Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Brio and Frost Gelato

I realize that I have not blogged in…well... a few days.

So today, was a special day for Don and I. How so? Well, the temps were up a few degrees and Don was feeling better than he has in about 10 days, so we got out for lunch.

OK, truth?  We’re celebrating the fact that I’ve lost 39.2 pounds!! Thumbs upOpen-mouthed smileSecret telling smile

How do we celebrate?  With a meal, of course!

Our choice for lunch was over in the San Tan Village in Gilbert… Brio. Italian. What a lovely restaurant! Lots of dining space. Not crowded or overly noisy… a very comfortable, almost cozy den of voices that didn’t drowned out our conversation.

Ambiance was also terrific. Here’s a shot of one of the ceiling features:P1000605

We were seated by a very friendly, but professional hostess and promptly attended by our waiter for our drink order. Two waters with lemon, please.P1000607

There were several choices for me, which really thrilled me.  My choice: Shrimp Mediterranean. I knew I could have asked them to omit the pilaf, but decided that I could eat around it and I did. (It’s not on my eating program presently.)P1000609

The bar area.P1000610

To add to the cozy ambiance, there was an eating bar along the whole length of the grill area of the kitchen.P1000611P1000612

The complimentary appetizer was seasoned toasted flatbread wedges and a sourdough loaf with real butter on the side. That little tip missing on the flatbread ended up in my mouth and I promptly wished I hadn’t tasted it because it was all I could do to resist eating the whole thing, but I did. Must have been the result of… “Oh, Jesus, help me!!”P1000613

Pre-meal salads were wonderful with the best dressing.  Better than Olive Garden, even.P1000614

And my entrée…P1000615As you can see in the top right corner, Don’s choice was a house pizza which he thoroughly enjoyed.

I had to get a few more pictures before we left.P1000616

Kaston, our wonderful waiter, cooperated with a smile when I asked if I could take his picture.P1000617

As you can tell, I have nothing but good things to say about our dining experience at Brio today.

Excellent.

From the restaurant we walked around a few blocks and back to Frost Gelato. Yep, Don had his eye on this place all along. Smile

Don chose the Peanut Butter Crunch and she is reaching for the scoop for my Lemoncello Sorbet.Frost Gelato!!

This is the owner’s daughter who had the perfect personality for serving customers. She was totally knowledgeable about the products and history of the franchise.Owner's daughter. Great personality.

She put a little dollop of raspberry sorbet on top! This piccolo (small) portion – 90 calories.P1000620

The owner chats with a customer.  I also spoke with her and was surprised, considering her gusto for all things Italian, that she had no Italian in her heritage.Owner, on the left, chatting with customer.

Everything in the store has been imported from Italy.Everything in the store is imported from Italy.  All ingredients are imported from Italy.  All gelato is made fresh each day and is never older than 24 hours.

The Frost Gelato was voted The Best Frozen Dessert in the Phoenix area in 2012!Voted "The Best Frozen Desert in Phoenix for 2012

What a delightfully blessed day we had.

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