While quick-service chains compete for customers at breakfast, some casual-dining concepts are focusing on the more leisurely weekend daypart of brunch.
Sister chains Brio Tuscan Grille and Bravo! Cucina Italiana have revamped their weekend brunch menus with premium ingredients, wider variety and more robust flavors, Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc. president and chief executive Saed Mohseni said in a press release.
“Because brunch is a time to gather with friends and family, we are offering many options on the menu that appeal to many different tastes,” Mohseni said. “We have created our new brunch dishes to offer more flavor, value and variety to our guests.”
That includes both healthful and indulgent options. Items at both concepts are:
• Tuscan Omelette: Egg whites, turkey sausage, roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and mozzarella, topped with salsa rossa and served with fresh fruit, $8.99 at Bravo! and $10.95 at Brio
• Garden Omelette: Eggs with broccoli, mushrooms, roasted red bell peppers, fontina cheese, avocado and basil with salsa rossa and fresh fruit, $9.99 at Bravo! and $10.95 at Brio
• Sicilian Omelette: Eggs with cherry wood smoked ham, bacon, turkey sausage, tomato compote, mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan, served with brunch potatoes, $10.99 at Bravo! and $11.95 at Brio
• Ham & Biscuit Benedict: Two poached eggs, cherry wood smoked ham, biscuit and hollandaise with brunch potatoes, $8.99 at Bravo! and $10.50 at Brio
• Turkey Sausage, Spinach & Biscuit Benedict: Two poached eggs, turkey sausage, spinach, biscuit and hollandaise with fresh fruit, $8.99 at Bravo! and $10.25 at Brio
• Roasted Turkey Sweet Potato Hash & Eggs: Two over easy eggs, roasted turkey, zucchini, peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, basil, brioche toast and Sriracha mayonnaise, $8.99 at Bravo! and $9.95 at Brio
• Berries & Cream French Toast: French toast stuffed with mascarpone cream cheese and topped with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, served with a side of apple wood smoked bacon, $9.99 at Bravo! and $10.95 at Brio.
Bravo is also offering an open-faced biscuit sandwich with two over easy eggs, marinated tomatoes, arugula, spicy candied bacon, cheese and Sriracha mayonnaise, served with fresh fruit and priced at $7.99.
Bravo! and Brio’s menus are available until 3 p.m.
On The Border
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina has added Saturday and Sunday brunch as a new daypart. Restaurants will open at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. on those days and offer entrees starting at $5.99, as well as $2 mimosas and $3 Bloody Marys.
“Guests can now get their OTB fix earlier, as we’ve created some incredible brunch items that we’ll be featuring on weekends,” On The Border chief executive Steve Clark said in a press release.
Prices for brunch items at 157-unit On The Border vary by location. The items are:
• Huevos Rancheros: Two eggs over easy with ranchero sauce, queso fresco and warm corn tortillas
• Breakfast Relleno: Roasted poblano peppers stuffed with scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon and pico de gallo, topped with mixed cheeses, red chile-tomatillo salsa and tortilla strips, served with flour tortillas
• Breakfast Tacos: Two flour tortillas with red chile-tomatillo salsa and choice of bacon, egg and cheese, chorizo, or potatoes and cheese
• Gringo Breakfast: Two eggs any style with two strips of bacon, breakfast potatoes and seasonal fruit
• Hatch Green Chile Breakfast Burrito: Scrambled eggs, Hatch green chiles, breakfast potatoes and Jack cheese, wrapped in a large flour tortilla and topped with green chile sauce and Jack cheese
• Chilaquiles: Tortilla chips and onions sautéed in mild enchilada sauce, drizzled with crema, topped with queso fresco and served with two eggs and seasonal fruit
• Pancake Platter: Three sweet-cream pancakes with two strips of bacon and seasonal fruit
• Breakfast Fajitas: Mesquite-grilled steak or chicken with sautéed onions, served with two eggs, Mexican rice, choice of beans, flour tortillas, sour cream, pico de gallo and choice of cheese or guacamole.
The menu is available until 2 p.m. on weekends.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary