Greatest Hits Volume 10: Bello (Italian, Newport Beach)

Bello is located in Newport Beach, California. Recognized by Michelin as a "gastronomic retreat," this is a restaurant you don't want to miss. It made my "Greatest Hits" series because I have never had anything short of an excellent meal here.

The chef and co-owner of Bello is Sandro Nardone, who comes from a lineage of chefs and farmers so famous, that Pope John Paul II and politicians from Rome would travel to dine at his family's restaurants and homes. Nardone is originally from Atina, Italy, a historic town situated on a hill overlooking the Melfa River.

Drawing from his exposure to his family's cooking expertise, as well as formal training he received in Italy, the chef-driven, seasonal menu he has created at Bello consists of both classic and modern Italian dishes. Below are some examples from my many visits to the restaurant.

Polpo

The polpo, or octopus, has always been a staple on the menu, however the preparation and accompaniments change with the seasons. On this particular visit, the octopus was lightly fried and served with a squid ink reduction sauce.

Insalata

This salad is one of my favorite interpretations of a Caeser salad. It is made with little gem lettuces, an anchovy and garlic dressing and crispy croutons made from the restaurant's freshly made and toasted bread.

Burrata

Another Bello staple is the burrata. At the peak of strawberry season, it was served with cherry tomatoes, balsamic macerated strawberries, and fresh basil.

Frittura Di Calamari

Another appetizer I highly recommend is the fried calamari, or squid. The dish comes with thinly sliced and fried lemon discs and shishito peppers. A squeeze of the fresh Meyer lemon creates the perfect bite.

Norcia

Now onto the pastas, which are all made in house daily and then topped with mouthwatering sauces. If you are feeling decadent, I suggest the Norcia featuring rigatoni, tossed in a light cream sauce made with pork sausage, roasted porcini and crimini mushrooms and parsley. You can also add tartufo nero, or shaved black truffles to this, or any, pasta as I opted to do here.

La Nostra Bolognese

My favorite, classic pasta served at Bello is the bolognese. For those born and bred in Bologna, Italy, the American version of spaghetti bolognese is non-existent. Bologna's traditional bolognese sauce omits tomatoes, which were fairly new to the Italian kitchen when the dish was created. It also uses tagliolini, a flat, thin pasta, instead of spaghetti.

At Bello, the bolognese is made in the traditional, Bologna-style, with slow-cooked, braised meats, celery, onions, carrots and seasoning. The hand-cut tagliolini is wonderfully saturated in the sauce, and all of that is topped with high-quality, Parmesan cheese. The end result is a superb bowl of pasta bolognese.

Gemilli Rapini E Nduja

This gemelli pasta is not usually on the menu. This was a special they offered on one of my visits. The pasta was made with rapini, or broccoli, which was also used to flavor the cream sauce, along with nduja, a spicy, spreadable, Italian, pork sausage that disintegrated in the sauce, imparting an intense flavor. Finally, the pasta was topped with red dandelion and lemon breadcrumbs.

This was such a creative take and makeover of the ubiquitous, orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe and salciccia. It incorporated all the same, basic ingredients - pork sausage, broccoli, pasta - but in a unique way, that elevated the dish.

Lobster Pasta

Another standout, limited time pasta special was this lobster tonnarelli. It was made with sun ripened, cherry tomatoes, succulent chunks of lobster tail and claw meat and fresh basil all incorporated in a white wine sauce. To finish, the tonnarelli was topped with nigella seeds for a mildly, peppery finish.

Prosciutto Pizza

Pizzas at Bello, made in the classic Neapolitan style, are a masterpiece. The chef agonizes over getting the dough, the foundation of the pizza, absolutely perfect. I know, because in one of our conversations, he lamented the fact that the air in Southern California is different than in Italy, making it almost impossible to mimic the exact texture of crust that he was able to achieve in Italy. That's one example of the kind of attention to detail that you'll find at Bello.

If you are looking for a spin off of the classic, Margherita pizza, try the prosciutto pizza. It has the same base as a Margherita - pomodoro, fresh basil and mozzarella - but is then topped with fresh arugula and thinly sliced, silky prosciutto.

Marinara

Don't enjoy cheese? Try the marinara pizza which includes the same tomato sauce and basil as the Margherita, omits the cheese and then adds sliced and roasted garlic and Sicilian oregano.

La Diavola

Finally, there's my favorite Bello pizza, the La Diavola. This pizza is made with tomato sauce, fresh buffalo milk mozzarella and spicy salame. It's like your classic pepperoni pizza "kicked up a notch," to borrow an Emeril Lagasse saying.

Bistecca Al Ferri

If you are gluten-free or carb-avoidant, Bello has plenty of protein options including seafood and chicken. My favorite however, is the bistecca al ferri or skirt steak. The preparation changes seasonally but the steak is always tender and flavorful. On this visit, the skirt steak was grilled and served with roasted potatoes, asparagus and bagna verde, a salsa from the Piedmont region of Italy, made primarily from parsley, capers, anchovies, olive oil and lemon juice.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Save room for dessert. I enjoy Bello's panna cotta made with fresh vanilla bean. Just look at all the black flecks in the dessert; those are vanilla bean seeds that are plentiful and found all throughout the panna cotta. This particular preparation was served with hazelnut biscotti and strawberries. It was so densely flavorful and simultaneously light and smooth.

Negroni

Finally, if you're in the mood for a cocktail, I suggest one of Bello's Negronis. They usually offer a classic and a blood orange variation and sometimes present a white interpretation as well. All of them are amazing.

That can be said about everything at Bello. No matter how many times I return, and no matter what I order, the meal is always superb. I hope you'll give Bello a try and that you love it as much as I do. I'll be back soon to continue my series on Michigan.