Brio Tuscan Grille

By: Karen R. Tolchin and Tom DeMarchi

Shoppers who have worked up an appetite farther south, at the Waterside Shops, could do worse than dinner at Brio Tuscan Grille, an Ohio-based company that opened its great glass Naples doors in April 2006. We piloted our car through a sea of Mercedes, and then took in our first glimpse of Brio’s spacious outdoor tables and bar, accented with giant, luxurious white curtains. An outdoor patron was showcasing a pair of large white German shepherds named Dolce and Vita; the dogs seemed to have been sent by Central Casting. "Are you Fellini?" Tom asked, to the man’s delight. The small children paying court to his beautiful beasts seemed immune to any cinematic reference beyond The Lion King, but the overall effect was stylish and merry.

We enjoyed a welcome con brio, or "with pep," from the hostess, the executive chef, the servers, the general manager and everyone else bustling through the spacious and warmly decorated restaurant. Initially, it seemed that we had entered a parallel universe in which everyone was called Vinny, but then we met a former FGCU student of mine named Jamie MacKenzie. Jamie expressed mock outrage that we weren’t seated in her section, but we managed to catch up on details of life with her young daughter and her nursing degree as she twirled between her tables and the kitchen. Brio seats 270 people, and seemed to have a capacity crowd on a Saturday evening; yet we were seated immediately with a reservation.

Our Australian server, Mark Carter, kept a steady pace of dishes flowing our way. Brio’s menu offers primi (appetizers), pizzas and flatbreads, insalata, steaks, grille, specialita, pasta and contorni (side dishes). Like Carrabba’s Italian Restaurant, the Cheesecake Factory and other similar franchises, the company behind Brio, BRAVO! Development Group, seems intent upon offering a consistent, familiar product in an attractive setting. According to general manager Vince Russell, there are currently 20 Brio restaurants across the South and Midwest, with five more scheduled to open in 2007.

Tom began with a generous portion of Italian wedding soup with orzo ($4.95), and we both savored a good, smoky appetizer called mussels portofino, featuring garlic and bacon in a white wine cream sauce with three large Tuscan crisps ($10.50). Most of the appetizers at Brio would suffice as main courses, including the tasty Pizza Bianco topped with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, onions, mozzarella, boursin cheese and the kitchen sink ($10.95). For that matter, each entrée could feed a small to medium-sized soccer team. A case in point: The gorgonzola lamb chop entree came with eight—count them, eight—chops with lots of roasted onions, green beans and yellow and red peppers. The exceptionally tender and well-seasoned chops won both of our votes for best dish of the night, and were well complemented by both the Australian Bleasdale shiraz-cabernet recommended by our Aussie server ($7.95 glass, $23.50 bottle) and the Mendocino Sketchbook pinot noir ($9.95 glass, $29.50 bottle).

We were less enamored of the wood-grilled salmon with romano crusted tomatoes, citrus pesto, asparagus and crispy shoestring potatoes ($19.50), and the pasta Brio, with wood-grilled chicken, seared mushrooms and roasted red pepper sauce ($12.95). But to be perfectly fair, by that point of the meal, we felt a bit smoked out. If you don’t order 17 dishes, all of them wood-grilled, you may escape this fate.

Little did we know when we requested the Brio Trio of desserts that we would have a full-sized, three-tiered dessert tray placed before us … and left there ($13.95). You will find the torta di cioccolata appropriately sinful, with its dense, fudgy chocolate enveloped in equally dense and flavorful vanilla bean gelato, floating in a sea of crème anglaise and chocolate syrup ($5.95, separately). Tom contented himself with his fetish, the crème brûlée ($4.50), while I attacked a slice of Mike’s famous cheesecake ($5.95), a firm, not-too-sweet delicacy with a surprisingly dense crust, drizzled with raspberry sauce.

"Come back soon because we’re adding new dishes," executive chef Joseph Tuller urged us. "We’re going to have a great balsamic honey glazed chicken, and amazing new desserts like chocolate cheesecake and pumpkin bread pudding." We also heard about the decadent Bellini Brunch, served both Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., because more is never too much at Brio. Even the children’s menu features 23 choices for the shorter crowd.

If we hadn’t stuffed ourselves into a stupor, we’d have finished with a dessert coffee or a nice glass of tawny port. Instead, we waved goodbye to the regal white dogs and staggered home.

Brio Tuscan Grille, Waterside Shops, 5505 Tamiami Trail N., Suite J1, Naples; (239) 593-5319 or www.brioitalian.com. Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Bellini Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations recommended. Free parking in lot. Credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible.

Reviewed: January 2007