Bella Rosa -- Closed

[Rosie]

Friends raved about Bella Rosa, 360 Rt 10 W, East Hanover, a nine month old BYO restaurant. They were right. The food was very good, service friendly and the décor was charming with a Tuscan country scene, vines and roses painted on the walls.

Specials were printed out with their prices and there were many items that we could have chosen. I wanted to try the butternut squash soup with Gorgonzola or the mussels with sambucca sauce but Lowell and I opted to share escarole with sausage which had a great sauce for dipping bread. For entrees we had the best sweet potato and pumpkin gnocchi with a roasted garlic rosemary cream sauce that I have had in a long time (ฟ). These light and airy dumplings were addictive and we couldn’t stop eating them. I would recommend you share this entrée as an appetizer as it was rich. We also had a scrumptious dish containing pan roasted shrimp, caramelized onions, crispy pancetta and a spicy pomadoro sauce (ล). The fish dishes listed on the menu were interesting and I will try them the next time we dine here. Some of the choices were blackened tuna with broccoli rabe and fresh tomato; grilled salmon over escarole, black olive and fresh tomato; and farfalle with strips of salmon and spinach in a pink sauce. We would also like to try an individual gourmet pizza.

Desserts are made in house and we shared a decent apple caramel pie with creamy homemade ice cream. Bella Rosa seats 58 and is a small establishment. Call 973-428-8611 for reservations which are necessary on weekends.

Anyone been here?

[Rachel Perlow]

Jason and I brought my parents there just last week. We were patrons of the previous restaurant at this location (Cafe Z) and were disappointed when it closed. My mom told me a new restaurant opened a few months ago, so we just had to try it.

We all enjoyed the food and service very much. Jason and my dad each had soup. Jason had his benchmark test - pasta fagiole, which was very good and not too thick. My dad had one of the specials, portobello mushroom with gorgonzola. He said it didn't taste like he expected it to. I don't know what that means because I tasted it and it tasted of both mushrooms and blue cheese. I even liked it although I don't like blue cheese and he ate every drop, Jason tasted it too and thought it was really good, but he couldn't eat a whole bowl because really creamy things disagree with his tummy. My mom and I had the Bella Rosa salad, an excellent version of mesclun greens with goat cheese and vinaigrette.

Entrees had were a nicely browned and vinegary Chicken Savoy (on the bone), Trio Pizzaola (veal, chicken and shrimp in a red sauce with pieces of red and green bell peppers), Chicken Marsala (boneless breast), and Linguini Primavera (red sauce with lots of slivered veggies). The meat entrees were accompanied by a swirl of mashed potatoes and some sauteed veggies. All the dishes were delicious, we all cleaned our plates (except my mom, whose serving of pasta was a little too large for her).

Although full, we just had to try the desserts when we heard they were made in house. (It seems like every mid-range restaurant uses Bindi for desserts these days.) The warm chocolate cake with liquid center was a good representative of that dessert. It was accompanied by three small scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate and apple pie) made by a local family business. That chocolate was really good - I want to buy it by the pint. My dad had the tiramisu (which I don't like so I didn't taste). The other three all did and said it lacked the boozey taste most tiramisus have from dipping in coffee or espresso laced with brandy, rum or orange or coffee liqueur. That didn't stop them from finishing it though.

All in all, this was a very pleasant evening. The new owners have redecorated the space with beautiful murals on the walls. And, more important, they have hired or trained a more than competant staff, which is very much appreciated by me.

Oh, I almost forgot the bread dipping sauce. This was an herb, garlic and olive oil mixture, similar to, but not as overpowering as what is served at Garlic Rose Cafe in Madison - addictive.

(Edited by RPerlow at 9:26 am on Dec. 5, 2001)

[Rosie]

We returned to Bella Rosa last night and had another great meal. When seated we munched on small Italian rolls dipped into a garlic/herb olive oil. For appetizers Lowell and I shared sautéed broccoli rabe. We try to start the meal off healthy! Our daughter had a fabulous creamy butternut squash with gorgonzola soup. For entrees Lowell had a tremendous tender pork chop giambotti which he finished by gnawing on the bone. I had a perfectly cooked onion crusted salmon filet with a roasted garlic rosemary Dijon potato sauce. The sauce was too creamy for my taste especially after having a few spoonfuls of the squash soup. Our daughter’s dish is what I want to try the next time I dine here as it was fabulous. Sesame encrusted ahi tuna loin with a ginger soy butter sauce came rare as requested with mashed potatoes. It’s not that I dislike mashed potatoes but perhaps rice would have been a better accompaniment. We were stuffed and were not going to order dessert. However, our waiter informed us that a fresh berry cobbler just came out of the oven so we succumbed and had that for dessert. Delicious!

[Rosie]

Lowell and I met friends at Bella Rosa last night. As always we had a very good dinner. (See previous posts) For appetizers two soups were tried; a shrimp bisque and a broccoli rabe and bean soup. Both were excellent. I shared a serving of sauteed escarole with lots of garlic. Yummy. Lowell  had a fabulous special of chicken breast layered with eggplant, red pepper and cheese for his entree. I will order this next time as I really enjoyed the taste he gave me! I had a grilled salmon with a dijon mustard sauce. It came with mashed potatoes and fresh zucchini. One friend had chicken giambotta on the bone which he enjoyed. Another friend had a pork chop giambotta which she wasn't thrilled with.We shared an apple cobbler with ice cream for dessert. With coffees, tax and tip  the bill came to ฯ a person.

[dbrociner]

As I work just around the corner on Rt. 10, Bella Rosa is a frequent lunch spot for me. Food is usually good, I almost always order off the specials menu. Last week I had a pizza with baby shrimp and hot peppers and it was excellent. My only complaint is that the service is too slow at lunch time. We go there with only an hour to eat and have a hard time getting back to work if someone orders an appetizer. Its as though there's only one person in the kitchen. Even soups, which should be ready to be served (and are usually very good) take a long time to come out of the kitchen. Still its a welcome addition to the East Hanover restaurant scene and a great improvement over Cafe Z, imho.

PS: if you're in the area and need carpet, Carpet Mill is just east on Rt. 10 in the plaza with Party City and Amazing Savings. A shameless plug!!! :-)

[Rosie]

Hey David--Good to see you on egullet. Hope all is well with you and your family. A suggestion. Why don't you preorder your lunch at Bella Rosa. Just stop in and get a copy of their lunch menu.

[dbrociner]

RS, not a bad idea, but do you think I should have to? It isn't unreasonable to expect a restaurant to be able to serve 2 courses to 3 people and get them out the door in 55 minutes. Or is it? Maybe I'm just being a p-i-t-a.

Anyway, food is good here and that is the most important thing. Lord knows we have enough bad restaurants on Rt. 10.

[Rosie]

I am just wondering if the "regular" chef is on duty at lunchtime. You are right. One hour should be enough time to order lunch and be back to work.

[Rachel Perlow]

Shameless plugs are only permitted if mentioning you heard about the store on eGullet garners a discount!

Rachel ;)

[Rosie]

Quote: from RPerlow on 8:52 am on Jan. 28, 2002

Shameless plugs are only permitted if mentioning you heard about the store on eGullet garners a discount!

Rachel ;)

And you promise to vote for egullet and me on chef2chef a couple of times each day.

[dbrociner]

had lunch here again today. I started with shrimp bisque which was rich, creamy, loaded with shrimp and worth every calorie. Ordered the "hotsy totsy pizza" (hot peppers and baby shrimp) but was so full from the shrimp that i took 2/3rds of it back to my desk (it was gone 2 hours later). Excellent thin crust pizza. The peppers gave it a nice zing but did not overpower the tomato sauce or the shrimp. I said something to the waiter about needing to get out in under an hour and they came through this time. People I was with had a spinach, mushroom and quail risotto and spinach ravioli in a vodka sauce respectively. Risotto was good and a great value at Ű.

As for a discount in regards to the shameless plug for my carpet store, I would be glad to work out a special egullet sale price for anyone who asks for me, David.

[Rail Paul]

Nice review over the weekend.

It's interesting Jean Graham rated it so highly, since she found fault with so many items. I've found her comments are usually bulls-eyes, but her ratings are a puzzle to me

Bella Rosa

[Rosie]

Dinner last night was at Bella Rosa located in the Castle Ridge Plaza, Rt 10 W, East Hanover. I was surprised that even on a Monday night there were quite a few tables filled. Three of us shared two salads for appetizers: a Wow salad containing spring mix of greens with pickled cucumber, shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese and crunchy peas; and a traditional Caesar with shaved asiago cheese and house made croutons. Both were very good with the Wow salad having a sweetish dressing and the Caesar being tart. They complimented each other and we couldn’t decide which one we liked the best. For my entree I had grilled salmon with a dill cream sauce on the side. The fish was perfectly cooked and the accompanying roasted potatoes were addictive. Another fish entrée was just as good. Blackened tuna over sautéed broccoli rabe with a fresh tomato alio olio was cooked rare as requested. Another entrée was the penne Bella Rosa with grilled eggplant, arugula, fresh plum tomatoes and fresh mozzarella tossed in a roasted garlic olive oil sauce. This dish needed more garlic or a generous sprinkling of pepper. Bella Rosa always has a fruit cobbler for dessert and I haven’t had one that I haven’t liked. We had a peach, apple pear cobbler last night that was so delicious we were sorry we only ordered one. BYO. The restaurant is open for lunch and they have a new menu. Phone: 973-428-8611

[Rachel Perlow]

Thanks for the update on Bella Rosa, Rosie. The next NJ eGullet dinner will likely take place here or at Corso 98 on May 18th. Anyone have a preference?

[Hank]

We went there Friday evening because we had read some fairly good posts about this restaurant and also because we were taking out a friend of ours that lives very close by.

The food and service were good. The busboy twice wanted to remove plates while we were still eating from them. But, the noise level was horrendous. A tin ceiling, tile floors and brick walls certainly don't help. Our waiter, much younger than we were had a hard time hearing us give our orders. He told us it's a major complaint and next time to come at 8:30, 9:00 when the restaurant starts to empty out. True to his word when we left at 9:00 we could actually hear each other. Aside from the company of our friend not a pleasant or relaxing evening and though the food was nice enough definitely not worth an hours journey. I ordered a bean soup which was very good, but my blackened tuna, though it was perfectly cooked very rare as I had ordered it was tasteless to say the least. Our friend ordered a breast of chicken dish which needed lots of pepper and lemon and my wife had to request some additional pepper for her pasta and seafood dish to bring out some flavor. I will never understand why restaurants don't have small pepper mills on every table. It would make things so much easier especially when the restaurant is very busy. One huge plus was that they did list the specials for the evening on a seperate sheet with prices.

[Rachel Perlow]

Too bad you didn't enjoy yourselves. Whenever we've been there the food has been excellent. Yes, it can get loud, but sometimes I like that lively atmosphere.

The reason why most restaurants don't put small pepper mills on every table (although I agree with your desire for them) is that they tend to walk out the door quite frequently.

[Rail Paul]

Hank -

re: tuna. Do you think they marinated or pressed spices into the tuna? I've found that tuna tends to be very bland if you don't do something to set off its sweetness. At home, I'll press chile powder and crushed pepper or lemon into the steak before grilling...

Paul

[tommy]

yup, theft is the big reason for no pepper mills.  

at the risk of sounding like a broken record, i'll say again that i carry my own with me to most restaurants.  i have 3 portable "mini-mills"...one in the car, one at the office, and one for home to pack for trips.  i'm very rarely caught without a piece of peppercorn lodged btwn two of my teeth.

[Rosie]

They press the pepper into the tuna at Bella Rosa. The restaurant can get very noisy and it is best to go there on a weekday night.

[Hank]

Before I comment on your comments may I just tell you that we just got back from Tabla in NY. My reaction. WOW. Our tenth time there and hopefully many more times.

Ms. Perlow, in answer to your comment that noise can add to the atmosphere I will only accept if we are at a disco or ball game but not when we go to a restaurant and we can not have a decent conversation whcih is part of the reason to be there in the first place.

Tommy, your suggestion about carrying a pepper mill with you is fabulous. Will buy one tomorrow that is small enough for either my pocket or my wife's pocket book. Problem solved.

Rail Paul, there was not even a hint of any pepper, chilli, or for that matter any spice on my rather large, very fresh piece of tuna. So bland I ate only half.

We went to Oceana a couple of weeks ago and we both had their pepper encrusted tuna. I can assure we did not leave a morsel.

[Rosie]

Oceana is outstanding. I just saw a pocketsize peppermill in a wine magazine. I love the concept because I don't like to put pepper on my food until I taste it and by that time the busboy has disappeared.

[Rosie]

We returned to Bella Rosa last night and as always had a very good dinner. Started with an escarole and bean soup; sautéed escarole with extra garlic; mussels with a tomato sauce; and a mixed green salad. We had shrimp and arugula over pasta; salmon with a side of pasta alio olio; chicken giambotti on the bone; and a veal Marsala. Desserts are homemade and I don't know where we found the room but we had a peach/mango/apple cobbler and a warm chocolate melting cake. The cappuccino ice cream that came with both desserts was delicious. Phone: 973-428-8611

And how about you? Where have you dined recently?

[Rosie]

Haven't been to Bella Rosa in a long time and our dinner last night was very good. Started with a shrimp/broccoli rabe/bean soup and fried calamari. Entrees were an excellent onion crusted grouper; veal in a sherry sauce; pork chops with sausage and peppers; and chicken Savoy on the bone. The chicken was overcooked but everything else was very tasty. We shared an apple cobbler for dessert.

[schmooty]

My dad owns a furniture store in Fairfield NJ (sofas plus). His main rep for a line called Klausner is Tony Bella Rosa. Tony's family owns the restaurant. I have eaten there twice, plus my dad had his 50th b-day there. I have nothing, but good things to say about the place. The service is great and so is the food. They make a spicy shrimp pizza that is to die for. I am glad E-gulleters enjoy this place as well. I would love to attend an e-gullet dinner there.

-AL

[Rosie]

I think there was an eGullet dinner there a few years ago. Shawn Safris is the owner.