy, and Dotty’s Kitchen & Raw Bar in Quincy), believes that great food should be enjoyed by all, at a price point that is welcoming to everyone. I love the fact that “food is love” is intrinsically a part of Brava’s mission and it makes everything coming from Chef James’ kitchen that much more delicious.

Grab the Pasta Dinner Special and add a Secondi course, perhaps? The fan favorite Secondi at Brava is the Pork Milanese with the Roast Chicken following closely behind (brined for over 12 hours for rich flavor and served with lemon risotto, cherry tomato burro fuso and petite cress). If you happen to find yourself at Brava on a Monday night, you can also indulge in the Chicken Parmesan (only available on Mondays until sell-out (maybe Tuesday if you are lucky)). The team keeps a count of how many Chicken Parmesan are left throughout the night on the window so you can drive by and know if your Chicken Parm dreams are still available as the night progresses.

The semolina used to make the homemade pasta is imported from Italy (as is the case for many of the kitchen ingredients). Fresh pasta is made daily and the most popular pasta on the current menu is the Bolognese. While this will remain a staple on the pasta menu as it has been since Day One, you can expect to see new additions this summer such as a creative new pasta dish featuring chicken, spicy vodka sauce, & torn burrata. Gluten-free pasta can be used to create any of the menu items as well.

The rotating weekly specials are often promoted on social media (so be sure to follow @bravaweymouth) and feature seasonal ingredients. This week, Chef James created a Summer Corn Gnochetti (corn, pea, crispy prosciutto, and fontina corn crema) which looked amazing as well as hyper-seasonal Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with mint, pistachio pea tendril, fennel pollen and whipped goat cheese. If you have been to a Farmer’s Market this week or weekend, you know the sugar snap peas are absolutely amazing right now and local farms are excited to get this harvest out to the community.

My current personal favorite on the Primi menu is the Shrimp Scampi. Juicy, crunchy, gorgeous jumbo shrimp tossed with homemade malfadine pasta, garlic, butter, white wine and lemon. Chef James’ favorite is the Canestri alla Norcina featuring Pig Rock Sausage, broccoli rabe, truffle pecorino moliterno, and lemon marscapone (the lightest sauce with SO much flavor).

If you are in the mood for a lighter dinner, I highly recommend the Caesar Salad (the dressing is the best I have had locally, and I would know because I have tried them all) paired with the Polpetti (pork and beef meatballs (gluten free) in a rich pomodora suga – a mixture of classic tomato sauce with the addition of chicken brodo).  Or a Bruschetta paired with the Verdi salad (watercress, arugula, apple, toasted pistacho, balsamic vin and pecorino). The combinations are endless if you are looking something other than pasta or a composed Secondi entree.

The most popular Bruschetta is the Fig & Prosciutto. Many diners recognize and love this classic flavor combination and will select this option out of familiarity. Chef James was SO right, though, when he said the sleeper hit of the Bruschetta menu is actually the Pea & Ricotta – and, it is my favorite, too. Notes of black truffle, bright, fresh pea shoots, velvety ricotta …it’s all there and it’s perfection.

The Insalata menu is equally impressive in flavor, creativity and pure crave-ability. The Caesar is awesome but the Caprese Salad is equally beautiful and satisfying. Heirloom tomatoes are locally sourced and combined with imported Buffalo mozzarella, aged balsamic (also shipped to the restaurant from Italy), and Chef’s homemade tarragon vinaigrette (that I want to put on everything and/or just drink with a straw).  Put this together with a glass of Vigne Guadagno and you have a perfect summery start to an incredible meal.

Speaking of wine, the most popular wine by the glass (red) is the Valenti “norma” from Mt Etna, Sicily, Italy. I love the minerality and light floral notes and I can see this wine working well with everything on the menu. The wine selection by the glass rotates as the menu adjusts for the seasons so there will always be a perfect wine to pair with everything you order (the bottle selection is even more robust and the staff is educated and happy to offer suggestions).

I hear rumors that a new fried cauliflower with hot honey Antipasti may be arriving soon along with a Peach Agrodolce Bruschetta and I can’t wait to see what wines we will be pairing with these fun new menu items. Stay tuned.

Run to Brava Cucina, you guys (or drive there since you now know they have their own parking garage). Date night, GNO, mom & daughter dinner, or a quiet solo meal at the bar with Nate and Jose…the food is fantastic, the people are wonderful, the vibe is everything, and I promise you will want to return again and again to see what Chef James has in store for specials, the new summer menu, and to find your new favorite thing that you just haven’t tasted yet.

Something fun for your radar…be on the lookout for a possible collaboration menu item on an upcoming Clandestine Kitchen home delivery menu featuring homemade pasta from Brava. I love working with passionate local chefs and purveyors and this one would be something very special. Brava is quickly becoming my new favorite kitchen-away-from-my-own-kitchen and I am so impressed with what Devin, Chef James, Jose, and the Brava team are creating. Go see for yourself and let me know what “new favorite” menu item I need to try on my next night out at Brava Cucina.