Bellaria

Bellaria Restaurant Review:

With floor-to-ceiling picture windows, the decoration at Bellaria is attractively minimal; however, the tables are set so close together that you almost feel you are sharing your meal with the strangers at your side. Among the best dishes are a tangy tartara di tonno (tuna tartare, marinated in lemon, basil and scallions), cozze alla Livornese (mussels in white wine) and the insalata di carciofi (a salad of fresh artichoke hearts, sliced apple, Parmesan and endive). The pastas with fresh sauces---such as farfalle with shrimp, zucchini and calamari, or the rigatoni with fresh tomatoes and artichoke hearts---tend to be more satisfying than those with meat sauces, which sometimes taste as if they had been reheated. Even better than the pastas are Bellaria’s risottos, particularly one prepared with porcini mushrooms and Prosecco, and another with shrimp, asparagus and saffron. The thin-crust, Neapolitan-style pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven, and the short list of main dishes includes some first-rate choices, such as chicken breast with Marsala and wild mushrooms. Bellaria has an extensive, if pricey, wine list, with selections from Europe, Mexico and South America; among its most reasonable choices are hearty reds from Sicily.