No go for Brio

Hey Guys, about a month ago me, my hubby, in laws and I tried the new Brio Tuscan Grille that just opened at West Farms Mall.

This was not a great experience. To recap here is a brief summary of why your dining out bucks are best spent elsewhere:

- Newbie quirks - Like any new spot that opens there is always a learning curve. What I hate is when they have so many staff on premises that you feel like your being circled by vultures. That was definitely the vibe on the Tuesday nite we visited in May
- What do you mean your out of it? Those are not the words a diner wants to hear when visiting a new spot for the first time. They were out of the polenta appetizer dish I was anxious to try as well as one other menu item we asked about that is fleeting my memory at the moment. C'mon, you just opened, sooooo not an excuse!
- The food was just alright. Hey I'm only a quarter Italian and I could have whipped up the dishes that we ordered and probably with a little bit more heart and soul than the mediocre effort they put into it.
- The vibe was sooo a chain restaurant feel rather than a little mom and pop feel where you know your getting real deal mama mia Italian!

Overall I would call it a "Glorified Olive Garden" your better off using the coupon in the Sunday paper to go get the tried and true standby for chain quality Italian Food.

Here's some pics of what we ordered anyway. I had the Pasta Brio, Mom-in-law had the lamb, hubby had a seafood pasta dish and father in law had the salmon which looked the most appetizing.

I think the funny pic of my hubby and father in law sums up the whole dining experience...he he!

P.S. - If you do want to experience it on your own, I recommend going to their website and joining their email club. They will send you a coupon for a free appetizer just for signing up.

Ta Ta!!