One step inside Café Brio and you’ll quickly get
an idea of what kind of food is served there. The bold colors of gold, green,
and orange-red are used on everything from the walls to the menus. Even the
complimentary tortilla chips made daily come in shades of orange and purple.
So it’s evident this is not a shy kind of place.
The eclectic, vibrant use of color and flair carries through to the food,
which owner Curtis Hudson calls “Sunfare” cuisine. The dishes are characterized
by the use of dried chilies, fresh and dried fruits, and blends of herbs and
spices. Despite its walls of windows (where diners can sit on elevated benches
and be seen by those walking by on the street), high ceilings, and bold colors,
the restaurant has a friendly, warm atmosphere. Worn pine tables, plenty of
green plants, and simple metal dinnerware help add to the mix. Since opening
in 1996, Hudson has been serving up his Latin American, Mediterranean, and Caribbean
cuisine in downtown Springfield.
Once you are seated, baskets of crunchy tortilla chips and fresh, flavorful
salsa arrive at your table. But don’t fill up on those addictive chips, because
the best is yet to come.
For lunch, an array of entrées includes chicken or beef tacos; chicken
wings; quesadillas with black beans, smoked gouda, and queso blanco; and a grilled
pork chop sandwich. My favorite is the shrimp BLT: gulf shrimp rubbed with chilies,
smoked bacon, sliced avocado, tomato, lettuce, and homemade mayo on a baked
bun. This is an interesting twist on an old standard made better, in my opinion,
by the addition of shrimp. This is one of my favorite items on the menu. The
spicy sandwich is served with fried yams, a surprising but delicious alternative
to potato chips or scoop of slaw.
Salad options include a flavorful plate of spring greens, tossed in citrus-balsamic
vinaigrette, and topped with roasted pecans, sun-dried cranberries, and blue
cheese. The sweetness of the dried fruit, crunch of the nuts, and sharpness
of the cheese make a delightful blending of tastes. Chicken and avocado can
be added for an additional $2.
For dinner, the menu gets a little more sophisticated. A variety of Mexican-inspired
dishes are still offered, including tacos with chicken, beef, and shrimp, and
a spinach chimichanga. Other entrées range from eggplant and pasta to
Ahi tuna marinated in pineapple and fresh ginger, served over soba noodles with
carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro peanut sauce, and citrus ponzu. Dijon-encrusted
salmon; a puff pastry filled with three cheeses and mushrooms; and Habanero
breaded chicken breasts with cilantro, peanuts, and raisins, served with black
beans and green chili rice, demonstrate the exotic use of spices and range of
the dishes offered.
For a recent meal, my dining companion and I chose the rib eye and shrimp
tacos. The steak was dusted with morita chile and grilled, then topped with
bell peppers, onions, and shiitake mushrooms. It was served over whipped potatoes.
The steak was juicy, while the spices gave it a hint of heat, without distracting
from the taste of the meat.
The shrimp tacos — soft tortillas filled with a spicy and rich blend of chipotle-basted
shrimp, pepita pesto, greens, and salsa — will make you reach for your water
glass quite often during the meal. I’ve ordered this entrée many times
and it’s consistently good.
Appetizers include quesadillas, shrimp egg rolls, tamale cakes, and chicken
wings. A short list of desserts include brown sugar tortilla with bananas sautéed
in butter with brown sugar and orange spirits, served with vanilla ice cream
and molten chocolate cake. The hot chocolate silk pie is spicy. I prefer a soothing
finale to a meal, so I chose Brio’s homemade cheesecake. The light and creamy
mixture was covered in a sweet shell of milk chocolate and toasted coconut.
The restaurant also serves one of the best brunches in town. Don’t miss the
weekend menu, when you can order tamale cakes, served with eggs, bacon, and
fried poblano pepper strips. Sweet options include Belgian waffles and French
toast. But if you want to feel like you’re on vacation, treat yourself to Eggs
Oscar, a decadent blend of crab, fresh asparagus, and poached eggs topped with
homemade hollandaise and seared potatoes. What a way to start the week.
Café Brio is located at 524 E. Monroe St., 217-544-0574.
PICK A NUMBER
The margaritas at Café Brio may be as popular as the fresh,
homemade chips and salsa. But Brio’s margarita menu doesn’t offer fancy names
for its drinks — they are simply listed as numbers 1 through 7. And they don’t
come out of a blender or a bottle of mix from under the bar.
These fresh concoctions are a simple blend of fruit juices, tequila, and liquor,
served in a glass jar. Different kinds of tequila are used in each drink, such
as Patron Silver or Cuervo 1800 Reposado, then shaken with Cointreau, Citronage
or other liquor and topped with fresh lime or orange juice.
Try No. 3: El Tesoro Anejo tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier and fresh lime
juice, poured in to a salt-rimmed glass.
Bring on those chips!
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2004.
