Moody Foodie: BRIO’s Seafood Celebration

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit BRIO Tuscan Grille at The Markets at Town Center to sample the newest spring dishes from BRIO’s Seafood Celebration menu. BRIO’s Seafood Celebration Menu is available now and will continue through Sunday, June 17. So don’t worry, you still have plenty of time to reel in your friends and family to try out these amazing meals and get hooked on seafood again. And it’s a perfect time to visit BRIO Tuscan Grille as we approach Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Graduation season because they are also hosting a gift card promotion! From now until June 17, if you spend $100 in gift card purchases, then you will receive a free $25 bonus card, redeemable Monday, June 18–Friday, Aug. 31. The spring gift card promotion is available for purchase in BRIO restaurants and online (here).

MY SEAFOOD CELEBRATION EXPERIENCE:

When I first arrived at BRIO, my group and I were greeted by Joel (the general manager) and Ashley (the restaurant manager) and they introduced us to James, our main waiter for the evening.  James brought out a few baskets of complimentary bread & butter along with the new specialty cocktails that were added to the menu. The cocktails included the Blackberry Fizz (blackberry infusion made with black raspberry liquor, Moscato, lemon, and lemon & lime juice), Blackberry Cooler (Blackberry infusion made with rum, black raspberry liquor, pineapple and lime juice, and basil simple syrup) and Blackberry Infused Cosmo (blackberry and pineapple infusion that’s made with black raspberry liqueur, lime juice, basil simple syrup). I sampled all three drinks, but ultimately ended up drinking the Blackberry Infused Cosmo – it was really, really good.

Next up was a beautiful display of appetizers that did not disappoint.   

Black Pepper Shrimp – I tried this appetizer before during a happy hour several months ago and it has been one my absolute favorites ever since. This dish comes with grilled shrimp and Romano cheese crusted eggplant covered in spicy black pepper cream sauce. I pretty much could have eaten the entire platter to myself – it’s that good. 

Chef’s Seasonal Bruschetta – This appetizers comes with crisp slices of sourdough bread topped with provolone cheese, a sprig of asparagus, finished off with caramelized onions and prosciutto. This bruschetta was the perfect bite sized treat before our meal was served.  I would definitely order this again. 

Beef Carpaccio – This dish really looked delicious, but I have to confess that I didn’t even try it.  However, everyone else in my group did and they loved it. This appetizer comes with thinly sliced raw beef served with field greens, capers, mustard aioli and Parmesan cheese.

After feasting on all of these amazing appetizers, James brought out several entrees for us to sample. I think I can speak for everyone there that we were most excited about this part of our dinner. 

Lobster & Shrimp Ravioli – This was my favorite dish of the night.  As pictured below, it comes with jumbo shrimp and lobster stuffed raviolis covered in a spicy black pepper cream sauce garnished with spinach and grape tomatoes. I seriously could eat this dish everyday and I wish I would have taken some home with me - it's amazing.  In fact, I may stop by the restaurant this weekend just to have it again. 

Shrimp Mediterranean – You can’t go wrong with this dish especially if you love shrimp.  And guess what? This dish is on the “Light Menu,” so it's a win win. The combination of the grilled shrimp on top of a bed of orzo, faro, broccoli, asparagus, grape tomatoes, spinach, Feta cheese and a pesto vinaigrette makes it a perfect healthier option. 

Grilled Salmon Fresca – This dish came in as a close second favorite to the raviolis and it’s also part of the “Light Menu” options.  I love grilled salmon in general and this one was cooked to perfection, lightly seared and moist.  It was served with grilled asparagus, sweet potatoes, spinach, red peppers, pesto vinaigrette, Feta cheese, tomatoes and a balsamic glaze.  

Although we were all too full to even think about dessert, James brought out several sweet treats to end our meal.

Tiramisu – The tiramisu was delicious and not too heavy.  I only had one bite, but it was enough to know that it had just the right balance of coffee liqueur and mascarpone cheese.  The consistency was perfect. 

Dolchino Trio – This dessert featured a crème brûlée with vanilla bean and caramelized sugar, a slice of the caramel Mascarpone cheesecake and a butterscotch bread pudding that were all delicious. 

 

Thank you very much to the servers, managers and the chef at BRIO at The Markets at Town Center. I can’t wait to come back for some more delicious meals and I hope you all give their “Seafood Celebration” menu a try as well! I’m pretty sure that once you do, you will be hooked!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary preview of the new spring menu in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own.