Critic's Review
I didn't plan to go to Brio today. I forgot that they were opening one adjacent to the Broward Mall. I saw it from the street and decided to change my plan.
Another nightmare parking lot comes to South Florida. Why do they keep hiring the same people to do this? One way, angle parking; a virtual maze. It was pretty crowded considering that it was after 2pm.
They have a pleasant looking outdoor patio, but I decided to eat inside. "Would you like a high-top"; she kind of smiled when I said "Absolutely Not". Clearly she's instructed to ask such things. They have a nice bar, but nobody wants to eat at the bar here.
I got a big table; not really a booth but booth-like, in the middle of the restaurant. They have an open kitchen here where you can watch the servers and managers do their thing; this will play into things later in the experience.
I'd describe the restaurants as "Gaudy" with big pillars with drapes and high ceilings.
I like the stone, but some of the decor is a big garish for my taste.
Things with my server started out well, as Iced Tea came out quickly with the requested lemon. Things went steadily downhill after that.
Bread is included with the meal; a nice bread basket came out just after the tea. A big loaf and the fancy flatbread crackers.
The bread at Romano's is my favorite part of the meal, but I didn't like this bread. The crust was too hard and the bread tasted like flour. I understand that crust is good on bread, but it shouldn't risk breaking your teeth.
I'm not really eating bread anyway. The salad came out shortly after the bread.
The salad looked nice, but the dressing was kind of bland. Not much cheese. At least they didn't load it up with stupid croutons. The salad is a $4.25 up-charge with a lunch entree.
One issue is the forks; my rollup had 2 forks that were the same size; both of them too big for salad. Or any food for that matter. For some reason they've copied the pitchfork concept championed by the Olive Garden.
The place was thinning out a bit as it approached 2:30. My server promised me a refill; a few minutes later she did a 180 as she walked my way which told me she forgot. A runner brought out the chicken.
My first thought was "This is $14.95 for lunch?" (it's actually $12.95). 2 small rounds of chicken and a big mish-mosh of vegetables. I took a couple of pictures and took a taste. Another piccata sauce that wasn't going to cut it. Usually this dish is served with a lemon wedge, but none here. I need improve this sauce. It was at this point that I thought it was possible that my server was blind. I needed to get some lemon; she must have looked my way 3 times without noticing that I was trying to get her attention.
Then something very strange happened. A runner came out with 2 pieces of chicken on a plate. "The extra chicken you requested". I mentioned that I didn't order any chicken; my server noticed the gathering and came over "That's not for him", she said. A few moments later the kid returned, saying that the chef was sending me some more chicken. A chef then came over and explained that he thought my plate was a little short so he sent some more.
Now my guess is that they saw me taking pictures and that I was agitated trying to get my servers attention, and they were afraid that I'd trash them on Yelp or something. I still needed some lemon, but this gave me an opportunity to ask for it.
Chicken piccata should be floured and cooked in oil, but this was cooked in garlic or something. The whole dish just didn't fit. Like if you put some lemon juice on a chicken cutlet. Another chain restaurant masterpiece.
I asked for my check and out I went, never to return.
Conclusion
I've been to Brio 3 times now, and I've been impressed by nothing. The "Chicken Limone" I had in Hallandale for $11.45 was better than this.
This place has gotten to a point where the prices don't match the chain quality of the food. I put this place above Buca Di Beppo and Olive Garden and below Romanos and Carrabba's on the totem pole of chain Italian restaurants.
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