Dining Out: Brio will charm you into coming back and back again

Sitting there, legs dangling over the piano bench in Mrs. Barker's music room, I was playing pieces composed by long-haired men who lived centuries ago.

She wanted me, the reluctant student who'd rather be riding her bike with her friends, to play the music with spirit. It's so much easier to do things with spirit if you really like doing them, and it's clear that Brio's talented young chef, Tim Malone, is cooking with spirit.

Braving the frozen tundra for a midweek dinner out, we were surprised to find the restaurant almost full. Seems that lots of people have discovered the charms of Brio Tuscan Grille, which opened last March at the Annapolis Towne Centre.

The first thing one notices upon entering is the beautiful decor. With the lighting and the colors chosen, the space seems suffused with a warm glow of Tuscan sunshine.

We weren't content to just sit and bask, however, so wine selection became the next order of business.

Brio loves mottoes; there's one on the menu that says, "To eat well is to live well," and there's one on the wine list that says, "The world is our wine cellar." That's hardly an exaggeration as their selection spans four continents.

Rightly, the offerings are weighted toward the Italian wines and our choice for the evening was the quite enjoyable Meleto Sangiovese ($29). Again, the listing of vintage years would be desirable.

Our ears perked up as the server recited the list of specials for the evening and we ended up choosing the bruschetta that had piqued our interest. The presentation of the Bruschetta Fiorentina ($11.50) was fetching, arrayed in a row atop a simple flat rectangular serving dish. As pretty as the dish looked, it tasted better. A perfect melding of the flavors of Italian sausage, cheese, tomato and spinach.

Though we were thoroughly captivated with the bruschetta, we were underwhelmed with the Calamari Fritto Misto ($10.75). It was fried properly, but another case of batter with no discernible seasoning.

However, once we got with the program and began dipping it in the exquisite mustard sauce, all was forgiven. The marinara was tasty as well, but nothing could have been better than the other sauce. We dipped some Italian bread (from the bread basket that also contained flat bread) into it as well.

Brio Tuscan Grille gives you the opportunity to add a salad to your entree for $4 extra. Take it. Two members of our party enjoyed the chopped salad (available a la carte for $5), a generous portion featuring chopped greens, olives, tomatoes, onions and feta cheese with a piquant red wine vinaigrette.

The third diner in our group opted for the Bistecca Insalata ($5.25 a la carte), which turned out to be a large wedge of fresh, crisp iceberg lettuce napped with a creamy parmesan dressing and sprinkled with bacon crumbles, Roma tomatoes and bits of gorgonzola cheese. Yummy.

We had taken quite a bit of time deliberating the entree offerings, but spending the extra time paid off handsomely for each diner.

After learning that pasta could be substituted for the crispy potatoes, one member of the group decided on the Veal Milanese ($23) and was rewarded with three wonderful meals (the dinner at the restaurant plus enough of the veal to provide two - count 'em - two meals for the next day).

The Strauss veal was tender and flavorful, served with a marvelous sauce constructed of butter, white wine, and plenty of capers.The accompanying capellini was prepared al dente and was an ideal foil for the veal dish. The roasted vegetables were eminently praiseworthy, a blend that provided contrast in color, texture, and taste. The chunks of carrots, whole green beans, wedges of purple onion, thin julienned strips of zucchini, and pieces of red and green pepper were perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned.

Another member of our party elected a veal dish, too, this one in the form of Veal Marsala Classico ($23).

In this dish, the sauteed veal was topped with an expertly made sauce of mushrooms and Marsala wine. More of those sublime veggies came with, and the crispy potatoes turned out to be quite interesting and tasty. They appeared to be tiny red potatoes that had been scored into florettes and baked.

The third diner chose the Artichoke Crusted Beef Medallions ($19) that featured three grilled to order tournedos with a artichoke crust. The flavorful beef was of excellent quality and this dish was also finished with the mushroom marsala sauce and served with the crispy potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Brio Tuscan Grille has hopped on the mini-dessert bandwagon, and that's a good thing. Often, even if you'd like to have a little something sweet to finish a meal, the prospect of a giant dessert is off-putting.

Our server brought around a tray just filled with tiny treasures. There were three kinds of creme brulee, some fruit desserts, and one full-sized dessert that consisted of a decadent chocolate cake served with drizzles of fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream.

We shared one of the chocolate cake desserts ($7) and a delicious mini peach cobbler-like creation that was topped with raspberry sauce. Both were most enjoyable.

It's clear to see that a great deal of intelligent planning and ideation went into the conceptualization of the Brio Tuscan Grille family of restaurants (there are currently more than 30 nationwide). Everything, from spatial design to price point to quality of recipes and ingredients, has received consideration.

Ergo, the restaurant presents a winning combination: It manages to be a place that people want to go to and a place they want to go back to. That's why Brio, while the landscape outside presented an icy pewter aspect of winter, was warming guests inside with good food and good service.

Happy First Anniversary, Brio.

WHEN YOU GO

WHAT: Brio Tuscan Grille
WHERE: 305 Sail Place (in the Annapolis Towne Centre), Route 2 and Forest Drive, Annapolis.
PHONE:  410-571-5660.
WEB SITE: www.brioitalian.com
HOURS: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
EXECUTIVE CHEF: Timothy Malone.
APPETIZERS: $5-$14.
ENTRÉES: $15-$30.
RESERVATIONS: Accepted, but walk-ins are welcome.
CREDIT CARDS: All major credit cards are accepted.
ACCESSIBILITY: Yes.

Terra Walters is a freelance writer and editor based in Annapolis.