Reader Review: Bella Sera
Deliciously Large Portions Please Stomachs & Wallets
On a recent Saturday night, as our stomachs growled (and neither my wife nor I wanted to cook), we decided to venture out to a nearby Italian restaurant called Bella Sera (saving precious gas money by staying within 2 miles of home). I called the restaurant at 6:15 pm to see if a last-minute table would be possible. As the phone rang repeatedly, I had my doubts, but finally the guy on the other end said, “Come on down; the wait won’t be long.”
When we arrived, the front waiting area was busy but passable. We gave our names and had a table within 10 minutes — so far it was going good.
As a lover of Italian food, I was excited to try this local restaurant for the first time. I ordered the chicken parmigiana for my entree as I usually do the first time I dine at an Italian restaurant. My logic is, if you can’t make a decent chicken parm, the place is doomed! My wife decided to go with the balsamic chicken since she is doing Weight Watchers right now.
As an appetizer, I ordered the escargot and my wife ordered the seafood salad. The turnaround for the appetizers was very quick for a busy Saturday night with many large tables of hungry people among us. The escargot arrived about 10 minutes later, and was very good. They gave a big order for just $7.95. My wife’s seafood salad came in a big plate, causing her to ponder how she could eat it all plus her entree. She dug in and stopped to gasp for air about halfway through. The server walking by stopped and inquired, “Should I wrap it up to go?” Yes, please!
Our entrees came out a little while later and were very generous portions. Both orders came with a small bowl of pasta and it was obvious my wife would not be finishing her chicken tonight. So the real question was, would I finish mine? The chicken parm was delicious and I anticipated I would be eating the whole thing.
Fast forward about 20 minutes later as the server handed us the containers of our leftovers; we had had our fill for the night. For a dinner consisting of two appetizers, entrees and two iced teas, the bill came to just over $50 — not bad considering we had three containers of leftovers to enjoy over the next few days.
Next time we go back, we will bring our favorite wine as it is a BYOB and most tables there had bottles of wine or beer.
For a small town, this little Italian restaurant is a gem — just ask the constant flow of hungry people that continued in well after we were seated. We will return for more in the near future, as will all the locals who know that Bella Sera is the place to go for great food!
by Tom Kaszner of Riverdale, NJ
Bella Sera
60 Main St
Bloomingdale, NJ 07403
973-283-8020
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