brio tuscan grille

place of the best appetizer specials (and improving service). brio is an easy going italianrestaurant- and they should be credited with launching the "appetizer happy hour" in raleigh some time back. since then, many places now have appetizer specials on weekdays between 5-7pm. brio's apetizers are $2.99 - offering flatbreads, mini-burgers, bruchetta, calamari, ... - a real nice sampling and plenty to munch on.

since this year, you can also convince your server to get you the apetizer specials on the patio outdoor seating - which was a no-no and a major area of frustration last year. they will still not volounteer the specials to you - but at least you can get them.

i have been to brio many times and had dinner with small and larger groups, and the service and food quality remains consistently good.

(my last visit: 4/30/2010)

i live in colorado and bought a $100 giftcard. they closed all of their restaurants here and now i can’t use it. i asked for a refund but they refused . i was literally told to wait because they might build arestauranthere in the future. dont buy a giftcard. it’s a scam. they take your money and have no responsibility?

therestauranthas introduced happy-hour friendly specials and cocktails to drive that younger traffic but it’s gone in another contemporary direction with the introduction of risotto, a dish that has enjoyed more recent popularity.

i had a horrible experience here! the service was horrible. the hostess did not want to seat us, then once seated no waiter came to wait on us even though there were not many people in the restaurant. even the manager noticed the lack of service and nothing changed for almost a half hour! 
once someone finally decided to help us it seemed almost as a burden. then to make matters worse we overheard some of the waiters talking about me and my family, all things that were said were based on the racial difference of me and my family. i use to frequent thisrestaurantoften but after today i was disappointed in the service and atmosphere.

my daughter and five girlfriends made a reservation for dinner tonight. they are all 17, honor students and nice kids. when they arrived at therestaurantthey were told they were only allowed to order off a "homecoming menu" which included a little more food than they expected. their server told them the manager said they had to order off this menu. i find this appalling! they will still be tipping 20%, but our family will never return to brio after this rude treatment. nothing about a "homecoming menu" was explained during the reservation either. very disappointed!!

after stopping in the center for the apple store & michael kors we were famished & wanted something close so the girls who helped us with the purse recommend here. we arrived before the rush so were seated right away, by the time we left the bar andrestaurantwas packed. our waiter was okay but everything we ordered was very good. started with the italian wedding soup and sasuage, pepperoni & ricotta flatbread both which were delicious.  for entree's we had pasta brio which had great flavor, the lobster & shrimp ravioli which was spicy and the sauce a little different then expected, this was probably our least favorite, and the grilled salmon fresca which was amazing.  we ended our meal with coffees and variety of desserts which all were worth the calories.

this brio location is located in the happening area of southlake tx. there is very limited parking in immediate vicinity but tonnes of parking on a 3 to 5 min walk in almost every direction. therestaurantis located in the heart of southlake town square. all restaurants do keep busy so having a reservation is always recommended even though the place is massive. the bar area is good to wait. if possible, get the patio seating. the ambiance is very soothing. they serve some type of flax seed crackers and house bread which preps you for interesting food to come. tomato & mozzarella caprese, roasted red pepper bruschetta and margherita flatbread are classics and good. we tried to ravioli di bello which was a ravioli in champagne brown butter sauce and it was truly different. the pasta pesto is also good. they serve desserts in 2 sizes - petite and full size. tried the dolchino trio in which you can choose any 3 petite sized dessert and all of them were good. definitely a place to try!

always good. brio's is always top notch with excellent service. the wait staff are a major factor in a qualityrestaurantexperience and the staff at brio's are among the best. my wife and i were celebrating our 41st anniversary and chose brio's, knowing it would not disappoint. everything was delicious and our waiter was very attentive and knowledgeable. we were very happy with our evening at brio's.

a step up from olive garden. this place is always packed. i finally got my chance to eat here during the osu/michigan game (its great to not really care about osu football, can get so much done). the verdict? it was good, not great.

we started with the bruschetta sampler. this was by far the best thing we had in this restaurant. it was a perfect appetizer to share as there were 4 different types, each with two samples. it was fun to try each one and talk about which one we liked the best. they were all excellent and it is hard to think about how to improve this dish.

i had the risotto with chicken, asparagus, pancetta, and pine nuts..along with a lettuce wedge artfully disguised with an italian name. the salad was forgettable. the risotto was fine, but could be better. the rice had not been cooked enough to release its starch so it had more of a texture of watery rice than risotto. the pancetta was limp and somehow had little taste. the chicken was tasty though, and the asparagus and nuts added nice crunch to an otherwise mushy dish (i know i know, its risotto its supposed to be somewhat mushy).

my date had the crab cakes. all that can be said was that the roasted vegetables that accompanied it were good. it actually took me a second to remember what she ate, so it did not make a great impression, but not horrible by any means either.

the prices were a tad high for the quality but probably just right given its prime location. think one notch up from olive garden for about a dollar more.

the atmosphere was warm and inviting, i thought the interior design was welcoming.

the service was quick, as i am sure it has to be to keep up with huge crowds.

thisrestaurantgets the job done if you are in easton and want italian. i would not go out of my way to eat here though.

are you nuts?. unfortunately, northeast tarrant county doesn't enjoy the same culinary fare of dallas; but brios is the best chainrestaurantto eat at. they are constantly changing their menu items and we challenge other restaurants to meet their high standards. we have never had a bad meal. that is why you need to call 1 week ahead for a reservation. cudos to brios!

a favorite. hubs and i enjoy dining and socializing at brio so much that we try to get by there for a meal at least every 10 days or so. it's a greatrestaurantfor meeting friends or when it's just us. with rare exceptions service has been excellent and the food cooked to order. bruschetta quattro, spinach-artichoke dip, calamari are faves; chipotle-chicken panini is to die for. we've enjoyed so many dishes it's difficult to choose which others to recommend. there's a fettucini dish with sausage, onions, that is wonderful. salads are always crisp, hot foods hot, and quality ingredients are the norm. we both recommend thisrestaurantwithout hesitation.

pleasant surprise. my husband and i decided at the last minute to go out to dinner on new year's eve. it was still early (around 6 or so) and we thought we might get lucky and find a place where we wouldn't have to wait forever to get a seat.

brio was a newrestaurantfor us so we decided to give it a try. we expected to be told that we'd have to wait. we were prepared for that. instead the hostess immediately took us to our table and seated us.

therestaurantwas fairly busy and we had apparently beat the rush by a few minutes because not long after we arrived we noticed people waiting to be seated.

our waiter was very nice and friendly. he refilled our drinks promptly, but i think my husband did have to flag him down once to get a refill. considering how busy he was by the end of our meal, we were not at all bothered by this. we both felt he was doing his best and that he was doing a good job.

the appetizers (calamari) came out quickly and were tasty -- not the best i've ever had, but still good. i'd order it again.

dinner was a bit of a wait, but by the time we started wondering where our food was -- it arrived. i ordered the grilled salmon and my husband got the 'chicken under the brick.' we both enjoyed our meals.

overall, the experience was good. for being new year's eve and going out on a whim, i'd say it was pretty great. especially when we had been expecting to end up having to eat at bob evans. ;)

we do plan to return.

returned for my second visit. therestaurantis very nicely decorated. the service is excellent. as for the food, i ordered chicken limone. it was one of the best meals i have had this year. the leftovers were even better the next day! while somewhat expensive, it is a great place!


-----16 jan, 2010-----

expensive, but good!

brio occupies a primo location at easton, featuring a faux italian villa stylerestaurantwith heated outdoor patio. inside, the place is large, maybe cavernous, with muted earth tones and a ton of tables. said tables are packed in pretty tightly, uncomfo

1 word - fabulous!. greatrestaurant- great food - great ambiance. what more can you ask? prices for the portions are just right. went there before heading to martini park with some girlfriends. glad we got dancing at martini park to dance away some of those calories from that food! :)