The Bella Cucina Experience
This is a long overdue article. Bella's was one of the first businesses I featured in an earlier piece about Franklin. The owner has been gracious in allowing me to write satire surrounding her business and even let me feature pictures of Ewoks living in her tree.
Now that my schedule has slowed down a bit, it's time to give my honest review.
I appreciate this location and I am grateful I am able to take advantage of the opportunity to stop in and get the full dining experience. Note, I still don't know what a cucina is....
Sea scaloppd cakes
I never knew sea creatures came with their own flavoring. When you taste this, the initial impression is that the chef implemented some secret ingredient. The menu states that it is just two scallops roasted and served with Cajun. However, if it is the case that the chef added nothing else, then I can only assume the scallops are smuggling in their own sauce to bathe themselves in when the chef is not looking...... I just talked to the waitress prior to writing this sentence..... What I'm tasting is mayo...... Still delicious!
Turkey chilli soup
Unfortunately, this soup is a one-time thing. According to the waitress, the soup of the day is always changing. So unless they bring this back, me and the people eating right now are the only ones who will ever experience this. You need to get a time machine and try this!
There is a bit of tang to it. But as a person who does not like spice, I can say it is tolerable for people of my kind. What really makes this dish special is the umami (a word I had to Google) sensation likely coming from the turkey inside. If Thanksgiving were a soup, this would be your soup, 1620 pilgrims.
Pink Splash Martini
As one who is getting used to drinking alcohol, the process of learning to appreciate martinis is becoming easier. I include these in my articles not to speak as an expert on drinks, but just to give you an idea of what you can find at these establishments.
The Pink Splash Martini is not overpowering with the alcohol sensation. After forewarning the waitress that I am building a tolerance, she recommended this drink and I can say that I liked what I got. It has a sweet, vibrant flavor thanks to the mixture of pink lemonade.
I learned from the waitress that this was featured to go along with the Pink Splash event taking place in Fountain Park. On the night that I visited Bella's, the Kirtland Cancer Foundation was to hold an event where they would dye the water in the fountain pink for breast cancer awareness. This drink was featured for the event to highlight the cause. Unfortunately, the event was moved to a separate location, but I still got to enjoy the drink. Plus, I became aware of breast cancer. So it's still a win!
Huli Huli Pork Chop
My final dish consisted of a glorious-looking beefcake served with a side of mashed potatoes and that stuff my mom tried to force me to eat when I was five. Sorry Bella.... I don't like fried vegetables.....
The pork chops I ordered medium rare and they made it to perfection. Although they are a bit crisp and charred on the outside, I wasn't bothered because.... well.... it's meat!
The dish features a teriyaki-style sauce along with pineapple marmalade. Apparently, there are also pickled jalapeños on this too. Pickled must mean kill the spice because I did not notice any burning sensation on my tongue. Well done Bella!
What did make me feel bad was the fact that I accidentally stained the tablecloth while eating. This restaurant is my idea of fine dining, and I feel like I broke some kind of code by letting the beef grease hit the table. It's bad enough I showed up in a Blobbert Blobfish T-shirt instead of a tux. Now I'm forcing Bella's to become a dry-cleaning service.
Fortunately, Blobbert is a sophisticated gentlefish. So I did not feel bad that his image wore the suit for me. I just felt bad that he also slobbered all over the table clothe..... Oh! And the potatoes were good too!
Strawberry Italian Cream Cake
Oh boy! The 11 year old side of me is saying "Mommy! I don'ts care if it is loaded with sugar! I wants it!" Fortunately, I'm 31 and don't need my mom's approval to buy my own cake. Plus, she can't say anything..... She's 6 feet under.....
The cake is amazing! Just look at it! Pink, red, white, and a tablecloth I'm not even afraid to stain. This cake is worth risking another five pounds for a moment of sugary goodness.
The cake features a creamy center infused with strawberry. Hence the name. On the side, you have a dose of whipped cream and another strawberry.... Hence the name..... What makes this cake unique is a puréed strawberry sauce topped off with powdered sugar. This cake truly belongs in fine dining. Selling it at Walmart would be an insult to the cake.
Conclusion
We had the opportunity to conduct a short phone interview with the owner of this business. Because we do not refer to people by their real names to protect their identities, we will cite the owner with an alias. According to Google, the owner’s name is defined as “an American Viticultural Area (AVA) for wine, or a Scottish dialect word for ‘of all’ or ‘at all...’” We will just refer to her as Ava.
Ava opened this business 21 years ago. It started out as a 15-table restaurant and gradually grew into a larger seating capacity surrounding a tree we like to imagine Ewoks living inside. Her son previously went to school in another state but currently works alongside her. She states that “for him to be back home and part of it is the best thing that can ever happen.” Ava is hoping to grow this business as much as possible while also having her son become a part of the future of this restaurant by utilizing his vision and “being with the times.”
Throughout the years, Bella Cucina has been recognized by several entities. They were awarded Business of the Year in 2018 and have also received several awards from governing leaders in the county. The restaurant has been featured in several magazines in Pittsburgh and the surrounding regions. It will also be appearing in America’s Best Restaurants with several of their dishes listed. Along with this feature will be an appearance on public television.
Ava has a great reputation with her staff, who, for the most part, have been with her for ten-plus years. Her current chef has been working in the field for over 20 years. Each staff member was highly professional when serving our lead journalist. Despite several attempts to break their professional demeanor through Blobbert Blobfish humor, each of them maintained the highest level of etiquette—proving that they can stand their ground against the evils of sarcastic trolls. They even managed to keep their clothes clean while wiping up Blobbert’s slobber on the tablecloth.
Bella Cucina holds a Cheers Night every Tuesday between the months of January and April. Proceeds from the themed nights go to help a different nonprofit each week. A big part of Bella Cucina’s role in the community has been their donations, which help support local causes. We know the owner of this restaurant truly cares because she has even given a fictional home to the Ewoks of Venango County in our articles. We’re just hoping she takes a hint for National Star Wars Day and does it for real. May the 4th be with you. Hint... Hint...
Thank you to the owner of this restaurant for allowing us to come in and write our review. For more information on how you can contribute to Bella’s food distribution service, visit Bellapa.com. All proceeds go to support Bella Cucina—because they are awesome!
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