Pretty Italian

Tucked into a little space of the Highland Plaza strip mall just north 41st along Hudson Ave., Bella Italian Eatery is a tiny little place of just a few dine-in tables and small al fresco dining area on the sidewalk. The place is billed as "great, simple Italian food and cozy Bistro setting."

Bella has an impressive menu of Panini, Entrees, Salads, Soups, Desserts and daily specials.

Some of the Paninis include Margherita, Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella, Portobello & Grana, Sundried Tomato & Fontina and Italian Grilled Cheese. Sandwich selections include The Italiano, The Milano, The Veggie, The Tuscan, The Super, Mama's Homemade Meatball, The Sicilian and Bella's Tuna.

Wraps include such things as Fiesta, B.L.T., Chicken Ranch, Chicken Club and Turkey; Salads include Caesar, Chicken Caesar, Summer Delight, Italian Chicken Salad; Soups are Italian favorites, Minestrone, Pasta Fagioli and Tuscan Roasted Tomato.

I ordered the Summer Delight Salad ($5.99) which was a large bowl of mixed greens, mandarin oranges, Roma tomatoes, cheddar cheese, walnuts and served with raspberry vinaigrette. This salad was a good representation of summer--a fresh light meal with tastes of summer. I especially enjoyed the combination tastes and textures of the mandarin oranges and the walnuts. These added a nice surprise with each bite.

Bella's Tuna ($6.19) from the Sandwich section, comes as premium Italian tuna, special spices, provolone cheese, onions, peppers, pickles, tomatoes and olives. All this is toasted and served warm.

What an excellent choice! This sandwich is bursting with various rich Italian flavors; truly a remarkable combination of ingredients. With this, a bow-tie cold pasta salad came with it--sun dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives were especially kind to this pasta with its light olive-oil base dressing, tossed lightly throughout.

Since desserts are featured here, I would be remiss if I did not sample something--I opted for the Italian Cream Cake ($4.29) which perfectly finished off this Italian lunch. It was three layers of rich, home-made textured cake with nuts and coconut, with a cream cheese rich icing.

Lunch is very good and very reasonable priced at Bella's--no meal is over $7.

Bella Italian Eatery & Executive Catering

5663 E. 41st St.

627-BELL

Hours:

Tues.-Fri. 10:30am-2:30pm

Sat. 10:30am-3pm

Rating:

Atmosphere ***

Food ****

Service ****