The remaking of the restaurant mix at the Shops at Boca Center will soon be complete with the opening next Wednesday of Brio Tuscan Grille (5050 Town Center Circle, 561/392-3777), the 45th restaurant nationwide and the eighth in Florida for the Ohio-based chain.
The spacious (8,800 square feet) Tuscan-esque interior boasts antique cypress wood floors, antique doors, Venetian plaster walls, imported Italian marble and giant wrought-iron chandeliers. More than 350 diners can be seated indoors and out, including 40 at the bar.
The extensive menu features familiar Italian dishes as well as a few tweaked, from fried calamari, lasagna and bistecca alla Fiorentina to chicken and chorizo-stuffed peppers, grilled shrimp with orzo and asparagus, and artichoke-crusted beef medallions. There’s also a large selection of flatbreads and salads.
Weekday happy hour runs from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 p.m. until closing Monday through Thursday, and features a bar-only menu of $2.95 dishes like shrimp cocktail, carpaccio, mini-burgers and flatbreads. Saturday and Sunday brunch will also be offered.
