Bellisimo

February21

I have six strapping nephews and they all love to eat. A couple of them are pretty adventurous. One of them: not so much. But he does love bacon on EVERYTHING. A couple of years ago one of these guys mentioned that I should try Bellissimo and I have earnestly tried to make good on his recommendation ever since. I had set a lunch date for a recent Monday and then got carried away with some router and Internet issues and completely forgot to keep the appointment. I found out that Bellissimo isn’t even open Monday and so we re-scheduled.

The big day came this week and I was not disappointed. The hostess seemed to know many of the diners so they must enjoy alot of repeat business. I was pleasantly surprized by the decor as I was expecting something less elegant. We were sat in the lounge with the winter sun streaming in through two walls of windows. I thought that our server was new but well-trained and very efficient.

The hot herb buns held us over until our pastas arrived. The lunch specials looked very tempting but we both ended up ordering off their extensive menu. I chose the Scampi Bianco and was delighted with the lightly sauteed shrimp tossed with purple and green onions, tomato, and a creamy feta cheese. The sauce was a light tasting blend of fresh herbs and a splash of white wine. Everything was tossed together with what we thought was a freshly made linguine.

My lunch mate choose the Pasta Giardino which I see is named for one of the owners. She enjoyed the sauteed red peppers, red onions and marinated artichokes, tossed in a marinara sauce served over a bed of fettuccini. The lunch portions are perfect-large enough to be more than satisfying but small enough that you don’t need an afternoon nap.

I was amazed by the $20 bill. Two people can hardly have a fast-food lunch for that. They have a sidewalk patio which will definitely lure me back. Thanks for the great suggestion Aaron.

Kath’s quote: “To give life to beauty, the painter uses a whole range of colours, musicians of sounds, the cook of tastes — and it is indeed remarkable that there are seven colours, seven musical notes and seven tastes.”-Lucien Tendret