Brio Tuscan Grille offers casual fine dining at Town Square

Restaurant has replica of the Colosseum, options for private dining

photos by Dale Dombrowski/ViewTop, chef Tyler Kehr calls out orders in the kitchen and grill area at Brio Tuscan Grille, 6653 Las Vegas Blvd. South, while Brian Harvey reaches for dishes of soup, Feb. 26. Bottom, Brio features a variety of items, including housemade pasta specialties and flatbreads prepared in authentic Italian wood-burning ovens. photos by Dale Dombrowski/ViewTop, chef Tyler Kehr calls out orders in the kitchen and grill area at Brio Tuscan Grille, 6653 Las Vegas Blvd. South, while Brian Harvey reaches for dishes of soup, Feb. 26. Bottom, Brio features a variety of items, including housemade pasta specialties and flatbreads prepared in authentic Italian wood-burning ovens. Advertisement

The valley gained yet another casual fine dining restaurant on Feb. 28, when Brio Tuscan Grille opened up at Town Square Las Vegas at 6653 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The restaurant occupies its own building in the middle of the outdoor mall, just east of The Center, Town Square's public performance space.

The restaurant is nearly 10,000 square feet with an open-air design, including a high, arched ceiling and rich interior. Toward the back of the room, a replica of the Colosseum subdivides some of the seating, allowing for private dining for groups of up to 60 people that can be divided in half to serve two groups. There also is the Chef's Room off to one side, which can host private dining groups of 24 people.

The plush surroundings belie the reasonably priced fare, with lunch in the $10 to $18 range and dinner around $10 more.

"The menu is Tuscan food, Northern cuisine," executive chef Lou Sassetti said. "Everything is made fresh daily, and we use a lot of thicker, heartier sauces."

Brio Managing Partner Kenna Warner added, "We feature a lot of wood-grilled and oven-roasted steaks, lamb and pork chops and seafood."

Sassetti explained that the intricate process for preparing the food can begin days in advance. For example, the pork chops spend two days in a lemon-pepper marinade before being grilled.

The restaurant also boasts a variety of elegantly arranged and flavorful salads and rich desserts. A full bar graces the north side.

"The actual menu is created by Brio Concept Chef Mike Bomberger," Sassetti said. "In addition, corporate chef Phil Yandolino, oversees menu changes and research, visiting all the restaurants on a very regular basis to ensure that the dishes are prepared correctly."

The menu is changed for all of the Brio Tuscan Grilles about every six months. "It may be changed as many as four times a year," Sassetti said. The changes often are switching out some appetizers, desserts or side dishes to adapt to what fresh ingredients can be obtained.

"Often, we'll add a few seasonal appetizers," Warner said.

There are two dozen Brio Tuscan Grilles across the country. "Our restaurant at Town Square is not only the first in Nevada," Warner said, "but the first on the West Coast." The restaurants predominantly are in the Midwest, but expand in both directions.

Brio is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.