May 17, 2012. The Hawthornes Have Another Good Lunch In Vegas. At Brio Tuscan Grill.

The  Happy Hawthornes are in Vegas for a couple of days.

Mr. Hawthorne asked a desk clerk
for a good restaurant and she recommend
a particular one.
When we got there,
of course, with our lunch luck,
 the restaurant was closed,
even though the hours on the front door said otherwise.

So we walked around the area
and found this restaurant.

We're at Brio, a Tuscan restaurant.

The temperature in Vegas,

according to the Avalanche thermometer,

is 106 degrees.

Honest to goodness,

I'd never have guessed.

I thought it was in the 80s.

I guess it's true what they say about dry heat.

And this is about as dry as you can get.

You can't tell in the above photo,

but this is typical of many Vegas venues.

They have mists blowing outside
to cool off their patrons.

It is necessary to protect one's cameras,
 phones, and other electronic devices.

Upon being seated,

we were immediately greeted 

by Paul, our attentive waiter.

"Hi, I'm Paul, and I'm your waiter today."

"Hello, Paul, I'm Rosie and this is Mr. Hawthorne.

Nice to meet you!"

Once Paul and the Hawthornes became best buds,

we ordered.

The bread boy brought us a basket of beautiful bread.

A flat bread on the left, with rosemary and sesame seeds,

and a lovely just-baked loaf on the right.

Do check out their menu.

It will have your mouth watering,

plus give you a lot of ideas.

I started with an absolutely heavenly Lobster Bisque

that kicked my ass into Nirvana.

With a soupcon of sherry.

Velvet ambrosia.
$5.95 and worth every penny.

Mr. Hawthorne had the Minestrone Soup.

Loved it with  Zorro snaps in Z-formation

at the 3:16 mark.
Anytime I can get in a Living Color clip, I will.

Mr. Hawthorne had a mixed greens salad,

with sliced strawberries,

goat cheese and candied pecans

(which I got to eat!),

sliced red grapes,

and grilled chicken,

with a balsamic herb vinaigrette.

He thoroughly enjoyed this.

$14.95

I ordered Brio's Brushetta Quattro

and loved it. 

It was a sampling of ... well, quattro bruschettas.

$14.95.

I made two meals out of this.

This is the Tomato Caprese Bruschetta,

with Roma tomatoes, yellow cherry tomatoes,

Mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil,

basil, Reggiano, and cilantro pesto.

Bruschetta with roasted sweet red bell pepper,

 julienned basil, Parmagiano-Reggiano,

and a balsamic drizzle.

Sliced Steak Bruschetta with Gorgonzola Dolce,

arugula, fennel, charred tomatoes,

Parmigiano-Reggiano,

and Tuscan Italian dressing.

And lastly, Chicken Florentine Bruschetta,

with spinach, tomatoes, bacon, sliced green onions,

and Parmeggiano-Reggiano.

This gives me lots of ideas for appetizers and meals.

The possiblities are endless.


Back when we were in Red Lodge, Montana,
I picked up the latest issue of Saveur,
which had a bunch of artisan bread recipes.
They would be perfect for making
these bruschettas.

We can't wait to get back home and cook.