Brio tuscan grille - Baltimore

Brio written on their plates. Very cool!

Located near Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Brio tuscan grille is an Italian restaurant that has great water views. I first stumbled upon this restaurant when I spent a weekend at the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference in Baltimore. With approximately 1,600 students from around the world attending the conference, we ate at various places in the downtown area.


Upon first glance, the restaurant seemed somewhat upscale but it still maintained a cozy feeling with its wooden tables, oversize booths, a high ceiling, and well lit rooms.

The first food that came to our table was complimentary bread  - a basket of average Italian bread and a tray of seasoned flat bread. The flat bread was tasty enough by itself but was even more sublime when I stroked it with butter.





Next, our main entrees arrived. I ordered the crab and shrimp cakes lunch with 2 cakes.  You can order a third cake but it costs more.  I usually only order crab cakes, so the shrimp and crab combo was an interesting twist - moderately moist and well seasoned with herbs and spices.






The dish was paired with side of roasted vegetables and crispy potatoes. The medley consisted of roasted broccoli, carrots, red bell peppers and squash.  The only downside about this dish is its relatively small portion, so if your starving, I wouldn't recommend eating this dish.


My lunch was $16 which is more than I normally spend for lunch. However, all of the restaurants around the Inner Harbor are more pricey that a neighborhood joint.

My Model UN friends ordered dishes like the chipotle chicken and bacon panini with tuscan fries and the ravioli di bello. My friend who ordered the panini said his dish was "huge and I don't think I can finish it."

I would definitely eat at Brio again but would try a different meal - most likely a panini.


-Thomas