Category Archives: Restaurants

BRIO Tuscan Grille Introduces ‘A Tale of Two Risottos’| @BrioItalian #BrioTuscanGrille

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‘A Tale of Two Risottos’ at BRIO Tuscan Grille

By Erin

*I was invited as media to come in and try out the new ‘A Tale of Two Risottos’ for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

BRIO Tuscan Grille Irvine Spectrum Orange County

There are few dishes as versatile as risotto, and when it’s made right, it’s perfection. BRIO Tuscan Grille at the Irvine Spectrum has introduced its “A Tale of Two Risottos.” A classic tale of old-world meets new, these limited time offered dishes (through March 27th) are a product of BRIO’s love affair with risotto and the finest seafood available. 

Now, of course before jumping to the main course, we had to order some drinks and something from the PRIMI (Appetizer) Menu.

BRIO-Drinks-Wine-Sangria-Peach-Bellini

 A White Peach Sangria and Peach Bellini. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon, even if it was pouring down rain outside!

BRIO-Bruschetta

For an appetizer, our waitress recommended that we try the Bruschetta Quattro– which is a sampling of their four housemade brushettas. Perfect for sharing and getting a little taste of everything.

Lobster-Bisque

I have soft spot for lobster bisque, so if I see this anywhere on a menu, I just have to try it. Plus it was a cold, rainy day outside, so even more reason to try a cup of their delicious, creamy lobster bisque soup! Topped with a sauteed shrimp garnish. 

Lobster-Risotto

Available during both lunch and dinner, the savory risotto dishes include:

Lobster and Shrimp Risotto: Broiled Maine lobster tail served over risotto with shrimp, mushrooms, asparagus, roasted red peppers, basil and Parmesan. This was my favorite of the two risottos.

Brio-Tale-of-Two-Risottos

Sea Scallops with Risotto: Five large, seared sea scallops served over a roasted vegetable ratatouille risotto.

 These decadent risotto creations are available through March 27.

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Enjoy City Tavern’s Seasonal Winter Delights!|#FIGat7th @FIGat7th

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Enjoy City Tavern’s Seasonal Winter Delights!

By Erin

Have you been enjoying the holidays? With so many seasonal and holiday goodies out there to choose from, it’s hard to decide what to get or where to go! Well, I have a few more items that you won’t want to miss out on. City Tavern located at FIGat7th in DTLA has some amazing winter and holiday food and drink delights to ring in the new year with.

City-Tavern-DTLA-Fig-AT-7th

FIGat7th is all decked out with pretty lights, snowflakes and a beautiful tree.

City-Tavern-Winter-Spice

It’s been pretty chilly here in LA. Make sure you try one of these to warm up! The Winter Spice: Chai tea and vanilla bean infused spiced rum with ginger, cinnamon and cream. $10 They are amazing…. the perfect winter cocktail. Once you have had one, you might just need to get a second one. They’re just that good. 🙂

City-Tavern-Cheese-Platter-DTLA-Fig-AT-7th

If you have a yummy Winter Spice Cocktail, then you’re going to want to have a charcuterie and cheese slate to go with it. Artisanal cured meats, farmhouse cheeses, crisps, seasonal jam, mustard and more. A very enjoyable and delicious way to sip and savor the flavors of the season.

City-Tavern-Brussels-Sprouts-DTLA

I love my veggies, so when it was recommended to me to try the charred brussels sprouts, I was all for it! Brussels Sprouts topped with Bacon and a sweet chili glaze, made for a heavenly veggie delight!

City-Tavern-DTLA-Ham-Chops

For the holiday season, City Tavern has the grilled ham chop. A cured pork chop, corn cake, crispy poached egg, green beans, with a bourbon glaze. I loved every bite of this one. The ham was so tender and melt in your mouth good and I just love green beans and corn cake. Yum! This is a holiday treat you must try.

City-Tavern-Pineapple-Upside-Down-Cake

All of the desserts here look so tasty, but we decided on one that I’ve always loved having as a child. The pineapple-upside-down-cake. Very moist and creamy topped with lots of fresh pineapple pieces.

City-Tavern-DTLA-Fig-AT-7th

If you’re looking for some seasonal winter treats to sink your teeth into, make sure to stop on by to City Tavern at FIGat7th! You’ll be glad you did. Make sure to have one of those Winter Spice Cocktails for me too! 😉

Stacked: Seasonal Treats for the Holidays! | @Foodwellbuilt #FoodWellBuilt #Holidays

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Stacked: Seasonal Treats for the Holidays!

By Erin

*I was invited as media to come check out the special bread pudding at Stacked for the holidays!*

Stacked has been serving up some special holiday treats this season! One thing in particular: Bread pudding! The classic dessert favorite that transcends generations with its richness and warmth, has made its grand debut this holiday season at STACKED: Food Well Built. With Stacked’s trademark personalized twist, guests can enjoy 22 topping options to customize their bread pudding creation for a limited time.

Stacked’s new bread pudding starts out with freshly baked Challah bread, cream, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, toasted walnuts and a hint of vanilla.  Guests will be able to STACK their bread pudding with sauces like caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry and hot fudge.  Other flavorful toppings include bananas, strawberries, Reese’s® peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, marshmallows, peanuts, toasted almonds, whipped cream and candied bacon. You can also add to your creation with six flavors of ice cream including vanilla, fudge swirl with peanut butter, double fudge brownie, strawberry, mint chocolate chip and coffee.

Here is the creation of bread pudding that we had. With so many toppings it was a little hard to get to the bread pudding part, but when we did, boy was it good!

Stacked-Bread-pudding

“Rich and satisfying bread pudding is one of those desserts that warms your soul, and we’ve reinvented traditional bread pudding as only Stacked can – with many, many ways to make it exactly as you’ve dreamed about,” said Paul Motenko, Co-founder, STACKED Restaurants LLC.

Stacked-Kahlua-Hot-Chocolate

The Kahlua Hot Chocolate is another holiday treat you won’t want to miss.

Holiday-Drinks-Stacked

Winter Cocktails. Very yummy!

Artichoke-Dip-Stacked

Of course we had to have a little bit of dinner before diving into all the sweet treats, so we started with some warm Spinach and Artichoke dip. The nights have been so cold, so this dip is perfect to help warm you right up! Spinach and artichokes, blended with cheese and garlic, then topped with a tangy tomato relish. Served with crispy tortilla chips.

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