02 October, 2013

Rumors...

It isn't very often I end up checking out a restaurant based on all of the BAD things I have heard about it...but, there comes a time when there is just nothin' in town left to try that you haven't done already.  In Duluth, MN there isn't much of a variety for authentic Italian food.  In fact, if you ask a random person in town where to get some good Italian, 9 times out of 10 you are gonna hear "Olive Garden.  They are up over the hill.".  Olive Garden...  *sigh*  I don't "do" chains.  I don't do them for a reason...one that I won't harp on in this post because I have explained it many, many times already.

One place that you do NOT hear named often is a little place down in the Canal Park area called Bellisio's.  Somehow, it has gotten a pretty bad rap in town for being over priced for what people get on the plate.  Even my own family members warned me away from the place.  Being a person that doesn't exactly like to "prejudge" when it comes to food, I decided to check it out anyhow.  We were only in town for a short amount of time and hadn't had a chance to hang out with our oldest nephew yet.  When I gave HIM the list of 3 places to choose from and he picked Bellisio's, I just about clapped with glee...my curiosity has been KILLIN' me over this place.  Finally, I was going to be able to check it off my "to eat" list.


It was FINALLY a day in Duluth that wasn't KILL you hot with humidity, so being down in Canal Park by big ol', beautiful Lake Superior was just FABulous that day.  While we stood outside waiting for our nephew to arrive we checked out the menu that was posted near the door.  I looked at each description and title carefully...and was confused.  None of the lunch menu *I* was staring at seemed overpriced, not at all.  The dinner menu was there as well so I checked that out as well.  Nothin' over priced from what I could tell.  But, I suppose my perception could be somewhat skewed in TWO ways.  

One, I don't consider Olive Garden to be "good" Italian food.  So, being that most people in Duluth DO consider it to good Italian, Olive Garden is exactly what they are using for a price comparison with Bellisio's.  That is really unfortunate.  Olive Garden doesn't even make their breadstick dough in house.  That isn't good Italian...that is "cookie cutter" Italian.  Secondly, we're currently stationed in Ontario.  Eating out in the city we live in costs a small FORTUNE, even for a couple without their children, during the lunch hour let alone the dinner hour.  The closer you get to the downtown core, the higher your bill is, even if the food totally sucks.  So, to me, what Bellisio's has to offer for the prices they are asking is spot on for quality and value.  Moving on...

I got down to the business of asking what they might recommend for a great lunch, funny enough one of the items recommended was exactly what I wanted to try, the Fennel Pork & Arugala Panini.  I love bread...I especially love it when it is toasted.  Put meat in the middle...I am yours!  Because we were overly hungry, we also tossed in an appetizer, the Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato platter.  After everyone else figured themselves out, I went on my usual look see photo frenzy of the place.  It is quite clean and slightly elegant...





The lighting in this place is just so inviting.  Compared to the Noon day sun beating down on you outside, this was just the right amount of warm and bright for my poor sun burnt eyes.  Our waitress brought us a little basket of focaccia pretty quickly.


Their bread was pretty good.  In retrospect I know that my Momma makes it better, but it didn't cross my mind when I was eating it so it MUST have been flavorful.  Our waitress gave us some special olive oil and fresh cracked black pepper to dip it in.  Spectacular...  The bread was soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.  Every little pore of the bread soaked up the oil like a thirsty horse in the desert.  Loved it...  Just wish she had brought more than one basket.  Three hungry adults and one Sprout that was ONLY eating bread...we sorta needed more.  I forgot to ask when she brought out the fried green tomatoes, and here is why....


See that???  The HUGE chunks of reddish brown all over the top of the crisp, fried tomatoes??  Yeah, that...  Bacon.  It's BACON, huge chunks of bacon!!  I'm in love...  *swoon*  I'm not an idiot, I was expecting bacon.  After all, they were named Bacon, Lettuce Fried Green Tomatoes for a reason.  But typically when you get something like this and it says "bacon"....it is tweency little snippets of what COULD be bacon and tastes like bacon, but couldn't positively be identified in a court of law AS "bacon".  But, these were DEFINITELY huge, beautious chunks of BACON.  Bless you Bellisio's...bless you...

The fried green tomatoes themselves were good.  I have been to THE Whistle Stop Cafe in Georgia JUST to have their fried green tomatoes...my Mister rolled his eyes when I told him I wanted to...  Those were the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had in my life, Bellisio's would most likely come in third place comparatively speaking.  Not bad, not bad...I've had quite a few duds when it came to FGTs.  Bellisio's tomatoes were crisp on the outside and the tomato was firm at the bite but melted in your mouth as you chewed.  Loverly...  The bleu cheese was a lovely, tart compliment to the fat content goin on on this plate and the only thing I wished to be different about the dish as a whole was MORE dipping sauce.  There is NO such thing as too much.  Ever.  As soon as my last bite of FGT went down the hatch my panini was set in front of me.


Oh.my.FLIPPIN.EMM.GEE!!  It SMELLED amazing!  I could smell the fennel pork RIGHT off the bat.  I was salivating beyond what is lady like when you're in public...seriously...  I SHOULD tell you that this menu item actually comes with french fries, but with the summer heat I asked for a Caesar salad instead.  They were happy to oblige and didn't hesitate to give me a substitute or say "I'll have to ask the chef." (heard that WAY too many times...so annoying), they just DID it.  I won't lie, the salad was a challenge to eat.  I had to use a knife with my fork but hell...it was worth it.  Their Caesar dressing was spot on.  I could clearly make out every ingredient, even the anchovy paste.  I liked that, most of the time you can't quite tell what it is in Caesar that makes it taste the way it does, but theirs showcased every ingredient quite nicely.

My panini was a thing of beauty.  Crispy on the outside and the fennel pork was tender and succulent.  It was a foodgasm in my mouth.  I didn't say much and I never looked up from my plate once I started eating my panini.  I am not sure if anyone noticed...  I was in my own little world with my sandwich.

So...my final verdict on this place is that people who don't like it have spent WAY too much time in Olive Garden or some other such Italian CHAIN that has nothing but crappy, overly processed PREPREPARED and frozen foods to offer their customers.  I suggest you get out more...as in OUT of town.  Head on down to the Twin Cities sometime or in the Little Italy section of Manhattan and try REAL Italian food with menus made BY real Italian people.  Then, go down to Bellisio's and try them again.  Cheap doesn't mean "good"...it just means cheap and I promise you, you get what you pay for.  I'd gladly pay to eat at Bellisio's again.  For three adults and one child having lunch we paid less than 50 including tip.  Need I say more?  Didn't think so.



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