Bella Vino certainly looks like an elegant Italian restaurant.
From the faux-aged walls to the classic white tablecloths to the heavy, dark wood furniture to the decorative wine casks, the gorgeous decor exudes Old World sophistication.
The menu is an extensive catalog of pastas and entrees, their Italian names — such as “bistecca di filetto con funghi e i verduri” — displayed in fancy script. The wine list runs four pages.
Quickly, though, you begin to notice little things. Or, rather, the lack thereof.
The servers who seem unfamiliar with almost every dish on the year-old Chandler restaurant’s menu.
The candles on every table that are never lit. The parmesan or freshly ground black pepper that are never offered.
The numerous things you try to order — a glass of wine, a beer, a dessert — only to be told they’re “not available this evening.”
Even the size of the restaurant can cast a pall. Despite 12 or 15 other diners, the cavernous interior can seem almost empty.
Like the ambience, owner-chef Anthony Serrano’s menu reflects lofty intentions but also has its ups and downs.
There are highlights, such as Devil’s chicken ($18, pictured above on left), a perfectly seasoned grilled breast, tender and juicy, perched atop a huge mound of linguine with a spicy red sauce.
Serrano’s white wine and garlic cream sauce does a nice job of dressing up several pastas, such as what otherwise would be a standard plate of mushroom-and-cheese ravioli ($15, above center).
He also makes tasty 11-inch pizzas with thin but soft crusts, including an oily-good pepperoni version ($11) or a white pizza with sausage and sun-dried tomatoes ($13).
The majority of dishes, though, tend to fall along the same lines: satisfying enough but certainly not memorable.
It’s an apt description of the pesto chicken with penne ($16), featuring a lackluster pesto, or even one the more interesting entrees, a slightly dry pork tenderloin stuffed with sausage and wrapped with pancetta ($19).
And then there are a few truly disastrous dishes, starting with an appetizer of thin breadsticks wrapped with long strips of prosciutto ($9). The meat is tougher than shoe leather, absolutely unchewable.
Desserts also are a disappointment. Crème brulee ($6), little more than a quarter-inch thick, is scorched black. Tiramisu ($6) is dry.
It’s hard to fault Bella Vino, or any new restaurant, for being ambitious. After a year, though, a stylish look and the best of intentions are no substitute for trained servers and consistent food.
Bella Vino
Where: 985 W. Chandler Heights Rd., Chandler (southeast corner of Chandler Heights and Alma School roads)
Open: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Appetizers $7-$12, pastas $13-$24, entrees $20-$29, pizzas $11-$14, desserts $6.
Info: (480) 802-5770 or bellavinoaz.com.
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