Bella BRAVA - St. Petersburgh

BRAVA Bella Brava! This restaurant got a big thumbs up from all eight of us (yes, even hubby). Bella Brava is located on the very busy corner of Beach Drive and 2nd Avenue NE across from the yacht basin, a very colorful and bustling area of town.

The service here was very good with a charming and attentive waitress that saw to all our needs smoothly. The ambiance was lively and a bit noisy but not terribly so. The floor to ceiling windows afforded sweeping views of the street and we were entertained by the passersby. We love to people watch, especially young people. Back in the bubble of Kings Point where we live we are lost in a sea of gray hair and casual clothes primarily purchased at Beall's. How refreshing to see beautiful young people dressed to impress on a Saturday night. I must say we clean up pretty nicely ourselves and enjoy stepping out and feeling like we're still 'happening'!

We ordered a bottle of Malbec but frankly thought it paled in comparison to the bottle we enjoyed at Roast last month. I did appreciate that the waitress took the initiative to split the cost of the bottle between the three of us who were sharing it and this avoided any awkwardness at the end.

Several of us started off with the Misticanza Salad, a delightful blend of romaine, radicchio, spinach, cracked olives, tomatoes, and a honey basil vinaigrette - it was delicious.

Ken gets points for finding a restaurant that not only provided a gluten free menu for Hollie, but a burger option for Mike who threw us all a curve by ordering Spaghetti & Meatballs which he praised heartily.

Hubby caught a glimpse of pizza passing by and decided he had to have one. Keep in mind that he and I grew up in NYC and we know a little sumpin' sumpin' about pizza - this one got high marks and he enjoyed it very much. One surprising menu item was the Crostata - rigatoncini, pomodoro sauce, housemade sausage, house roasted peppers, ricotta, sage, fresh mozzarella, topped with an asiago cheese bread crust. Ken enjoyed it but we all had to laugh when it was placed in front of him as it looked like a giant pie, one you'd expect a few blackbirds to fly out of.

Three of us gals went for the Chicken Giardino - a wood-grilled chicken paillard, with tomato, basil, red onion, arugula, and very creamy mascarpone mashed potatoes. This was a delightful dish, a good sized serving, and one that you could feel virtuous about as it featured healthy ingredients.

Of course all that virtue was undone when we ended the evening at Ken & Cheryl's to celebrate Ang's birthday with an amazing coconut cake (from Publix), coffee and some laughs. But hey, I only had a little piece! I'll wrap up this post with an example of why I love this part of town - check out the sassy lizard relaxing on a bench along Beach Street. These whimsical bronze statues dot the area and make me smile.

204 BEACH DR. NE, ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33701 / 727.895.5515 / bellabrava.com