seafood Archives

The former BRIO Tuscan Grille at Piedmont Town Center has developed into BRIO Coastal Bar & Kitchen, presenting a distinctive, casual twist on the restaurant. The Coastal Bar & Kitchen brings a new, coastal look, relaxed feel and updated menu to its guests.

The menu is loaded with Small Plates that are perfect for sharing, including Calamari, Crispy Shrimp Napoli and Buffalo Cauliflower.

Lunch and dinner offerings vary from Sandwiches including the Double Stacked Burger with two tempting 4 oz. angus burgers; to “Mains” such as Grilled Salmon Fresca, a uniquely delicious dish; to Salads including the namesake Coastal Salad; “Sides” such as Brussels Sprouts with Applewood bacon; and Desserts including Peanut Butter Pie with an Oreo crust.

Brunch items range from Avocado Toast with delicious sunny side up cage-free eggs; to the sweet Granola Crusted French Toast; and an irresistibly shareable Shrimp & Grits, featuring creamy smoked Gouda polenta and a poached cage-free egg.

The drink menu tempts with “House Made Infusions” including Spicy Mango Tequila, specialty drinks such as the Honey Vanilla Manhattan; craft beers including Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Copper Altbier, a robust selection of red, white and bubbly wines; and an offering of “Zero Proof” cocktails including Cucumber Coconut Water and a house made Lemonade among others.

“Dining habits are changing, so we are evolving with our guests,” said Brian O’Malley, CEO of Columbus-based BRAVO|BRIO Restaurant Group (BBRG). “We are pleased to introduce BRIO Coastal Bar & Kitchen — Piedmont, to present a more casual option with great food and drinks, and the exceptional hospitality for which our restaurants are known. This concept merges the best of BRIO and BRAVO dishes, as well as new, shareable dishes prepared exclusively at BRIO Coastal Bar & Kitchen.”

Ready to visit BRIO Coastal Bar & Kitchen and experience the renovations for yourself? Make your reservation online by visiting www.briocoastal.com.

I used to HATE seafood up until a few years ago. As a kid, whenever my family would venture to seafood restaurants I would order, wait for it… chicken fingers. I used to turn my nose up at sushi, lobster, shrimp and every crustacean in between but I now have more of an appreciation for seafood and this shrimp scampi recipe is one of the reasons why.

It’s rich, buttery, garlicky, and the epitome of comfort food. This dish is super simple to make and all in under 20 minutes.

(BTW, this recipe is adapted from a recipe from one of my favorite Food Network show hosts and food bloggers, The Pioneer Woman. Hope you don’t mind me sharing, Ree!)

What You’ll Need:
(Serves 2)
1/2 package of angel hair pasta noodles
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 whole lemons
1/2 medium sized onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of white wine
Hot sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley
1 pound of large shrimp, deveined & peeled (tails on or off depending on your preference)
Salt & pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
Boil the water for your pasta before beginning any other steps. You’ll need the boiling water ready to go at the last minute as angel hair pasta cooks very quickly.

Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.

Add onions and garlic to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent and the awesome smell of buttery garlic is wafting through the air. (Note: I used freeze-dried minced garlic because I didn’t have any fresh garlic on hand. You can’t even tell a difference.)

Once the onions and garlic are cooked through, add the thawed shrimp to your pan , then stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the shrimp turn pink, indiciating they are cooked.

Next, squeeze the juice from the 2 whole lemons into the pan and add the white wine, butter, salt & pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.

At this point you can now throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. This should only take a few minutes.

Once the pasta is boiled, strain the pasta with a pasta strainer and immediately place the cooked angel hair pasta into the pan with the shrimp.

Remove the pan from heat. You can then add more salt & pepper or other seasonings if needed.

Once the dish is plated, sprinkle the scampi with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. I even added red pepper flakes for some extra kick! I also serve this with garlic bread or parmesan cheese bread. If you’re gonna go for it, go all the way, right?

If you try this shrimp scampi reccipe, let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially from other former-seafood haters. 😉

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Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time: 9 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 2

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

1/2 package of angel hair pasta noodles
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 whole lemons
1/2 medium sized onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of white wine
Hot sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley
1 pound of large shrimp, deveined & peeled (tails on or off depending on your preference)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil the water for your pasta.
Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
Once the onione and garlic are cooked through, add the thawed shrimp to your pan.
Stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the shrimp turn pink indiciating they're cooked.
Squeeze the juice from the 2 whole lemons into the pan and add the white wine, butter, salt & pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.
Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente.
Once the pasta is boiled, strain the pasta with a collander and immediately place the cooked angel hair pasta into the pan with the shrimp & sauce.
Remove the pan from heat. Add more salt & pepper or other seasonings if needed.
Once the dish is plated, sprinkle the scampi with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Serve immediately.

http://clteats.com/2014/08/shrimp-scampi/