Con Brio!

For the second time in as many weeks we dined at Brio Tuscan Grille at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill this weekend. In Italian brio (freely translated) means gusto or liveliness. To "do it with brio" (con brio) means to do it with spirit.

On a Saturday night Brio was lively and crowded. But our reservation was honored promptly and we were seated at a cozy booth along the far wall. This is a classy restaurant but the prices remain competitive and the service is excellent.

The atmosphere is old-world but updated. You won't find many red sauce dishes on Brio's eclectic menu.

And the most important part - the food - was simply wonderful in every respect: wedge and chopped salads, rich lasagna, shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta, and roasted salmon - all superb. Portions were significant without being overwhelming. And every part of the service was nicely timed and paced.