Bella Notte

NEWS FLASH!!!
The clock is ticking! GO NOW!!! The management team is moving over to take command of the new GF golf club space and Bella Notte will be no more, so do not wait– make a date.
(Apparently, it will be up for sale/​lease some time in the future. What fantastical opportunities…)

I am really surprised by the mediocre reviews for Bella Notte. Yes, it USED to be mediocre, but they must have hired a new chef. It is fantastic! My husband and I went there for our anniversary dinner. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived on Thursday night to find that there is a 4 course dinner special for $ 20 (the special is on Wed & Thurs). The selections are plentiful and the portions are big. The first course is the appetizer. I had the spundido (fried mozzarella, brown sauce, mushrooms, capers, and garlic). It was amazing! I have never heard of this dish before but it was super delicious. My husband had the calamari. Also very good. The second course is a garden salad. It was a regular salad, but I really enjoyed it. For the entrees, I got chicken francaise (very good) and my husband got fettucine carbona. It is his favorite dish so he usually orders it at Italian restaurants. It was the best he’s ever had! It was creamy and well balanced and just luscious. For dessert, we both had tiramisu. Like other reviewers, we weren’t over the moon about the tiramisu, but it was nice. Overall, it was a really excellent meal for a very reasonable price. On top of the great food, the service was excellent and the view can’t be beat. If the weather is nice, ask to sit outside. We look forward to going back often!

The setting is beautiful, with a large expanse of green grass and the green mountains beyond.
Staff was very nice, although not as well trained as I would expect at this nice restaurant. Our waiter stretched the dish across my husband and expected me to take it. I didn’t mind, but past experience at nice restaurants, the waiter has always squeezed in between and placed the dish in front of the patron and not expected us to grab the dish.
BLOODY MARY: Husband & friend had first round and said was very good. I had a sip of the second round and found it bland (no spices, no bite) and almost watery (not from the vodka). Olive and celery garnish.
CALAMARI: Although not a fan, the breading on this was light and tasty. Calamari was slightly chewy, but I think that is they way squid is!
ROASTED PORTABELLA MUSHROOM: Delicious in a reduced balsamic vinegar sauce.
FRIED MOZZARELLA in Brown Gravy: Option for brown or red gravy. Nicely breaded and fried without being too greasy and the cheese nicely melted and stretchy inside. The brown gravy was fabulous!
SALADS: Fine, average. Nice house Italian dressing.
LOBSTER RAVIOLI: 3 diners at our table and we were sharing our meals. We joked that if there were only 4 lobster raviolis, we wouldn’t expect to share. Sure enough only 4. I was told they were very good and again, the sauce was delicious.
SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS, over pasta: Very good with another great sauce.
EGGPLANT ROLLATINI: Large portion with past and sauce on the side. Good.
CHEESECAKE: Excellent & light.
TIRAMISU: Bland. I’ve definitely had better. Costco’s frozen tiramisu is really good actually.

The one star rating is for the view… which is terrific!
The meals (for four of us) were plain and nothing special to write about.
The experience gets no stars since one of the meals had a bug in it! When the waitstaff was alerted to this, they only gave ‘I’m sorry’ and two desserts for the table (which we did not want as we were done with our meal and no longer hungry). There was no visit from the manager, there was no offer of profuse apologies, no free meal (s), no offer to return on another night to enjoy a better dining experience.
I’ve been around the meal service industry enough to know that mistakes do happen, and to know the way to keep a customer returning is to treat them to a great experience. When a problem arises, the very best make every possible attempt at replacing the ill will with a positive lasting impression. There was no such attempt in our experience. Too bad

We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here and WOW, what a view!
After a scary, narrow, rickety, heavily-​wooded drive up a mostly unpaved road, the sleek glass-​covered shape of Bella Notte awaits you at the top of the hill. 360 degree views of the forests, trees, greenery and mountains abound, it is a gorgeous place for anything from a first date (guaranteed to impress!) to a romantic evening out.
We were offered four choices for the rehearsal dinner:
1. Chicken parmesan (breaded chicken cutlets with fresh marinara sauce)
2. Baked stuffed shrimp & sole with crabmeat stuffing, served with broccoli
3. Slow-​roasted prime rib with roasted potatoes & broccoli
4. Penna a’la vodka with asparagus, sun-​dried tomato in a vodka-​cream sauce
The boy had chicken parm which he said was delicious. I had the stuffed shrimp and sole which was spectacular and mouth-​watering in every way. Those who ordered the prime rib were shocked to see its size, it filled up the huge plate and was about 3x bigger than your face (at least my face and I have a pretty big face).
Unlimited penna a’la vodka was served to everyone and everything was perfect from start to finish from the service to the food. If I ever find myself in Bernardston again I’ll definitely be back… apparently the place turns into a little dance club at night with a dance floor and bar and everything, I didn’t stick around for that but those who did reported good times.