 
Ristorante Bella
Italia stands inside one of the more historic, and some would say
‘infamous’, hotels in SMA. The Hotel Sauto has long
been known for its reasonable prices and its flamboyant and at times
dubious guests. The restaurant is run and managed by its owner and
chef, Paolo Bizzotto, whom rents the space from the Sauto.
The food definitely has an Italian sazón, the ambience is
informal and laid back. As a matter of fact, it reaches the point
where you will actually turn to your dinner partner and ask each
other, “...when do you think they will bring a menu?”
Once noticed, we ordered a bottle of red Italian wine (quite forgettable),
and began with a combination of four appetizers: A classical jamon
serrano with cantaloupe, which was fair to good. An interesting
plate, Provolone Ahumado, consisted of three ‘grilled’
chunks of provolone cheese, drenched in olive oil and rosemary...very
enjoyable. By far the two most interesting appetizers were the tasty
tender Calamares Veneciana, soft and delicately breaded deep-fried
calamari, yummy! And a plate of large, foot-long asparagus, grilled
“au gratin”(parmesan cheese) and served ‘al dente’.
Main courses:
Someone ordered the Caprese salad, a large plate of Romaine
lettuce, with slices of mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil, all
drizzled in olive oil and covered with a moderate amount of cracked-black-peppercorns.
Refreshing.
Scaloppine al Vino Blanco (breaded veal medallions cooked in a white
wine sauce) appeared on the table. Good, but the cuts of veal were
too thick. The three thick medallions could have easily been sliced
into six, enhancing the taste and creating a more delicate texture
that would have transformed this plate from good into excellent.
It was accompanied by lightly sautéed zucchini.
 The
Spaghetti Posillipo, was made up of a fresh tomato and basil sauce,
with melted mozzarella pored over the linguini, accompanied again
with the zucchini al dente...a solid pasta dish.
The Filete de Casa, a broiled beef medallion in herb-butter is exactly
that, but the cut of beef is well aged and tender. Again, the vegetable
garnish did not vary.
The surprise of the night were the Calamares Parilla, squid covered
in olive oil, laden heavily with garlic and herbs, grilled to a
true art-form of tender melting morsels of petite calamari bodies,
which exploded in your mouth. No rubbery squid here!
A Tiramisu was ordered but never came—ni modo. Coffee was
fresh and not stale.
Observations:
• We were there on two occasions during peak hours and the
service was far too slow. The restaurant was moderately filled,
but never busy. Some tables were dirty, while others were clean,
but without utensils.
• Prices were moderate and plates varied from $65-200 pesos.
The above dinner included wine and tip, approximately $350 pesos
per person.
• Waiters are attentive, but we noticed when we were in the
midst of a private conversation, the waiter, who was obviously listening
in, interrupted us to add his comments.
Suggestions:
•
The service should definitely be faster. All tables should be cleaned
and utensils completely laid out, especially during ‘peak
hours’.
• Waiters should not be invasive to the point that guests
feel they cannot have private conversations. However, more commentary
and explanation from the waiters would have been appreciated when
they described the night’s specials.
• Though the zucchini was excellent it would have been nice
to have a choice of an alternate side dish.
• Continue the solid cuisine, and if the rest of the staff
comes to be as up to snuff as the chef, Ristorante Bella Italia
should be with us for a long time. |
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