Brio Restaurant

User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I went to Brio for dinner on Saturday, March 28th, and ordered the 3 course tasting menu. The first course came out, and was wonderful, Tempura Tuna with a nice garlicky hoisin sauce and a molded cylinder of rice. The tuna had no mercury taste in it, and was cooked to perfection (great cooked texture, but none of the cooked taste or look). From there, my dinner went downhill quickly:

My waiter could not remember what he was putting in front of me from that point on. I actually had to suggest major things that I saw on the dish, that he didn't explain. The second course was a cylinder of goat cheese and putanesca sauce with diced eggplant, wrapped with slices of zucchini. This was also a tasty dish, but it probably would have been tastier if I'd known what I was eating, rather than having to dig around to find out what the "stuff" (eggplant) at the bottom of the dish was. It wasn't just omission on the part of the waiter that made the experience, less than stellar, it was also the addition of ingredients that simply were not in the dish. I was told that there were Red Peppers in the second course, but I bit into one, and it was actually tomatoes. The third course, the dish that was halfass explained to us, and we were told it had prosciutto in it; another lie. In fact the only CORRECT thing he was able to tell us about our third course is that it had scallops, a roasted tomato on it and pine nuts. The scallops tasted like they had phosphate in them, either that or mercury; either way, these were not scallops meant to be served raw in the middle. I was literally left with a bad taste in my mouth from my experience. I still gave the restaurant 3 stars, because the first 2 courses were impressive, and it was soly the fault of the server that we didn't know what we were eating. The third course, however, was very unpolished. My water was kept full for the entire meal, and the bathroom was very clean. I would have been happier with the meal if I hadn't gone in $70 for service I could have gotten at a diner.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First off I wanna say, "I don't usually write reviews." With that said here goes...

I specifically decided to write a review on Brio because of my first, and recent visit there. I decided to take a friend that was visiting from out of town. We started off at another nearby eatery, ordered appetizers...we had planned to do a traveling dinner type thing...so our 2nd stop was Brio. I had been planning on visiting there soon, and what a prefect time.

Let me say, the place was decorated beautifully, dimmly lit for those w/ sight trouble beware...It was truely romatic. We ordered: Scallops, Korean beef, mashed potato martini style-mushrooms & garlic, and creme brulee for dessert!

The waitress was helpful w/suggestions and recommendations. The gentleman refilling our water was on a mission to never let us be thirsty. :D

EVERYTHING...was wonderful! The food was fabulous, every single thing they brought us-Delicious! The scallops were tastey, beef was tender and the flavor was perfect seasoning/sauce/juice combo, even something as regular as potatoes...wow! They were so good they reminded me of some other dish I had 2 years before that was actually a risotto dish w/mushrooms! The brulee was good, and w/ the strawberry sliced on top, great visual presentation! I kept trying to get a bit of fruit w/each bite as it was making it taste almost like strawberry shortcake, if that's possible...very unique.

The check was about 30 dollars...we were done eating for the evening....and wished we had only stopped there! What a very good amount and quality for the money, atmosphere and all right here in Rockford!

The final part that was neat, the bathroom, cool mirror like the one in the resturant, and red lights in stalls, just very momentous visit and WITH OUT A DOUBT-going back!

Give it a try, I'm telling all my friends to!
T.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

If you are looking for a night out in rockford that feels like you are in chicago at some swanky, but comfortable restaurant... Brio is it. The food is delicious. The portions are tapas sized (smaller) so you order several items and taste a few things. The patio is especially charming with ivy-grown walls, twinkling lights over-head, and a bubbling water fountian. Typically great service. The prices are a bit more than your standard fare (Chili's or TGIF) but it is a totally different experience. Not a place for kids, but a wonderful place for adults to have a very memorable night. Also check out Jackson's Retreat, a bed and breakfast type city retreat above the restaurant.

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