Dining Out Boston

After weeks of grumbling about rain I've moved on to cursing the heat. Last night, however, I could hardly complain as it was one of those perfect breezy Boston evenings that vanquish all memories of soggy clothes and frozen toes.

My friend Mikey, visiting from Connecticut, suggested that we eat outdoors. To provide ourselves with the broadest selection of outside dining without having trudge all over and back again, we headed to Newbury Street. Also, we wanted to pretend we were celebrities. On a warm Wednesday night it was crowded, but not overwhelmingly so, and I only almost stumbled over three obscenely small dogs instead of the the usual nine or ten. Mikey and I put our name down at Stephanie's, which listed a 30min. wait, and then continued strolling until we hit Ciao Bella. The sweet hostess quickly cleared off a sidewalk table and voila, we were dining under the stars in a prime people-watching location.

Our friendly and just a bit shy waitress gave us ample attention, quickly presenting soft sesame seed-crusted bread and (gulp) individually wrapped butters. (Even the Olive Garden proffers cheap olive oil.) Aside from the subpar choice of spread, the food was rich and delicious. With our bottle of chianti ($34) Mikey and I both started with a Caesar Salad. A deep bowl of fluffy romaine lettuce amply doused in peppery Caesar dressing and sprinkled with shaved parmesan was crisp and refreshing. I appreciated that the waitress gave Mikey the option of holding the anchovies, though I happy to see five salty stripped fish adorn my salad.

Then, a small snafu. When we were about three-quarters finished with the salads the food runner appeared with the entrees and stood there awkwardly while the waitress rushed over to make room at our table. Clearly, Ciao Bella has not yet perfected its timing or does not realize that stacking dishes of food in front of patrons makes the meal into a race.

My Carbonara pasta ($16) with spinach fettuccine and peas was nice variation on the standard version. The egg and cream had separated a bit but was still delicious and the thick chunks of pancetta gave flavor to the soft, bitter peas. Mikey pronounced his Risotto & Scallops ($10) to be "excellent", and I wish I had snuck a taste of the plump, lightly seared scallops nestled amongst the sticky grains of arborio.

I'd return to Ciao Bella even if it is slightly over-priced and a bit sloppy with its service. The menu selection is banal but primi and secondi are prepared well and occasionally given inventive tweaks. It's a fine alternative to the North End if you've tired yourself out from window-shopping on Newbury Street.

The Info
Ciao Bella
240 Newbury St., Boston
www.ciaobella.com