Appealing menu, hard choices at Bella Monte

Bella Monte, now in its second incarnation, has been around for more than 40 years.

Originally an Italian marketplace in Hilltop, Bella Monte flourished into a full-service restaurant and "International Marketplace" under second owner (of 25 years) Robin Tuite. Today, Tuite and her chef, Cole Winchester, appear to make a good team in the popular Laskin Road eatery near Birdneck Road.

We visited on a weekend night without reservations. We could wait for 30 minutes to sit in the dining room or eat at the piano bar, where Charlie Wiseman plays Wednesdays through Saturdays. We opted for the wait. We enjoyed a glass of wine while perusing the eclectic Marketplace, which bursts with fun and functional items, as well as food products including tempting confections. 

An appealing menu made it tough to choose our meal. All our selections were good, and we wanted to try more. Sea scallops ($11) arrived perfectly prepared and delicious, wrapped in thinly sliced Serrano ham, seared and served with Asiago cheese polenta planks and a drizzle of basil oil.

We chose the "Bobby" salad ($6, $10) from among the 11 offered, each sounding appealing. This sumptuous version came with marinated steak, rare as requested, atop romaine lettuce with gorgonzola cheese, grape tomato halves, caressed with well-balanced herb vinaigrette and crowned with fried onions. We decided to share it, and the salad was served split. Many salads are offered in two sizes. I pine to try them all.

From five pizzas ($12 or $17), we fell hard for the Margarita with fresh mozzarella, oven-roasted tomatoes and fresh basil chiffonade. Crisp crust with piquant tomatoes, rich cheese and earthy herb had us savoring every bite.

A tender, tasty chicken roulade ($18), flavored with spinach, prosciutto and sharp provolone, came with mushroom Marsala sauce. Mashed potatoes and al dente asparagus completed the plate. It was a sensible and satisfying portion - unless you are a big eater.

Peppercorn "Nicoise" tuna ($19) won out over Serrano-wrapped rockfish or molasses glazed salmon. Kalamata olives, chopped hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes cascaded over the tuna steak, cooked rare as ordered, and served over Dijon potatoes. The dish was appetizing, although we could not detect the Cippolini onions listed on the menu.

The triple chocolate torte - seven layers of cake, mousse and ganache studded with chocolate bits - was a pleasant finish to a lovely evening of Marketplace browsing, live entertainment, and great food, wine and service.

Tammy Jaxtheimer, flavor@pilotonline.com