Authored By seanphippster

What is Date Night Dining?

This column is about the experience of food in Chattanooga. I will take people out for dinner and lunch dates at various restaurants in the Chattanooga region. It is not meant to be a review per se, but an account of a one-time experience at a restaurant. Your mileage may vary depending upon your expectations.

This week, I met up with a couple of friends (who have asked to remain anonymous in this article) for dinner at the most-talked-about new restaurant in Chattanooga. Bella Vita is a combination upscale restaurant and lounge. It’s located in the former location of Niko’s Southside Grill. There has been plenty of controversy surrounding the opening of the restaurant. The original chef is no longer with the establishment, and another chef has since vacated.

Typically, I would wait several months to dine and write about a new restaurant. I believe it takes weeks to work out the kinks and headaches. But I’m making an exception for Bella Vita based on my own curiosity and the newsworthiness of an immediate account.

The restaurant/atmosphere

The owners of Bella Vita have made it clear that my 31-year-old self is not the demographic they are seeking for either the downstairs restaurant or the upstairs lounge. Both the restaurant area and, specifically, the posh pink and white lounge were created for those in their 40s, 50s and above. Three of us arrived at a little after 5 p.m. and were seated in a virtually empty restaurant. The lighting is soft, and the primary colors are a deep brown and subtle gold that accent the brick walls. Our table was covered with a yellow tablecloth and brown napkins. An obvious effort was made to offer a nice appearance.

However, for a restaurant with upscale prices, I was surprised to notice a soda fountain station within eyesight and an unused buffet cart just sitting out in the open. I also had a direct view to the downstairs bar, which seemed to contain three times the people of the restaurant. The service staff was plentiful, but not necessarily busy. We’ll chalk that up to our early arrival. Our server, Lauren, was prompt and friendly, and each dish was delivered quickly. The menu was much smaller than I expected, considering the different concepts I’ve heard for the restaurant: Mediterranean, Southern, Italian, etc. It appeared to be a mix of the three. Pasta, steak, lamb chops, gnocchi and trout were all offered. Starters included crabcakes, meatballs, fried artichokes and a mushroom medley flatbread.

One of the most noticeable aspects of our dinner was the number of people (construction workers) who kept walking through the restaurant. I assume they were placing the final touches on the lounge upstairs (it was “ladies night”), but I really don’t know.

The upstairs lounge is straight out of Miami and has to be seen to be believed. It was impressive and strikingly different from the downstairs.

The appetizer/salad

My dining partners each ordered a beer, and I had an unsweet tea. We also ordered a mushroom medley flatbread to split. This dish had a smoky flavor and contained goat cheese, truffled arugula and three different mushrooms. It was a pleasant starter, though I found the flavors a tad odd and overwhelmingly smoky. I’m not sure about the $12 price tag for what was essentially a dressed-up naan bread.

One of my dining partners ordered a Caesar salad. She was disappointed in the lack of dressing, and the salad seemed more like a doctored version of a house salad than a traditional Caesar. It was certainly not an “upscale” salad. But, again, a little bit of leniency is required for a new establishment.

The entrées

My mother was never the type of person to tell me something like “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” But I wish she had been. I will do my best to get through this section with that mantra in mind. The three ordered entrées were eggplant lasagna, a 14-ounce Kansas City rib-eye and pesto shrimp skewers. The overwhelming sentiment regarding all three dishes was the lack of flavor. The presentation was somewhat impressive, but all three dishes lacked seasoning and the wow factor you would expect at these prices. My $28 rib-eye was cooked properly but had very little flavor. The steak was served with a large pat of butter and roasted root vegetables, all of which were chewy and overcooked. I won’t comment on the tasteless potatoes. My dining partners were equally unimpressed. The pesto shrimp skewers were bland in flavor, as was the eggplant lasagna. I suppose the question is, then, does bland equal unpleasant? I think we just expected more for the prices we were paying: $28 for the rib-eye and $17 for the eggplant lasagna, for example. Again, your mileage may vary.

The dessert

There are several desserts offered: key lime pie, tiramisu and the immediate choice on our part-the Grand Marnier chocolate mousse. This was the highlight of our meal. The mousse was as described: chocolate pudding with the sweet orange flavor of the liqueur. I was impressed with this mousse and would gladly eat it again.

Would we go back?

The reality of Bella Vita is that it’s not for me. It wasn’t designed to be, and I understand and accept that. However, I almost feel like I was dining inside a hidden camera reality show where nothing is as it seems. As of this article, the food we had was outrageously overpriced for the quality received. I kept wondering what I was paying for. Because it certainly wasn’t the food. Maybe the décor? The lounge? If I’m being honest (and that’s my job), I can’t recommend you spend your money here. It’s my hope that all these issues are growing pains and kinks that will be remedied with time. Proceed with cautious optimism.

The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.