Brio "Tuscan Cuisine" no no no...

Out to dinner with my parents in the west suburbs of Cleveland. Our first choice is closed (an unfortunate power outage due to ice) so we head to Brio Tuscan Grill or Tuscan Cuisine, something like that... basically a place that profits on the fact that they include "Tuscan" in their name despite not offering a single dish native to the land of Tuscany.

If you are a fan of chain Italian restaurants in the States, you are going to be very surprised when you eat out in Italy. Italy is NOTHING LIKE Buca di Beppo, Carraba's, Brio, OLIVE GARDEN (dear Lord) or any of these.

My heart breaks when I see appetizers listed as Primi - looks like the President of Marketing down at Brio corporate was trying to be all clever when they put it into Italian. Too bad Primi means "first course" in Italian. Sigh. I brace myself and try to find the most simple dish that won't disappoint me. I stear clear of the pastas, imagining limp overcooked noodles with heavy cream sauces.

Ironically I find a ton of non-Tuscan dishes: Lobster bisque, chopped salads with feta cheese and cucumbers (Greek?), Alfredo sauce, and the list goes on and on. I try not to cringe as the overly friendly waitress tells me about the shrimp "brushetta" with lobster sauce. I go with the fish of the day – the "scrod," which is just a horribly cacophonous way of saying "young cod". The fish arrives breaded and perhaps deep fried(?) with a scary orange creamy sauce on top. I'm just happy to not have the American version of an Italian dish that I know and love.

Looks like it's going to be rough trying to get used to eating in the U.S...