Having sampled far too many bruschetta recipes with bread that was either dry, or tasted like someone overdid the garlic rub, Maria's grilling of the bread gives it a slightly oily, crisp and crunchy taste that sweetens the flavor of the fresh Roma tomatoes even more. Only a hint of garlic keeps the dish from biting and staying on your breath hours afterward.

Like all the foods I've sampled at Maria's Italian Kitchen Downtown, the sweet, diced tomatoes and herbs were the finest, and really contributed to the success of this dish. Freshly chopped basil, soft mozzarella and a light olive oil marinade completed a recipe that will go down as the best I've sampled to date. Knowing that quality tomatoes are hard to come by in California, my hat goes off to the food buyer.

Sustaining traditions throughout generations in Italian cooking families, restaurant owner, Madelyn Alfano learned her trade partly through formal education, but mostly through hands-on lessons helping her mother, Maria, in the family business that began in Brentwood. As a kid, Madelyn did not shy away from work, or a challenge. She embraced the entrepreneurial spirit she saw in her mother, and now has nine restaurants in the Maria's Italian Kitchen chain. If my Bruschetta appetizer offers any insight to the business's success, I would attribute the artful preparation, tasty ingredients, and affordable price ($5.99, subject to change), as the key ingredients to this award-winning restaurant's  formula.