Sunny afternoon before Christmas, feeling cooped up and wanting to get out and do anything.  Had been laid up with back and leg pain for months now and just feeling so over it and in need of a little fun on this beautiful day so I head out to Victoria Gardens. Brio was one of my favorite places to frequent in Las Vegas, NV. The happy hour there was amazing in the bar and people were always friendly and inviting, plus you could have your choice to sit at the bar inside or outside. Of course my choice always being outside.  So I head out knowing I couldn’t walk that far before pain unbearable with Brio at Victoria Gardens in my site, wondering what this lay out was going to be like.

I arrived and even though parking lot was packed managed to score a parking spot pretty darn close.  Yeah me! I notice as I walk up that there is outside seating and today just happened to be sunny and warm enough to sit outside and watch all the Christmas shoppers go by.  Walking into the restaurant I notice the pleasant atmosphere. Not as elaborate and beautiful as the one in Vegas, but familiar.  The bar area to my left was nice and large and for a second I pondered sitting my butt there, but the lure of outside was too strong.  A couple ladies in front of me were purchasing gift certificates for gifts and quickly I was escorted outside to a sunny seat.

Definitely going to celebrate the ability to get out today I order up a cosmopolitan, which I was a bit surprised at the time it took to get it, but the bread came as well.  I love, love, love the bread here.  They do sliced as well as crispy seasoned wedges.  I decided to order the soup and salad, which can highly recommend the lobster bisque.  Perfectly creamy, but not too creamy, flavorful, with a few chunks of lobster.  Dip the fresh bread smeared with butter into the soup and enjoy.  Salad was a Caesar of course and also very good, predictable almost average Caesar. Being Brio you almost expect to get an over the top Caesar made in front of you but they don’t do that here. As I sit in the warmth of the day, watching people shop, enjoying my lunch, by the time it came I ordered another cosmo, I notice a paper explaining how to download there app and start getting points.  So while I sit there I fumble thru my phone and achieve success with my first code to provide my server for points.  Great I think now finished with my meal and my drink.  Servers come and go. My server helping other tables, but can’t quite get him to look this way at all to acknowledge I am finished.  So I sit and wait…….wait…….wait, still he wont look my way.  Just when I was about to get real annoyed, almost hey if you are not going to ask me if I want anything more. Obvious I am done, my drink is empty, or offer to retrieve my check, thinking, fine just gonna get up and go then, he finally comes over so I can ask for my check.

I would definitely recommend Brio at Victoria Gardens, because no matter what the food is good, prices not so bad and atmosphere pleasant.  Be prepared to wait awhile though. If going to Vegas make sure you stop at the Brio in town square, never been slow on service there and top notch.

Brio Tuscan Grille

www.brioitalian.com12370 S Mainstreet, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739(909) 463-1036Open today 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM