I recently visited Brio Tuscan Grille (100 East Pratt St., across from the Gallery Shopping Center) in the lovely Baltimore Inner Harbor. I was more than excited to try Happy Hour at Brio as I was already familiar with the $3.95 Happy Hour menu because I’d previously visited the restaurant.  And Yes you read that correctly, the appetizer menu during Happy Hour is $3.95!!!

This little piggy in me likes to order three appetizers whenever I visit Brio because truth be told, they are $3.95 and whatever I don’t eat and I can take home and eat the next day 🙂 My tasty top contenders of the night were the Ravioli Caprese, Crispy Shrimp Piccante, and the Brio Burger.

The Ravioli Caprese is topped with a pesto cilantro drizzle, fresh tomatoes, romano and mozzarella cheeses.  I’m a cheese girl, so if you give me food with any cheese (anything but American cheese)  I get excited.  Romano cheese is a sharp cheese of Italian origin and mixed with the mozzarella it made a winning combination. The Caprese is served with four large ravioli rounds and it’s enough to share with another person.  The Shrimp Piccante is a crispy breaded shrimp served with a spicy aioli sauce.

Ravioli Caprese

The Brio Burger was delicious!  Served with homemade chips, provolone cheese, and topped with a flavorful tomato garnish. I suggest  you get the burger with nothing added, specifically how it’s advertised.  Be forewarned…my friend attempted to add onions to her burger and was told onions are an additional $4.00!  Ummmm the onions cost more than the actual burger!  She’ll pass..thank you.

Brio Burger

The Happy Hour drink menu is also very impressive offering 11 cocktails at $5.00 each.  I always say variety is the spice of life and the cocktail menu offers (2) Sangria’s (white and red), (3) Mojitos and (2) Cosmos.  All the drinks on the Brio menu are what we like to call “Craft Cocktails” in the bartending world.  Craft Cocktails include fresh ingredients like fruit, mint, and specially made juices.  These drinks are muddled, strained, shaken, and stirred in numerous ways… basically your cocktail is made with tender loving care.   I must say our cocktails were delicious!

I looked on like a proud mama as two of my friends asked to have the strongest drink on the menu and eventually everyone at my table ordered a Sangria Rosa made with red wine, fresh pineapple and strawberries.  I also ordered the mojito and it was very delicious, dangerous in bar standards because it taste like kool-aid and those are the drinks that creep up on you.

Of course I had dessert, mainly because it was served in the cutest little oversized shot glass and they had cheesecake!! Brio offeres a dessert sampling of all your favorites like cheesecake, brownies, creme brulee and they are priced at $2.99 each.

Brio Strawberry Cheesecake