Virginian-Pilot correspondent
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The dish Capellini Siciliana, with choice of salad or soup
The cost $9.99
The eatery La Bella Italia Redmill, 2133 Upton Drive, 301-3603, www.labellaitalia.com
Why I liked it A second Beach location for La Bella Italia (the original is on Laskin Road near the Oceanfront) provides Old World dining for folks in the southeastern part of the city for lunch and dinner. Tucked in the sprawling Red Mill Commons shopping center, the jewel-box dining room is open and airy and decorated contemporarily. We found the service to be prompt and attentive.
A two-course lunch special priced at $9.99 is offered every day and starts with the choice of a house salad, caesar salad, Greek salad or cup of soup.
We chose the house salad and enjoyed a simple, cool and crisp offering of greens with sliced plum tomatoes and orange supremes lightly tossed in a bright, fresh citrus vinaigrette that literally pops with flavor. It is one of the best vinaigrettes that we've had.
A basket of house-baked bread - light and airy inside and rustic and crisp on the exterior, is served, along with olive oil and balsamic for dipping.
The second course includes a choice of eight entrees, including chicken parmigiana served with a side of capellini, cheese ravioli in tomato sauce, and others. I picked the Capellini Siciliana, a large bowl of wonderful capellini noodles topped with a saute of eggplant, tomatoes and garlic in a light marinara sauce and sprinkled with Romano cheese.
The pasta was cooked wonderfully, and the saute of vegetables was light, allowing their flavors to shine through the generous portion. The marinara had an underlying sweetness but a nice punch of acid, too. The nutty Romano cheese was a good foil in flavor and texture. Although some bread had been used to sop up the wonderful salad dressing, I was glad there was extra to clean up the plate and savor the last bite of this tasty cheap eats lunch.
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DINING
I live nearby and was dining here since it opened at least once a week. It started off with great service and ok food. After a few months the food became very good to excellent. They then let some staff go and then others quit and it just hasn't been consistent since. The food takes forever to land on the table and the waiters try their best to catch up...but can't see to balance it all out.
It's too bad, because it has the makings of an excellent establishment. Management needs to be on the property and watch every order to gain back the consistency it once had.
Great place
Ate dinner here with a few friends. We all got different orders, all of them got kudos. The dessert was great too. Just the portions required all of my food to have leftover boxes. They were huge!