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| - As much as I hate to give poor reviews, two stars is all I can do here. On an evening where my boyfriend and I were being indecisive and broke down and went to Brio, an Italian chain which we very rarely do, we regretted it in a fairly quick manner.
We walked into the restaurant and approached the hostess stand where there were two employees standing. Though they were nice, they stared at us like no one was sure what to do. Finally I had to say, "just dinner for two" to be their prompt of interaction with us. We were seated and then ordered the calamari appetizer. It was an extreme disappointment. It was all breading, we could barely taste any calamari. It was crunchy beyond belief, most likely because there was more breading than calamari and it had just became a ball of crumbs. I do like the pepperoncini idea mixed in with the calamari, but it also was overcooked and just not what it could have been. Very far from what it could have been actually.
We then quickly ordered our entrees because we were not feeling it. Not the food, not the staff, and definitely not the ambiance. I had the Pasta Alla Vodka and my boyfriend had the Crab Crusted Salmon. I have to say the Pasta Alla Vodka tasted as if someone opened a can of sauce from the grocery store, added far too much extra Italian seasoning to it and dumped it on top of the (small portion) of pasta. Therefore, unfortunately, resulting in gritty bites of pasta. I do not think the flavors they advertise on the menu came out in this dish at all causing a very subpar dining experience. My boyfriend completed his Crab Crusted Salmon though it was not on the top of his list of seafood experiences. I tasted the dish and my thought remains the same for his dish as mine, minimal flavor experience with the bonus of it being slightly dry fish.
We were not looking for five star dining here and we knowingly came into Brio aware of it being a chain. However with that being said, when you are spending $18-21 on a dish- regardless of where you are- the expectation of the food is to at least be somewhat enjoyable. No one likes feeling like bailing after the appetizer would have been a much better idea than spending $60+ (with no alcoholic beverages) on a meal that was questionable. We have eaten at many other establishments in many other cities, spent the same on the bill, and left happy and full.
Our very shy waitress then brought our check and we departed after signing for the bill with a pen that was covered in (what we hoped was) mashed potatoes. Consider this a lesson re-learned that chain Italian is just not such a great idea.
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