This was my first visit to Brio, it was mid day Saturday in Crocker Park a nice shopping area west of Cleveland it was cold, windy and a few flurries in the air, the crowds were large its the holiday season and the procrastinators are everywhere. I ducked in to get warm have a bowl of something to recharge the batteries it didn't appear busy but there was real confusion at the hostess station laminated table maps covered in dry erase ink we must go and verify each table to see if there are customers seated or if they need to be bused or just vacant never mind the hungry crowd we must verify even before we write the names of the new customers down in the order they walked in, we can always ask who's next yes that's it we will use the honor system.
The crowd was building like it was midnight at Walmart on Black Friday now the staff huddles up to decide who gets a seat it's a lottery I don't feel I have a winning ticket but I'm close enough to get picked like an unpopular kid in a dodge ball game. The part time hostess looks at me, it seems she remembers I was here before this debacle began she grabs the menus and heads my way yes it's me I get a table no wait she decides to double check the vacancy the process comes to a stop I see a server waving they found a table bingo. We arrive it's clean and the silverware is inbound another pours the water and yet another sets down a bowl of bread and I think gourmet crackers things are looking up.
Let's make it easy and fast or fast and easy this is a quick lunch between shopping yes we all will have the soup and salad I want the Italian wedding soup the others lobster bisque. My choice was wonderful I would of liked it a little warmer but the taste was spot on, the tiny meatballs were tasty and plentiful. The lobster bisque was a little heavy on the sherry but also heavy on the lobster chunks no complaints from this group.
It's Salad time two order the wedge two order steak salads both were very forgettable unfortunately. Wedge was not chilled and the dressing was sparse, light on the bacon and a few cherry tomatoes would not do it again, the steak salads were about the same it seems but they have chucks of tough steak piled on top.
Okay 3 stars for the food to be fair it wasn't a full meal it was a big shopping day and the place was busy yes I am making excuses for them because I want to try Brio again whether it's here or anywhere else.