BRIO Tuscan Grille takes on the beauty of spring with their all new Seafood Celebration, featuring chef-inspired, made from scratch, seafood items for lunch and dinner, from Tuesday, April 3–Sunday, June 17. And it’s certainly a great time to visit BRIO because it is celebration season! Treat moms, dads and grads with an exciting gift card promotion, from Monday, April 9–Sunday, June 17.
We recently visited Brio Tuscan Grille at the Irvine Spectrum to sample items from the Seafood Celebration – Spring menu. We asked our waiter what he recommended on the new spring menu. The Calamari appetizer is quite delicious, and we sampled it a few months ago. A perfect way to start off the meal is with BRIO’s tasty Calamari Fritto Misto, fried to a crisp golden brown with pepperoncini.
However, our waiter recommended the Prosciutto and Burrata Pizza with fresh tomato sauce, chili flakes and basil direct from Italy and the burrata is made in house, which we agreed, was quite tasty.
We were quite surprised when one of the managers walked up and delivered a beautifully presented appetizer, which turned out to be the Pino Noir Bruschetta – crisp slices of sour dough bread topped with provolone cheese, a sprig of asparagus, finished off with prosciutto and carmelized pino noir onions.
When speaking with our waiter, he suggested the Lobster & Shrimp Ravioli, which was delicious. As pictured above, a beautiful dish with ten jumbo shrimp with five lobster stuffed raviolis in a rich, spicy black pepper cream sauce garnished with spinach and grape tomatoes. After sampling this dish, I completely understand now, why it is one of the most popular. The sauce is rich and accentuates the flavors in the lobster ravioli and the jumbo shrimp.
The delicious, fresh seafood dishes offered during the Seafood Celebration are:
Lunch (Salad & Seafood Celebration):
- Strawberry Balsamic Salmon Salad: Mixed greens, salmon, grapes, spicy pecans, Gorgonzola, herb vinaigrette
- Grilled Salmon Fresca: Grilled asparagus, sweet potatoes, spinach, red peppers, pesto vinaigrette, Feta, tomatoes, balsamic glaze
- Shrimp Mediterranean: Spicy grilled shrimp, orzo, farro, broccoli, asparagus, grape tomatoes, spinach, Feta, pesto vinaigrette
- Lobster & Shrimp Ravioli: Spicy black pepper cream, spinach, grape tomatoes
Dinner (Seafood Celebration):
- Grilled Salmon Fresca: Grilled asparagus, sweet potatoes, spinach, red peppers, pesto vinaigrette, Feta, tomatoes, balsamic
- Shrimp Mediterranean: Spicy grilled shrimp, orzo, farro, broccoli, asparagus, grape tomatoes, spinach, Feta, pesto vinaigrette
- Lobster & Shrimp Ravioli: Spicy black pepper cream, spinach, grape tomatoes
Delightful complements to these seasonal dishes are delicious drinks including a Blackberry Fizz, Blackberry Cooler and Blackberry Infused Cosmo. Cocktails are sold where legally available. I decided to sample the Blackberry Infused Cosmo, which is mixed with blackberry and pineapple infusion that’s made in house, black raspberry liqueur, lime juice, basil simple syrup. I noticed a bit of tartness, but it had a great and blend of blackberry and pineapple juices, and was very smooth going down.
While we were making our menu selections, our waiter brought the kids handfuls of fresh dough to create their own flatbread. Once they were done, the Chef created a beautiful dessert for them out of their dough creation. They were so excited!
While we were too full to finish our meal with a dessert, suggested sweet endings during the Seafood Celebration are the Crème Brulee with vanilla bean and caramelized sugar, or a slice of Seasonal Cheesecake.
In addition, BRIO’s spring gift card promotion, available from Monday, April 9–Sunday, June 17, is the ideal gift for moms, grads and dads! For every $100 in gift cards purchased, guests will receive a free $25 bonus card, redeemable Monday, June 18–Friday, Aug. 31. The spring gift card promotion is available for purchase in BRIO restaurants and online.
Spring is the ideal season to present a seafood celebration for our guests, as well as our limited time gift card promotion,” said BRIO Tuscan Grille Chef & Culinary Director Alison Peters. “We are excited to serve these fresh, delicious dishes.”
Guests can make reservations online for all BRIO restaurants by visiting www.BrioItalian.com. For a list of locations, please visit www.BrioItalian.com.
About BRIO Irvine Spectrum Center – Irvine
BRIO Irvine Spectrum Center is located at 774 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618. BRIO offers lunch and dinner, as well as a special children’s menu; brunch is offered Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m. The restaurant is open Sunday–Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (949) 341-0380.
