Bellaluna Ristorante offers a wide-ranging menu of classic Italian fare in a cozy Kirkwood setting
By Dave Lowry
Photographs by Katherine Bish
“Best Restaurants to Visit When It’s Raining” is a list we’re going to compile some, well, rainy day. Bellaluna will be on it. It’s an entirely enjoyable restaurant in any weather, just south of downtown Kirkwood in the location once occupied by Joseph’s. The sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows along the north side of the place with tables situated just next to them are perfect for a rainy evening that can be romantic or nostalgic or simply a night of I’m happy to be warm and dry and inside and stuffing my own insides with good food. Can’t have too many of those.
The fare here is Italian. Experienced diners will recognize dishes from all over the country (with an emphasis on northern cuisine), and while that can be an indication the chef’s skills are superficial, at Bellaluna a wide sampling revealed adroitness, authoritative seasoning and an altogether consistent gastronomic experience.
Among main courses and house specialties are several classic Italian offerings. Four varieties of veal are all recommended. A chop, cut to your desired size, is pan-fried and presented with a light mushroom demi-glace (price varies). Osso buco, slow-braised shanks of veal in a meaty rich liquid, is not always available but should not be missed if it is ($28). Veal pagliardi is a bold challenge from the kitchen. No sauces or other distractions, just a veal cutlet smeared with olive oil and garlic and grilled with a spritz of lemon. If it’s on the fire for exactly the right time, it’s like Mozart in your mouth, a symphony of taste and texture. A moment too long and you’re chewing on the culinary equivalent of “Muskrat Love.” That Bellaluna presents this very simple and very difficult dish ($20) is impressive. At the other end of the veal scale are scaloppines of veal in a light lemon sauce with big hunks of lobster tail meat on top, an extraordinarily rich meal ($32) one might consider sharing with a couple of orders of pasta.
A beef fillet peppered and grilled and topped with a glob of pungent ripe Gorgonzola is satisfyingly luxuriant ($23). Less likely to give your physician a coronary is the tilapia served in a white wine and mushroom sauce that, as it was listed as Genovese style, we expected to have more herbs, especially basil ($18). The breast of chicken cacciatora was beautifully prepared, the meat slathered with a luscious sauce of tomato, mushrooms and olives. And spelled correctly on the menu. It’s with an “a” on the end, not an “e,” a nod to the hunter’s wife who supposedly invented the dish ($16).
A dozen pasta courses offer few surprises, but they are expertly prepared and portions are heaped into beautiful deep dishes that present well and keep the pasta warm. An interesting and worthwhile take on spaghetti carbonara has intriguing ingredients tossed with the pasta: thin-sliced duck prosciutto and quail eggs ($14). Spaghetti fritti is an imaginative dish, the pasta pan-fried so the edges are crispy like Cantonese chao mien noodles, then tossed with an arrabbiata sauce of olive oil, white wine, butter and spicy peppers ($12). Tortellini “homestyle,” or casalinghi, means matching these buds of pasta with slices of salty pancetta, fresh peas and mushrooms ($14). A Milanese risotto was among the best of the entrées, a dome of saffron-scented rice, creamy and studded with bites of prosciutto and fresh mushrooms ($14).
Bellaluna offers side dishes; mostly pastas such as the wonderfully homey spaghetti tossed with a luxuriant olive oil and minced garlic ($4). But grilled asparagus ($4) and sautéed spinach with roasted garlic ($5) are also good choices.
Salads are decent, though ordinary. Go for the combination of green beans, potato and hard-boiled eggs with a piquant balsamic vinaigrette for something different ($4). Appetizers, on the other hand, are particularly sumptuous. The caponata is refreshing though quite garlicky, and purists will enjoy the fact that this version is sprinkled, as it should be, with capers and, even more as it should be, served at room temperature and not chilled ($6). Artichokes just lightly battered and deep-fried are crispy and tender inside. The stuffing in the mushroom caps is lively and fragrant with herbs ($6). An even better choice, fungally speaking, is the truffled mushrooms on toasted bread ($5).
Unfortunately, there are few bargains on a wine list that is varied and worthy. Fortunately, several wines by the glass are available. You won’t be writing home about the good-but-average desserts unless you order the cannoli, stuffed on the premises. They aren’t always available, but call ahead and they’ll prepare them for you—crunchy and creamy and plump ($5).
Of note: Given the size of portions, ingredients and quality of preparation, prices here are more than reasonable, though they may be higher than one would expect. … More thought should have gone into larger tables if dinnerware is going to be, as it is here, nearly the circumference of truck tires. Tableware is sturdy and heavy enough to be employed for hand-to-hand combat. … Service manages to strike a happy balance between professional and friendly. We overheard one waiter patiently explain virtually the whole menu as well as Italian cooking in general to a table of diners who had apparently just dropped in from Neptune. … The restaurant’s interior is stylish, ecru and black. There is piano entertainment to please the “Moon River” crowd, but it is soft and unobtrusive enough not to bother others.
If you have a choice, take one of the tables near the floor-to-ceiling windows. Especially if it is raining.
Bellaluna Ristorante
Address: 451 S. Kirkwood
Phone: 314-909-0455
Average Main Course: $24
Dress: If a black tie is a 10 and your "I'm A Parrot Head" T-shirt is a 1, aim for around 7.
Reservations: As my editor can attest after trying to walk in on a Friday night, they are a good idea on weekends. Besides, you need to call ahead for those cannoli.
Bottom Line: Better-than-average Italian fare in a chic and comfortable environment. And oh, those cannoli.
