He Fed, She Fed

Review of Bistro Bella Vita

For my first dish, I choose the Smoked Pork Tender...

For my first dish, I choose the Smoked Pork Tenderloin Salad. It s a salad of fresh farm greens topped with olive oil poached potatoes, sweet corn, snap peas, and a charred onion vinaigrette. Slices of marinated and smoked pork tenderloin hide playfully amongst the contents of this cornucopia. The veggies are all very fresh and crisp, and the dressing adds a soulful tang. The Abarino-Grenache Blanc by Trenza (Edna Valley, CA) is too sweet for my usual taste, but pairs very nicely with the pork.

Potato Gnocchi follows, with little fluffy pillows drenched in a ragout of local meats and smoked tomato over farm beans and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Each bite melts in my mouth. The beans are still a tad firm, which contrasts nicely with the succulent and seductive meat sauce. They select a Montepulciano d Abruzzo (San Lorenzo, Italy) to pair, and it s bold, licorice-tinged body wraps around the meaty textures as if the two had been in love for ages.

My eye is on the Braised Pine Crest Beef (the same beef they used in their Grandwich entry), but Juliet beats me to it. And there s no way I m ordering two identical dishes! So I veer against the grain and get the Pine Crest Ribeye instead. Ribeye is not my favorite cut a bit too fatty and rich but I figure we ll split the dishes and we ll all be happy. My steak, medium-rare of course, comes with fingerling potatoes, snap peas, sweet corn, romanesco (a kind of brocolli), and house-made steak sauce. The beef does not give way to the fat, and all the vegetable components go nicely (if somewhat recycled from my pork salad course), and the sauce is solid steakhouse quality. My few bites of Juliet s polenta and braised beef make me wish I d ordered first, but I m happy with my dish as well. A Shiraz by Shoofly (South Austrailia) matches the richness of the rib eye perfectly.

No room for dessert, unfortunately (and this time I mean it!) so we pay the very reasonable bill and head back out to wade through festival-goers once more. Bistro Bella Vita has always been a reputable eatery for authentic modern Italian cuisine, and this tasting menu has definitely put them a notch above any competitors, in my book. Fresh preparation, excellent wine pairings, and friendly, thoughtful service. I can t wait to go back.