Brusketa Ristorante

Well, we can’t give an honest review because we were never waited on. After sitting and reading the menu for 15 minutes, we asked if someone was assigned to our table. There was a flurry of confused activity around the bar, and then someone came and asked us if we wanted water. Then someone else came and asked us if we wanted water. After confirming we did want water, no one came back for another 5 or 6 minutes. We left. The food next to us looked unappetizing. Not sure this is worth another try. If you spell the name of your restaurant phonetically, perhaps you aren’t really Italian, or are catering to a pretty unsophisticated audience. Lame at best.

Let me start by saying the dish I had probably tasted like a 4-​star rating. However, I feel like 3-​stars is the appropriate rating for the restaurant overall. Read on…
I almost didn’t visit since I had been to it’s previous incarnation of the Grand Agave which was definitely a disappointing Mexican food endeavor. Now the Grand Agave is just the night club with the restaurant an Italian experiment.
My dish was tasty but it was noticeably different than what was listed on the menu. It was described as a pan-​seared red snapper with capers, asparagus, fettuccine poblano, and red-​green coulis. The dish also came with olives and mushrooms, though neither were listed. I don’t like mushrooms so that was disappointing. The olives were the pedestrian variety with stuffed pimentos. If you’re going to add olives to the dish then they should be quality without the silly pimento. The «fettuccine poblano» had perhaps 4 flecks of small green things I can only assume were poblano since they were too small to taste and the pasta itself lacked any poblano flavors. Basically, the poblano was missing. The fish was cooked well and tasty and the pasta was properly firm.
Most of their issues are menu related. For starters, it seemed so odd that their name is Brusketa and it’s an Italian restaurant with no bruschetta on the menu. I’ve also never seen it spelled with only one «t» but I’m not Italian and never been to Italy.
The other dishes on the menu failed to inspire. The snapper was the only thing I would consider ordering so I probably wouldn’t return. Some items like «salmon ceviche» and «octopus sushi» seem out of place on the menu of what’s supposed to be upscale Italian dining with Mediterranean flavors. Personally, I think salmon ceviche just doesn’t work since the fish is too soft and when cooked with lime juice it’s gets a mealy texture. The flavor of salmon just doesn’t blend with the idea of a ceviche. I didn’t have theirs but have tried it other places. Another item I recall is rosemary salmon. I like salmon with a creamy rosemary topping but that’s not Italian and it’s also too basic for me to spend money for it at a restaurant. I can whip that up at home in about 15 min.
Oddly they didn’t have any dishes with chicken except on a panini.
I also had a cup of their tomato soup. It was good but a bit too creamy for my preference, especially considering the description on the menu doesn’t call it out. The biggest problem was that my soup was brought out when we finished our salads and the entrees followed 2 minutes later. So my table guest was served her plate of food and the waitress set mine in the middle of the table. (eye roll) So I had to choose between letting my fish get cold or abandon my soup.
Our waitress was clearly inexperienced. If you want a fine dining experience for your customers you can’t let newbies be on their own too soon. That seemed to be the case here. There was awkward service at the table beyond the soup/​entrée situation above. I wouldn’t say the service was bad as she was attentive but it was awkward.
Our table was near the entrance of the dining room with the night club across the hall. The music wasn’t loud yet but the doors were open and are directly across from the entrance to the dining room. Having the night club music drifting in seems like an odd choice. They could simply close the doors to the club this early in the evening as there is another entrance closer to the lobby.
The ambiance was nice though the dining area felt a bit cramped. There is a large stone oven in the corner for the pizzas which was nice and the dining area wasn’t overly warm as tends to happen in other restaurants I’ve been to with that feature. They tried to seat us at a bench that had 3 sittings. The chairs are up against a bar with only 2 feet of clearance which means the wait staff and patrons must squeeze by the other diners to get to the end. Bad idea especially since you’re there with strangers. That should be a single group only so you at least you know the people who are rubbing against your head as they squeeze by, even though it’s still seems like a bad idea. There were plenty of tables open so it’s confusing why they tried to squeeze us in there with another couple already there. That spot should be the last resort after the rest of dining room is full.

A great new «find» in the Stone Oak area! Brusketa features delicious, well prepared, fresh, «clean» food in a classy yet casual atmosphere. We LOVED the pizzas which were served piping hot from the wood burning oven (which you can see in operation as it is tucked in the corner of the bar). The salmon ceviche appetizer was another delicious choice with a variety of well layered flavors and textures bursting in my mouth. There were many more inviting menu items that we wanted to sample and the eyes were willing but the belly was FULL (and happy!). Our server and the entire staff were VERY friendly, personable, accomodating and concerned with our needs. The manager, Marco, and owner Guadalupe, took time to chat and seemed to really take an interest in the customers. They offer great lunch and happy hour specials, live music on Wednesday evenings and it was mentioned that they are in the process of expanding the menu. I look forward to returning and sampling more yummy Italian/​fusion food!

We stopped in here on short notice after looking for an Italian place nearby via web search. The place is nestled behind an upscale shopping complex near Stone Oak and 1604, and not visible from the highway. When we pulled in, the parking lot was completely empty except for the employee parking. We were nervous, but decided to give it a try anyway. We were pleasantly surprised. The service was excellent, everyone really enjoyed their food — even my gluten intolerant daughter because they actually offer all of their pasta dishes gluten free, and even my 8 year old who has a very immature palate — and the prices was not bad. A few other patrons came in after we arrived, but the place never did fill up. I hope more people find this place, they deserve to stay open. We would definitely go back.

My boyfriend and I went here sort of a christmas eve treat and we found it wonderful, the staff was extremely professional and the atmosphere very classy. I ordered the prosciutto pizza and it was wonderful, also i watched them prepare my pizza (make the dough in house). Couldn’t have asked for a better time.