"Tuscany Country Grill" is certainly in the right place--a Novato neighborhood that hasn't had a fine Italian restaurant in decades. Whether it's in the right time--as the downtown stews in a recessionary funk--remains to be seen. The western end of Grant Avenue in Novato has long been a black hole for European cuisine. For years such established restaurants as Ming Yen, La Hacienda, China House and Cacti have dominated that side of the town's business district, while the east-of-Redwood kitchens of Grazie Cafe, Portelli Rossi and the defunct Capra's (soon reopening under a new name with new owners) fueled residents with antipasti, panini and pesto. Tuscany Country has been open since the beginning of the year and it's a welcome change to enjoy the stunning views of that end of Grant--several banks and a camera shop, basically--enlivened by the aroma of fresh-baked Italian bread.
That the Country Grill's free-with-dinner starter was perhaps the best bread we'd tasted at a restaurant in Novato since Dalecio's ruled the roost in Boca's current location (that's about 20 years ago for you neo-Novatans) is testament to Tuscany Grill's ambitions.
So from our first taste, it was clear Tuscany Country Grill doesn't merely hope to offer an alternative to its across-the-tracks Italian restaurant rivals--it wants to become "the" Italian restaurant in town. We wouldn't say it's there yet, though.
The qualms we had with our meal, fortunately, aren't insurmountable. An alfredo sauce on the chicken Florentine ($16) needed a higher intensity Parmesan or the elimination of thickening flour; and the chicken Parmesan ($16) would have benefited from livelier herbs in the chicken breading. That being said, the prawns scampi ($17) over angel hair pasta held a red-wine sauce reduced to pasty perfection (and didn't skimp on the seafood) and our crab-cake starter ($10) surprised us by living up to its Alexander Hamilton price tag (perhaps its secret is the "chef's special 'spicy sauce'" boasted about on the menu).
Inside, the setting is appropriately casual for a "country grill," the lighting is slightly dim, the decor an earthy burgundy and the room is compact but not crowded. And what would a cozy Tuscan grill be without Tuscan-looking pastoral art adorning the walls? That, of course, speaks to what the restaurant ultimately achieves--the familiar. White tablecloths, white-attired waitstaff (a very attentive crew by the way), Tuscan staples like bistecca florentina (steak, flavored with olive oil, salt and pepper, $23-$26) and non-Tuscan staples from other parts of Italy and beyond such as pizzas ($11, toppings additional), burgers ($10), Greek and Sicilian salads, etc. The menu leans more toward American Italian then traditional Tuscany--an olive-oil region that wouldn't rely on the heavy, buttery sauces found here. But perhaps it's wise not to go all Tuscan hard-core with reboiled bread soup and rabbit stew in an economy that probably calls for comfort food.
Whatever. On the most recent Friday evening we checked in, Tuscany Country Grill had no empty tables, simmered with the clamor of hungry eaters and served us a killer cookie a la mode dessert. Then several Novato High homecoming bandwagons drove down Grant and all the patrons dropped their forks to gawk at the pageantry. Viva West Novato.
