The new a Tavola Restaurant & Wine Bar takes culinary cues from different parts of Italy. It also draws other inspiration from what its creators say has lately proven a successful recipe in Metairie — a family-friendly approach with a large dining bar for times when the family is not in tow.

Holding down the high-profile intersection of Veterans Boulevard and Severn Avenue, part of the Lakeside Shopping Center complex, a Tavola opened just before Christmas. It represents the transformation of the space that was long home to the popular chain restaurant Bravo!, and it’s the latest move from Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, a New Orleans company that has been growing in Jefferson Parish.