On this VERY hot and humid Saturday night in Philadelphia, Joe and I definitely needed the comfort air conditioning so it was without hesitation that we passed right by the sidewalk dining and stepped into the cool and welcoming building of Bella Trattoria. After reading the specials, our waitress dropped off a basket of warm bread that offered a pleasant surprise of knotted garlic twists that were a cross between pretzels and bread. I am not a fan of garlic, but was able to brush off the fresh piece and they were delicious!
Joe opted for the two specials: a beet salad that was prepared with raw red onion, goat cheese, and pine nuts. His entrée was crab stuffed flounder in a creamy white wine butter sauce (both of our entrees were served with large potato wedges and broccoli. The broccoli was delicious and almost tasted like artichokes--- which I love). Side bar- For whatever reason Joe ordered a cup of coffee and then realized it’s 90 degrees and 100% humidity out, so he added ice to it.
To begin, I ordered the Insalata Mediterranea: mixed greens, radicchio, artichoke hearts, grilled eggplant, asparagus and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette. This was my perfect salad. Everything was well balanced, individually well seasoned and the vinaigrette was so delicious that we ended up dipping our bread in it! My entrée was Bistecca Ai Ferri: 12 oz Grilled Rib-eye steak with Shitake mushrooms in lemon butter white wine sauce. I am a huge fan of capers, so I asked to have them added as well. The steak was very moist, although not ‘medium’ as I had ordered. In all fairness, it’s a thin cut of beef so it would be very difficult to prepare the steak to my preference. There was a nice grill char on the outside that Joe said made it takes like a really juicy and flavorful hamburger. The sauce was perfect; I would never think to pair a white wine sauce with steak but it complimented it well.
We were headed out for the night so decided to forego the dessert but the assortment looked fantastic. Do I think it was worth $100 with tip? No. Mainly because I eat in Center City often and $100 is a price point I would expect to pay there, not on the outskirts of the city. I would recommend this restaurant for consistent, tasty food. The atmosphere was relaxed, we were not rushed, and the wait staff was very friendly.
No comments:
Post a Comment