Bella Vista
One Finance Way
Providence
by Bob Mariani
The Bella Vista Restaurant and Bar overlooking the lagoon at Waterplace Park could not be more aptly named. The view from its breezy outdoor terrace of Providence’s ever-changing cityscape is indeed "beautiful". As is Bella Vista’s "nouveau mission style" decor and architecture with its handsome stone and tile exterior and its high-ceiling-ed inside dining room.
No question, the stage is set here for a really first rate restaurant. I’ve always enjoyed the food at Bella Vista, although their menu has gone through some twists and turns since it first opened. Their most recent iteration is the result of their newly arrived (about 7-weeks) Japanese chef, Cardin Lau, who brings a distinctly Asian flare to this fusion style menu.
My experience with fusion cooking has ranged from excitingly different to artificially conceived. In Chef Cardin’s case, I’d say it’s at the "very promising" stage. The list of appetizers includes things like spice-marinated Roast Duck Salad served with chilled avocado salad, strawberries and a cranberry rum sauce ($17); a Salmon Ta Ta ($15) with scallions and Tobiko atop a parmesan crépe served with prosciutto and Wasabi soy sauce—how’s that for fusion!; a Sirloin Negima ($15), thinly sliced sirloin strips rolled with cheese and scallions and pan-broiled with a Teriyaki sauce; and the Spicy Sashimi Duo ($16).
I chose the Black Sea Cocktail ($13), which turned out to be one of the cutest, funniest looking things I’ve ever eaten. A cupful of whole, tomato-red octopi with little round bite-size heads and tentacles reminded me of nothing so much as a hilarious "Looney Tunes" version of the infamous eight-legged sea creature. They were slippery and moist and almost as much fun to chew as they were to look at. They’d been sweetly marinated and came on a bed of cold Soba noodles in a "creamy hops sauce". The menu said this dish also contained capers but I didn’t detect any. This one is for the adventurous eater, as much for the look as for the taste.
My wife’s starter was the very Asian-sounding Chuka ($7), a Japanese seaweed salad doused with roasted sesame and "seasonal" oils. This one was also more about texture than taste. The little stems of seaweed were pliable and tender and seemed to take their entire flavor from the sesame oil. I thought these greens would have gone well with my little octopi.
For my entrée I went for the Seafood Pasta Extra-ordinaire ($29), a hearty stew of fresh clams in the half-shell, sea scallops, king crab meat, and shrimp in a rich, pink king crab tomato sauce with fresh linguine. There was also a tiny half of a deep-fried soft shell crab. Each of the seafood tidbits were perfectly cooked but somehow I thought the flavors had not been blended just right. It was a kind of one-note dish that could have been more complex for my taste.
Jan had the Porcini Risotto ($24), a pretty straightforward version of a marinated and grilled breast of chicken atop a mushroom risotto. It was accompanied by some grilled asparagus spears, and again I expected a little more complexity of flavors here. As it was, the dominant taste was simply that of the wild porcini mushroom; excellent but perhaps a bit one-dimensional for what it was attempting.
Other entrée choices were things like Sake Salmon ($26) served with Tempura Portabella mushrooms and a garlic rabe; a very interesting sounding Truffle Lobster Tail (market price) baked in a spicy cream sauce with white wine and truffles; a Fire-Grilled Mahi Mahi ($26) with a yellow ginger sauce; Five Spice Sirloin Steak ($28); a Baked Pork Tenderloin with linguine in a marinara sauce ($23); and Gnocchi Lamb Dice, lamb loins sautéed in garlic, black olives, sage, onion an fresh basil in an eggplant sauce.
The desserts were not house-made. Jan had a Pear Tart which was simply a thin, moist crust topped with a small pool of pear puree’. I had the Chocolate Pecan Pie, and what’s not to like about nuts and chocolate?
I trust the Bella Vista menu, which as I said is only a few weeks old, will evolve to the point where it is as interesting and complex as the unique view this very special restaurant commands.
They’re open for dinner Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5pm to 9:30 pm, and Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 10pm. On the third level there is also the View Lounge that’s open Thursdays through Saturdays from 10:30pm.
For reservations:272-1040 or visit
www.bellavistaprovidence.com.Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Your Table is Ready" and "Out to Lunch" restaurant reviews on findRI.com, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com
