By Java and Dune

Monday, October 25, 2010

Bella Brava - The New World Trattoria

204 Beach Drive, St. Petersburg, FL. Tel. 895-5515

The definition of trattoria is, 'an informal restaurant or tavern serving simple Italian dishes'. Bella Brava - The New World Trattoria offers cuisine that is far from simple. Yes, their menu offers the familiar pasta dishes that we know and love but there are many very creative dishes too. Such as the Lobster and White Truffle Mac-n-Cheese? Need I say more.
Thin crust pizza is made to order in their Woodstone stove. My dining partner and I shared a BLT pizza; gorgonzola cheese melted over pancetta, oven roasted tomatoes, arugula and red onion. Sounds light? It was, and delicious. We each had a salad, my friend had the conventional Caesar and I tried the House Misticanza, so green and fresh with a light citrus dressing. Very good. We each ordered a glass of pinot grigio and escaped with a check of less than $36 for two. If we hadn't been late for the MFA talk on Egyptian art we definitely would have stayed for dessert. Next time.
Bella's large corner location with outdoor seating sits just across the avenue from the new French restaurant, Cassis (see my review), creating a very festive corner. It might be my imagination but to me the food at Brava seems to taste better since their move to Beach Drive. At the moment Beach Drive is bringing out the best in a row of new restaurants and St. Petersburg residents are making the most of it.
Bella Brava - The New World Trattoria. Well, if this is the new world I want more!

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