With an Italian Restaurant on Almost Every Block, Which is the Most Authentic?

Inquiring about the most authentic Italian restaurant is probably silly, and I think you'll find as many different answers as diplomats you ask.  Still, we didn’t think we should ignore such an important and delicious cuisine, so Murray recently broached the subject with an Italian consular officer, who later provided a list of five favorites.  Since this particular diplomat is from Tuscany, we thought we should go to the one he noted as best in northern Italian cuisine.  So, what restaurant did he say is best in New York City for northern Italian food? Bella Blu, on the Upper East Side.  

We ate at Bella Blu on a recent Thursday evening after work, and again it was the three of us – Murray, our son Ben, and myself.  We made reservations in advance, which we’d been warned to do, and arrived at around 7:00 pm to find the place buzzing with business.  Nearly every table was filled, and by the time we left, there was a short line outside.

Here’s what we ate:

• Rucolo con Finocchio, Olive di Gaeta e Spicchi d’Arancia: An arugula salad with fennel, black olives and mandarin orange
• Bocconcini de Bufalo con Peperoni Arrostiti, Pomodoro e Basilico: Mozzarella with roasted peppers, tomatoes and basil (and, yes, the mozzarella was as excellent as it looks)

• A special pasta of the day, penne with shrimp and chanterelle mushrooms in a light cream sauce
• Galletto al Forno in Salsa di Mostarda con Puree di Potate e Come di Rape: Pan-seared chicken in a mustard sauce with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe
• Another special of the day, veal chop Milanese (in the end, our favorite)

All of this food was quite tasty. But our goal tends to be adventure, and this meal lacked the exoticism of the other restaurant experiences in our "diplomat dining."  Although our meal at Bella Blu was quite delicious, it was not in any way astonishing and it was a bit pricey.

We shared a bottle of wine, which was tough to do, because every bottle on the lengthy list was quite expensive.  Going for the least expensive on the list just wasn’t going to fly – It was a Sonoma County (i.e., not Italian) wine that we are quite sure we can purchase in our local liquor store for well under $15, and it was priced at something like $40 at Bella Blu.  I’m no wine expert, but that price differential makes me wonder about the whole list.  We ended up with a Pinot Bianco.  It suited us perfectly but its cost, $45, borders on ridiculous.

Dessert was wonderful.  The three of us found room to share Tiramasu Bella Blu, which was light and fluffy, and – because it was such a warm day – assortimenti di gelati: our son selected cinnamon, honey and vanilla on our behalf, and excellent choices they were!

All in all, we had a great meal.  Service was great, and the atmosphere was fun, if a bit loud.  Still, we left the restaurant $235 poorer and not ecstatically reviewing the details of every dish, the way we have after eating at some of the other restaurants we’ve visited.  Probably we’re just too familiar with Italian food.  Bella Blu does appear to be a beloved neighborhood restaurant, but clearly one for denizens of the Upper East Side who may not find $80 per person a lot to spend for a meal that is quite good, but not special.

All major credit cards are accepted, and Bella Blu has a full bar.  Also worth noting: the pizza (cooked in a coal-fired oven) gets top billing on many reviews I found around the web, so this might be a great place to try for lunch someday. 

Where and When

Bella Blu
967 Lexington Avenue (between 70th and 71st streets)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 988-4624

baraondany.com/bellablu/media/websitebellablu.html

Monday through Saturday
12 noon – 3:30 pm and 5:00 – 10:30 pm

Sunday
12 noon – 3:30 pm and 5:00 – 11:30 pm