On this particular Sunday, after going through the \u201cwhere should we eat\u201d routine, I suggested Bello, a restaurant on 9^{th<\/sup> Ave. that I\u2019ve passed many times and looked nice from the outside. The menu was classic northern Italian and reasonably priced. Reviews on menupages and in the Zagat guide were also pretty favorable. We called for a reservation but due to unforeseen circumstances, we wound up being half an hour late. Not a problem though, as the restaurant was mostly empty. That\u2019s not usually a good sign, but it was pretty late for dinner on a Sunday night so it was understandable.<\/p>\n}

The dining room is a little lower than ground floor level but it\u2019s pretty spacious. The d\u00e9cor is not overly fussy, and they had a nice big round table waiting for us when we arrived. Josh and his dad dropped us off while they went around the corner to park (the restaurant offers free garage parking after 5 pm). As we were waiting for them, they brought us baskets of white and wheat Italian bread. They were standard loaves but were warmed up in the oven so they were chewy on the inside and had nice crispy crusts. The restaurant definitely earned bonus points for heating up the bread. It\u2019s such an easy thing to do yet it astonishes me how many restaurants don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

$\"Crispy$

Crispy Italian bread<\/p><\/div>\n

Next, we were brought a gift from the kitchen, which were plates of their \u201cspecialty\u201d, potato chips. I thought that was an odd offering from an Italian restaurant, but one chip convinced me that it really was a specialty. These homemade chips were sliced super thin and perfectly fried. They were delicately crispy, and without a trace of grease. All they needed was a sprinkling of salt from the shaker on the table, and we devoured them. Seriously, they were the best chips I\u2019ve ever had at a restaurant.<\/p>\n

$\"Freshly$

Freshly fried thin and crispy potato chips<\/p><\/div>\n

I was really happy after eating those chips and hoped that the rest of the meal wouldn\u2019t let me down. Luckily, it didn\u2019t. For appetizers, I went \u201chalfsies\u201d with Josh on beef carpaccio and Caesar salad, two items that we use to judge an Italian restaurant. I started with the Caesar salad and we swapped plates halfway through. The salad was a pretty large portion and covered in grated parmesan cheese, which I liked. The dressing could have packed a bit more punch, but it wasn\u2019t overly mayo-y or fishy. The croutons really looked like gross stale pieces of plain white bread, untoasted, but when I finally popped a piece into my mouth I was shocked by the delicious garlic flavor and its light crispiness. I don\u2019t know how they prepared those croutons but I was a huge fan. It just goes to show that looks can be deceiving! While this wasn\u2019t the best Caesar salad I\u2019ve ever had, it was pretty good.<\/p>\n

$\"Caesar$

Caesar salad<\/p><\/div>\n

The beef carpaccio was served over a pile of arugula, topped with grated parmesan cheese and could have been a meal on its own. The thinly sliced raw beef tasted fresh and was just the right temperature \u2013 not warm but not ice cold. The dish arrives unadorned and unseasoned, but all it needs is a squeeze of lemon, a splash of olive, and a bit of salt and pepper to brighten it up. That really lets the fresh flavor of the ingredients to shine through.<\/p>\n

$\"Beef$

Beef carpaccio served over arugula<\/p><\/div>\n

For my main course, I chose my other test of an Italian restaurant \u2013 chicken parmesan. When my plate arrived, I almost laughed at the size of the chicken. It was huge! It was a neat presentation, with most of it boneless and pounded down except for a tiny little wing protruding from the end. It came with spaghetti that was cooked al dente. And the dish was hot, which earned the restaurant even more bonus points. Too often we get food that\u2019s just lukewarm and cheese that is unmelted. This chicken parmesan was the best that I\u2019ve had recently and absolutely satisfying. The portion that I ended up taking home made two filling lunches at work the next week.<\/p>\n

$\"Chicken$

Chicken parmesan with spaghetti<\/p><\/div>\n

Josh ordered his Italian restaurant standby, linguini with white clam sauce. We both raved about his dish, which was garlicky and briney and served with perfectly cooked linguini. You definitely have to be a garlic lover to enjoy this dish, and we absolutely adore garlic \u2013 the more the better. Josh ate the entire bowl of pasta, and then I used the bread to sop up the remaining juices. It really was an outstanding version of white clam sauce.<\/p>\n

$\"Linguini$

Linguini with white clam sauce<\/p><\/div>\n

We almost passed on dessert until the waiter mentioned homemade tiramisu. I like tiramisu, but usually it\u2019s just a big pile of mush. Tasty mush, but still mush. Everything ends up getting mixed together and the ladyfingers end up being too soggy to make any sort of impact. I was curious to see if something specifically touted as \u201chomemade\u201d would be any different. I\u2019m so glad that we got it, because it was really freakin\u2019 delicious. I might even say it was the best tiramisu I\u2019ve ever had. The slice itself was a work of art, with each individual ladyfinger visible and intact. The textures were perfect, and it wasn\u2019t just a pile of mush. I really, really enjoyed this dessert, and I\u2019m not usually a dessert kind of person.<\/p>\n

$\"Homemade$

Homemade tiramisu<\/p><\/div>\n

I thought that both the food and the service at Bello were excellent. Our waiter was attentive, and our food was brought out at appropriate intervals and served at the right temperatures. The house special potato chips in the beginning were seriously awesome. The food was classic red sauce Italian \u2013 tangy tomato sauce and lots of garlic. It has all the usual standards, and everything we had was really tasty. I can only hope that it\u2019s consistently good the next time we go, so that it will become a permanent part of our Sunday night dinner rotation. And the free parking is just another bonus!<\/p>\n

Bello
\n<\/a>863 9<\/em>^{th<\/em><\/sup> Ave. at 56<\/em>^{th<\/em><\/sup> St.
\nNew York, NY<\/em><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"}}