Recently there were several new menu items released at Brio Tuscan Grille and I made a trip to the Irvine Spectrum to try out a few new items on the lunch menu as well as a classic favorite. 🙂 Have you ever been to Brio before? I personally love this place. Read about one of my past experiences here –> Brio Tuscan Grille Dinner.
Upon entering Brio, there is a very welcoming atmosphere and there are several options of where to dine that include both inside and outside. Something that I really love about Brio as well is that the kitchen is wide open and you can watch the master chefs at work while you wait for your food!
Shortly after you are seated at Brio, a bread basket is promptly brought to the table with a variety of delectable options. There is a delicious sourdough bread that I doused with a dab of butter and salt and pepper along with some super tasty bread crisps that look like big chips!
I spent this lovely Sunday afternoon for lunch dining with my dear friend, Peggy that I have known for 26 years. 🙂 We decided to each order a cocktail to celebrate Sunday Funday along with a new appetizer on the menu. I opted for the Peach Bellini cocktail prepared with peach nectar, peach schnapps, and prosecco! Yum! Peggy got the Bloody Mary!
To enjoy with our drinks, we got a brand new appetizer that was recently added to the menu. We selected the Burrata & Ciabatta ($10.95). This dish was a decent size and was made up of creamy mozzarella, fresh roasted tomatoes, olive oil, and grilled ciabatta! We really enjoyed this dish and found ourselves using the sourdough from our bread basket as well to go with the cheese and tomatoes just to mix things up a bit! 🙂
Next, I had the Bistecca Insalata, which I added to my lunch entrée for only $4.50. Without an entrée this salad is normally $5.95. This salad is your typical wedge salad jam packed with tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, bacon and creamy parmesan dressing. Something I always love about this salad at Brio is that they do not skimp on any of the ingredients and each bite is filled with a bit of each ingredient! 🙂
For my lunch entrée, I opted for a new item on the lunch menu, which was the Short Rib and White Cheddar Sandwich ($13.95). I debated between this one and the Prosciutto and Burrata sandwich for quite awhile and decided to go with the short rib so I could have something extremely different from our appetizer. I made a great choice because the short rib on this sandwich was cooked perfectly and I loved the blend of the flavors of caramelized onions, arugula, and ciabatta. This dish also came with Brio’s delicious house made chips! This sandwich was definitely an individual sized portion and I was happy I did not opt to share this one with my friend because I had no leftovers. 🙂 I loved this sandwich, but next time I would also like to try the prosciutto and burrata!
Peggy opted for a classic favorite from the brunch selection of the menu that is available on Saturdays and Sundays. She selected the Ham and Biscuit Benedict ($11.50) that is prepared with cage free eggs, Cherrywood smoked ham, a house made biscuit, grilled asparagus, hollandaise and brunch potatoes. This was an awesome entrée as Eggs Benedict is always one of my favorite brunch items. Something that made this dish special in comparison to other benedicts was the homemade biscuit! Yum!!! 🙂
To end our meal, we each opted to get a small mini dessert. Brio has a variety of “Dolchinos…aka Petite Favorites” for only $3.95! These items are sized perfectly to enjoy a dessert but not have the guilt of ordering a large item that you cannot finish.
I ordered the Caramel Mascarpone Cheesecake which had a lovely anglaise sauce with vanilla whipped cream! I LOVE this dessert. I must confess I have had this one before, but it was so delicious…It is the only dessert I must have when I visit this restaurant because it is so smooth and creamy! I took half of this one home to devour on the sofa while watching Sunday evening tv. 🙂
Peggy got the Crème Brulee with vanilla bean and caramelized sugar. She always loves to order this dessert and she was very impressed with the crème brulee from Bio Tuscany Grille. She enjoyed this one and finished the last bite full and happy!
Have you been in to check out the newest menu items at Brio? I need to head back for the dinner menu in the future. There are many new options on that menu that look delicious as well! 🙂 Please leave your thoughts about these dishes and please let me know what items you recommend at Brio Tuscany Grille in the comments section below.
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