Happy Hour at Brio Tuscan Grille (2 Locations!)

When you don't want the typical bar menu items for Happy Hour, Brio Tuscan Grille at Town Square and Tivoli Village (Summerlin) make for a great outing. Now, their Happy Hour used to be $2.95 items, but I guess it was so popular that they felt an extra dollar wouldn't hurt their crowd. In an evolving menu - as restaurants should be doing anyways - there are new and old items on this Happy Hour Menu. Some of these items I can personally vouch for, while on other items, I'll need others to let me know!

There are two Happy Hours which satisfy the late afternoon crowd as well as the after dinner crowd. The times are: Monday-Friday: 3-6:30pm and Monday-Thursday: 9pm-Close. Happy Hour is available ONLY at the bar.

Here are some of the items on the menu with some commentary. Overall, you can't really go wrong at Brio. Even their full menu (although a quite a it pricier) has always dished up great stuff:

ALL $3.95:

Beef Carpaccio - served with field greens, capers, mustard aioli and Parmigiano-Reggiano. (I've had this one before and I thought it was very tasty and quite healthy of a dish. Thinly sliced beef with some nice cold salad greens. Although I'm not a huge capers fan, you can easily request them off or they are easy to just remove yourself.)

Spicy Shrimp & Eggplant - pan seared shrimp with Romano crusted eggplant and a black pepper cream sauce.

(This has got to be one of my favorite dishes of all time. When done right (and there were a few times that the dish didn't come out temperature fresh hot-hot like it was supposed to) it is spectacular. Crispy eggplant with a gooey center topped with shrimp and the sauce is what really completes this dish. It's described as a black pepper cream sauce but it resembles a red pepper cream sauce to me. Anyways - I HIGHLY recommend this one!)

BRIO Burger - grilled to order with Provolone and housemade chips. 

(There is a "secret sauce" of something on this...I don't prefer it so I usually leave it off. I get mine grilled medium and it's a nice size. It's not a full burger, so don't expect that, but it's a smaller burger that is just right. I love to order this with the Spicy Shrimp & Eggplant because I dip the chips in that sauce!)

Margherita Flatbread or Sausage & Pepperoni Flatbread - just like it sounds on flatbread.
(The flatbread is a nice lighter version of a pizza without all of the bread. It's nice and crispy with a little bite to it. The Margherita has tomatoes and basil on it and it's refreshing. The Sausage & Pepperoni is equally delicious.)

Ravioli Caprese - Romano crusted ravioli topped with tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh Mozzarella and cilantro pesto drizzle. 
(The ravioli can be a little dry only because it's crusted and deep fried so the moisture can be taken out of it. The toppings make it tasty however and the pesto drizzle...anything with pesto is always a plus with me!)

Roasted Garlic, Spinach & Artichoke Dip - served bubbling hot with Parmesan flatbread.
(The dip is pretty good. I'm quite picky on my spinach and artichoke dips. My main thing with hot dips is that it's GOT TO BE bubbling hot. Although the description on the menu is that it comes out bubbling hot, I have had to send mine back before because it wasn't. However, if you kindly ask your server to make sure it's bubbling hot - you stand a better chance at getting it the right temp the first time. When it does come out bubbling hot - it's delicious! I did have to request an extra few pieces of flatbread to finish off the remaining dip.)

Shrimptini - chilled shrimp served in a martini glass with classic cocktail sauce and flaxseed cracker.

Tomato & Mozzarella Capri - sliced Kumato tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and basil; served with balsamic glaze and field greens.

Crispy Shrimp Piccante - Romano breaded shrimp drizzled with a spicy aoli. 

Out of all the offerings on the Happy Hour menu, the last three items are the only ones that I have yet to try. So, for the most part, you have my first hand accounts of each dish.

Food isn't the only Happy Hour items. There are $5 Drink Specials that include the following:

Sangria Rosa, White Peach Sangria, Mango Mojito, Strawberry Mojito, Pomegranate Cosmo, Black Raspberry Cosmo, Tavolo Matto Chardonnay, Tavolo Matto Pinot Grigio...and more!

Mimi's Cafe $5 Happy Hour

Ever since Mimi's Cafe came to Las Vegas, it's consistently been a restaurant that dishes up great food. From breakfast to dinner, they have generous portions and they have some unbelievable breads - carrot raisin nut loaf, blueberry muffin, honey bran etc. The list goes on and on...

They now have Happy Hour and it's a great addition to their menu - which by the way - does feature select All-Day Breakfast items. If you are like me, you can eat breakfast for any meal and it's awesome! 

Mimi's features both food and drinks specials at $5 per item. Happy Hour is Monday-Sunday 4pm-6pm. I snapped a picture of the Happy Hour Menu so I can give you the specifics:

$5 Wine Flights

Red, White & Sparkling

$5 Bistro Bites 

(Add fries to any Bistro Bite for $1)

Crispy Zucchini Parmesan
Chicken Tenders
BBQ Pork Sliders
Signature Cheese & Fruit Plate

$5 White Wines by the Glass
Sparkling (Freixenet)

Riesling (Chateau Ste Michelle)

Pinot Grigio (Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi)
Chardonnay (La Terre)

$5 Red Wines by the Glass
Pinot Noir (Mirassou)
Merlot (Columbia Crest Two Vines)
Cabernet (La Terre)

Cabernet Sauvignon (Robert Mondavi Private Selection)

I haven't tried any of the Bistro Bites, but from the fact that anything I've ordered from Mimi's has been great, I think their track record speaks for itself. I've been a regular diner at Mimi's for the better part of the past ten years and they have been consistent. The serving staff and management are also very friendly. 

If you enjoy Mimi's Cafe like I do, then also join their eClub. They send 2-for-1 coupons quite frequently!

Maggiano's Little Italy on the Strip Happy Hour

I have been known to frequent Maggiano's quite frequently especially when conventions come to town and I'm starving around the 5pm time slot. So, yes, I am typically recognized by the bar staff. They've always had some kind of a Happy Hour, but it seems as though they've just switched it up again with new offerings. This is the latest info I have on this matter.

Happy Hour is from 3-6pm and is available in the Dining Room, Bar and Lounge. This is great because now you aren't fighting for position at the bar and you can comfortably waltz into the restaurant to enjoy some food and drinks. 

Here is their Happy Hour Menu:

$3 Premium Draft Beer: 

Peroni, Stella Artois, Newcastle, Bud Light

$4 Flat Bread Pizzas: 

Margherita, Pepperoni & Arugula, Italian Sausage, Chicken & Roasted Pepper

$5 Wines by the Glass: 

Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

$6 Specialty Cocktails: 

Featuring fresh juices and premium spirits...

When it's not Happy Hour, Maggiano's has family sized dishes that are great for sharing. They used to have monstrous portions, but they've scaled it back a little but the items/entrees are still great for sharing. When I go there, I always make some "sharing" agreement with my party because I've seen a lot of first timers order an entree for each person and end up feeling like they want to roll out of there because they are so stuffed. 

What I also like about Maggiano's is that it's attached to the Fashion Show Mall. You can shop before or after your meal, either way, it's good exercise! I also like this restaurant because you have a beautiful view of the Las Vegas Strip from its second floor location. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to find an affordable meal that isn't at tourist prices yet still have that view and ambiance in Vegas, but at Maggiano's you get that!