It's always hard for us to find gifts to give Jay's parents, so lately we've taken to subjecting them to our company while enjoying a nice lunch or dinner somewhere here in Stinktown. Today we took them to lunch at Brio Tuscan Grille, located at Frontenac Plaza. To give those of you not familiar with Stinktown some perspective, Frontenac is a bastion of old money ... the horsey set live and eat and shop here ... when Jay and I pay a visit we typically end up looking and feeling like Cletus and Brandine on their first trip to the big city.
First, we had to stop and pick up Jay's mom because his dad was going to meet us at the restaurant. Jay and I snapped a quick self portrait while waiting for her ... it just doesn't feel like a dining review unless I've included a picture of your devoted, intrepid troughers.
It's your fatter, paler, winter-time doppelgangers!
Saturday looked like a nice day but it was very cold and we had one of those sharp northwest winds gusting up to 30 miles-per-hour that just drove the cold right through your bones. There's only one solution for that ... well, other than not going outside in the first place ... and that is ordering a drink or three to get your sluggish circulation moving again.
It's BRIO, not BRILLO.
Jay's parents ...
So, you may be wondering why Brio refers to itself as a Tuscan Grill. I don't know ... I've never been to Tuscany and I rarely, if ever, grill anything other than a cheese sandwedge. I took a couple of pictures of the interior of the restaurant and those of you've been to Tuscany can tell me if the decor is authentic ... something tells me that it's not. Regardless, I loved the interior design - lots of natural light, warm woods, gold and burgundy brocade fabrics, a very large, inviting bar and a huge, open wood-fired oven. It was elegant, relaxed, and welcoming.
My drink of choice for the afternoon was a Flirtini: Absolut Raspberri, Cointreau, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of Prosecco with a cherry hiding at the bottom of the glass.
A drink? Don't mind if I do!
Jay's drink selection for the meal was a Bocce Ball: a traditional Italian cocktail blending DiSaronno Amaretto and freshly squeezed orange juice. Heh, in Stinktown we call that an Amaretto Sour.
They could have at least served it in a bocce ball, dont you think?
We shared an appetizer, thanks to a suggestion from Jay's dad, and chose Brio's Brushcetta Quattro - a sampling of the restaurant's four housemade bruschettas. From left to right in the picture below:
Sliced Steak Bruschetta - served with Gorgonzola Dolce, Arugula, Fennel, Charred Tomato, Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Tuscan Italian Dressing.
Sausage Bruschetta - served with Melted Provolone Cheese, Housemade Peperonata, and Fresh Basil.
Roasted Red Pepper & Fresh Mozzarella Bruschetta - served with Fresh Basil and a Balsamic Drizzle.
Shrimp Bruschetta - served with Lobster Sherry Sauce, Fontina Cheese, and Charred Tomato Cilantro Relish.
Oooooh, we have a winner!
These were all exceptionally tasty with good flavors and seasonings - I can't even pick a favorite from among the four because they were all so good. It was an inspired choice - kudos to Jay's dad!
Jay is a salad man and he ordered a Caesar Salad along with his entree; it was a typical salad but the croutons were homemade - soft, yet crispy and oh-so-yummy!
See, BRIO, not BRILLO.
I had to have a bowl of the Lobster Bisque - I've had it here before and it's just incredible, made with shrimp and a splash of sherry. This was creamy and smooth and subtle - I especially liked finding several shrimpies in the bottom of my bowl. Jay is much more fond of lobster than I am, and he agreed that this bisque was tremendous and even helped me finish it off.
Soupy goodness!
My entree choice was Pasta Alla Vodka - delicate handmade pasta filled with Ricotta Cheese, tossed with Crispy Prosciutto, Garlic, Basil, and a Tomato-Parmesan Cream Sauce. This was delicious - little pasta purses filled with hot, creamy cheese swimming in a light, tomato bath. And those crunchy bits of prosciutto added just the right amount of firm texture to an otherwise very soft dish.
I did not order this just because there was vodka in the sauce.
Jay ordered Garganelli Carbonara - Wood Grilled Chicken, Crisp Bacon, Parmesan Cheese, and Sauteed Spinach. Jay and I both really enjoyed this selection - it was a generous serving with lots of tender, flavorful chicken. We especially liked that the sauce was very very light and not at all sticky or gacky as some white sauces can be.
I think we've made this at home...
Jay's dad ordered the Tuscan Grilled Pork Chop - A Center-Cut, Marinated, Seared on the Grill Slice of Pig with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagoose. I did not try this since pork chops are not my preferred method of pork ingestion, but Jay's dad and Jay (who sampled) thought it was terrific - well cooked yet very moist, which can be a difficult feat to accomplish with pork.
You can take the man off the farm, but you can't take the farm outta the man.
Jay's mom ordered the Romano Crusted Chicken Salad - Crispy Romano Chicken, Chopped Egg, Bacon, Tomatoes, Green Onions, Cucumber, and Creamy Parmesan Dressing. In brief, this was a chicken caesar salad with breaded tenders but I have to admit that the chicken smelled terrific. Jay's mom seemed to enjoy it and she finished it all, so that must be a good sign.
Here chickie chickie chickie ...
Believe it or not we didn't order any after-dinner alcoholic drinks ... when not on vacation we really do tend to play things pretty straight - it's boring but safe. So Jay stuck with plain old coffee while I ordered a cappuccino.
C-O-F-F-E-E
C-A-P-P-Y
My cappuccino was wonderful ... a big, deep cup of caffeinated goodness topped with light foam and sprinkled with cinnamon. I could have sat there all afternoon drinking cup after cup of this stuff, it was that good, but there was dessert to be eaten. And so it was that this was delivered to the table: the Creme Brulee Trio - A sampling of Chocolate-Peanut Butter, Brown Sugar, and Caramel Creme Brulees.
Isn't that the cutest presentation you've seen today?
Still cute, aren't they?
They all sound good, don't they? The caramel creme brulee was the best in my opinion ... creamy, smooth, and sweet. The brown sugar was OK - it had nice flavor but had the consistency of pudding. We suspect that it didn't have time to set or wasn't properly cooked. The chocolate-peanut butter sounded delightful but honestly all I could taste was smoke. Yeah, I said smoke; so that means someone burned something they shouldn't have or else someone mistakenly used our demitasse cup of creme brulee as an ashtray.
Final verdict? Stick with normal creme brulee or order the cheesecake next time!
Overall we had a very good meal and a nice afternoon - we had attentive service and well prepared food (except for dessert) and would definitely head back for another meal some day.
