If just-opened Brio Tuscan Grille is any indication, Gilbert residents must love rustic Italian cuisine. The spacious SanTan Village restaurant, the first in Arizona from the Ohio-based chain, is completely packed on my weeknight visit.

And loud. The voices of 200 diners, the Italian music playing over the speakers, the banging of pots in the open kitchen, the crash of dropped plates — all form a cacophony that bounces off the hardwood floors, marble counters and plaster walls.

If ears are nearly overwhelmed, so, too, are eyes. The 7,200-square-foot restaurant looks as much like a Tuscan villa as any shopping mall eatery could be expected to.

White, square pillars support several large arches, and six sets of French doors reveal a long sidewalk patio. Dramatic light fixtures, five feet in diameter, hang from the high ceiling, which also is draped with white fabric.

The dining room accommodates a curious mixture of seating. Rows of four-person tables, elegantly draped with white tablecloths, are interchanged with rows of booths with uncovered wood tables.

All are attended by a small army of ever-present servers — young men and women wearing black pants, white dress shirts and ties — undoubtedly bolstered by a corporate contingent for the opening.

Brio’s menu offers a fairly extensive selection of steaks, chops and pasta dishes.

We start with a bruschetta sampler ($13.95, pictured above), which ranges from good (sliced steak with gorgonzola) to OK (shrimp with lobster sherry sauce and Fontina) to plain (roasted red pepper and mozzarella) to AWOL (no tomatoes are available for the caprese).

Gorgonzola dresses up four otherwise mundane lamb chops ($13.95), which also benefit from a bed of sauteed spinach soaked in a flavorful red wine veal sauce.

Among entrees, shrimp and lobster garganelli pasta ($19.95, shown at left) is delicious. The tube-shaped egg pasta is perfectly cooked and tossed with mushrooms, onions and a slightly spicy lobster butter sauce.

Lasagna bolognese ($15.95), unfortunately, isn’t nearly as good. The meat is bland, and so is the red sauce. The lasagna, which our server warns has just come out of the oven, is hot in the middle but only room temperature on the edges.

Two jumbo crab cakes with creamy horseradish ($21.95) are nicely fried with nary a hint of greasiness. But roasted vegetables on the side are nearly cold.

The same temperature-challenged veggies accompany what’s called a proscuitto-and-Fontina-stuffed chicken breast ($18.50). The proscuitto and cheese actually are more like toppings on the gummy poultry; it’s all covered with a overly salty brown sauce.

Micro desserts ($2.25) are served in espresso cups. A five-cup sampler ($10.50, pictured at right) includes panna cotta, creme brulee, cheesecake, chocolate caramel cake and tiramisu. None really wow me, but all are enjoyable and the concept is appealing.

Brio Tuscan Grille
Where: 2150 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert (SanTan Village shopping center).
Open: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Appetizers $7.95-$13.95, salads $4.95-$14.95, sandwiches $9.50-$12.25, pasta $10.95-$19.50, entrees $10.25-$21.50, desserts $2.25-$7.50.
Info: (480) 917-9177 or brioitalian.com.

First Taste reviews are based on initial visits to new East Valley restaurants. Full reviews are written after multiple visits, usually over a period of several weeks, after the restaurant has been open at least a couple months.