Restaurant
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PRESS RELEASE: Bellissimo receives 2008 Best of Fairfax Award
WASHINGTON D.C., August 1, 2008 -- Bellissimo has been selected for the 2008
Best of Fairfax Award in the Restaurants category by the U.S. Local Business
Association (USLBA).
The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local
businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies
that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local
community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the
positive image of small business through service to their customers and
community.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the
winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not
quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both
internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.
About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)
U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based
organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small,
across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public
relations, marketing and advertising.
The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their
community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade
groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business
advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and
medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.
SOURCE: U.S.
Local Business Association
Yelp.com user review — Peter M., Alexandria, VA
Seriously, I am ready to throw down my Elite Status for this one. I've eaten at the best, and we're talking the Top of the Mark in San Fransisco,
the Inn at Little Washington, the Russian Tea Room in NYC, and various foodie places across the nation and in Europe.
_THIS_IS_ONE_ OF_THE_BEST_IN_DC_!_
Yeah, yeah, yeah... you've eaten at Cafe Eve. *puff-puff* Or cafe Berlin... So have I. Whoopty-do. Have you eaten at Bellissimo? No? And you dare
to call yourself a foodie in DC? Wait... you're a YELP Elite and you have not eaten here? Turn in your badge. Seriously. Turn it in. You have two
choices, go here and eat or turn in your elite nameplate. No seriously... this is about making the grade... and this one is a "pop" quiz.!
The set up: We go to a matinee movie in Fairfax with Grandmother and our two year old. Time, about 5:30pm the day after New Year's. We look for a
place to nosh. We see Bellissimo, and decide to try it. Our expectations were not above the norm... and we've all dined well in the past.
The pitch: Immediate seating and the wait staff is looking to see what our interests are. A specialty list of no less than four dishes for the
night, and an immediate liking for our daughter. Water and bread with extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese is before us at our seats before we
even know we're inside. A cork is popped and we're off to the races. The waiters are experts and not at all pretentious. Even the staff who gets us
water is waving at our daughter and making us all feel welcome. We sip a bit, decide, and listen to the options. We're basically the only ones there,
but before long the restaurant starts to fill a bit.
The Throw: For a bit, we muse over starters, and they offer some angel hair pasta and pork meat sauce for our daughter. And before long, she is
treated to a large pasta bowl of some really well prepared pasta! Al-Dente and well flavored sauce! (Yes, I snitched some.) Then I started with the
Portabello Mushrooms with Fontana Cheese, baked and topped with truffle oil.Dang, those were grilled and then baked... meanwhile my wife had the
white bean and sausage cassarole, and my mother in law had the lobster bisque - all with a very nice bottle of Cab-Merlot red wine.
Seriously, we were floored by the flavor profiles.
For main course, I went with the special #3, a stuffed chicken breast with pine nuts, spinach, and mushroom demi-glace sauce. While not an exact
demi-glace, it was cooked perfectly with the (crimini?) mushrooms peaking with cream and butter. This was an excellent match for the properly sauteed
fresh green beans and glazed carrots given as sides. (And I want to go back and try their chicken marsala... something tells me that is the dish
that is well above the norm.)
My wife had the (AWESOME!) goat cheese ravioli, and my mother in law had the (Excellent!) veal with Porchini mushrooms.
Now, listen, I could go on and on about the layers of complexity of the food, or the table service... and I could probably be picky about the
smaller size of the restaurant or some of the decorations. (**Pffffft.**) Been to Europe? Been to NYC? Seriously, if you're a foodie, some of the
greatest places are a hole in the wall - and THIS IS FAR FROM A HOLE IN THE WALL. Comfortable, relaxed, nicely decorated and we were seated without
reservations immediately. With a two year old. Do I need to draw you a picture here? Fine... I will.
The Home Run: So we're finishing the last of our meal, and ordered a coffee and chocolate mousse (my wife's favorite) and we're asked by a woman
how our meal was... we look up and say we're impressed. She mentions she is the cook's wife and "new owner"'s wife." Okie, now in today's economy
downturn, we find out that this family of -five-, -start- a business by taking over a restaurant, and turn this into what has to be the gamble of the
Century for them. She explains that her husband is the chef and that they just purchased the business six months ago, and want to include family
service on the menu - and were glad to see us all there, with our daughter. We apologize foe the fingermarks on the nearby mirror, and we are told
it's not an issue at all- and our daughter waves to all of the staff, and they all smile and wave back.
You want to talk about "Family Italian Food"... Seriously. Mario Batali, you could be doing a lot worse than be cooking here with this group. They
-are- family, and it shows in every dish, in the place settings, by the respect that they show their customers, and the chef shows it by the love
that he puts into the food he serves.
In my humble opinion, this "GEM" of a restaurant is not one to be missed in the Northern Virginia Foodie circuit. And if they ask who sent you,
tell them the rocket scientist with the mustache said it was a must.
Bottom Line: One of the BEST restaurants I've ever had the pleasure of dining in, or taking my family to.
"I miei complimenti, Bellissimo ... ottima cucina, servizio eccellent!
More reviews at Yelp.com
Northern Virginia Magazine
December 2007 issue, page 72
Article: 25 Best Restaurants
Text by Warren Rojas, Portrait photography by Jonathan Timmes
Food photography by James Kim & Marisa Zanganeh
 Bellissimo $$$Food: 8 Ambiance:
7.9 Service:
7.2
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
It's a bit hard to tell which came first at Bellissimo: the
mountainous portions of homemade pasta (sizable plates all but guarantee
leftovers) or the fiercely loyal patrons. What is clear is that the
conflux of the two makes it that much harder for us regular folks to
indulge in Bellissimo's well-worn charms.
The tiny Fairfax locale houses maybe a dozen highly prized tables
— most nights, the place is overrun by families,
clusters of friends and boomer couples — framed on both sides by vibrant
coastal frescos. Decorative columns and other Roman mementos help
complete the Italian feel, but the food is the main attraction here.
Menu choices include a handful of pastas, along
with loads of veal, poultry and meat (lamb, filet) options. Seafood
creeps into various pasta dishes, appetizers and salads, while also
bolstering numerous stand-alone favorites.
|
HIGHS |
Generous portions, complex sauces |
|
LOWS |
Boring
cotecchino con fabioli |
|
SHARE |
Pesto
sea scallops |
|
SAVOR |
Sausage and goat cheese fettucine |
|
|
One fettucine standard goes grand with a pungent
marinara anchored by spicy Italian sausage bits and a hail of crumbled
goat cheese (tangy cheese folds into the herb-infused sauce
beautifully). Swordfish pescatore summons a terrific swordfish steak
(remarkably tender) sauteed with mussels and shrimp in a winey tomato
broth. Fried calamari is good, but the crunchy squid can't salvage its
clumpy polenta counterpart.
The exclusively Italian wine list touts
approximately five dozen bottles, including nearly two dozen Piemonte
and Tuscan reds, all under $120. |
Northern Virginia Magazine
August 2006 issue, page 46
Article: 25 Best Restaurants
Text by Warren Rojas, photography by Stacy Zarin
Food photography by James Kim & Marisa Zanganeh
 Bellissimo
Traditional Italian $$$
Food: 8.2 Ambiance:
7.9 Service:
7.2
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _What it lacks in square
footage, Bellissimo makes up in spirit, showering first-time guests and repeat
customers alike with a panoply of Northern Italian delights.
The tightly knit dining room accommodates just shy of two dozen tables, which
keeps this family-run enterprise-proprietor Samira Hradsky has brother Dani run
the place while she tends to her Parisian cooking schooling most weekends. Then
again, perhaps the chairs remain filled because staff bid regulars farewell with
enthusiastic handshakes and thunderous pats on the back.
Each visit begins with a basket of crusty bread and individual saucers of
nutty olive oil heaped with fresh grated parmesan. Daily specials abound,
including fresh seafood offerings and signature pastas along with standard
chicken, veal and beef selections. One tantalizing opener summons a crispy
shingle of Parmesan capped with chilled peppers and piles of shaved prosciutto.
A quartet of plump scallops are seared to a crisp and covered in a wonderfully
grainy pesto sauce. Twin cuts of garlicky tenderloin are stacked sky-high atop a
foundation of sautéed spinach and wine-soaked
mushrooms. Meanwhile, a five-course menu gastronomic (approximately $100 per
couple) gives the chef carte blanche over the entire meal. And no visit is
complete without a round of complimentary digestifs.
DREAM MENU APPETIZER: Pesto sea scallops
ENTREE: Marinated beef tenderloin
DESSERT: Raspberry sorbet
YOHAI'S WINE PICKS: Bellissimo declined to share their wine list for review |
No-Va Living (Northern Virginia Living ®)
August 2006 issue
4th Annual Top 50 Restaurants, Editor's Choice: Restaurant Reviews
True Standouts in the No-Va Dining Scene
Editor: Natalie Foor
 Bellissimo Ristorante, Old Town Fairfax
$$$
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Located on the corner of Main Street and University Drive in Fairfax City,
Bellissimo is small in size, but big on charm. Yet most likely due to its size,
the Italian restaurant requires reservations, so plan ahead before visiting.
Besides, trust me; even if you are Mr. or Ms. Spontaneous, you will consider the
formality of calling ahea, a small price to pay for as fantastic of a dining
experience as is enjoyed at Bellissimo.
After all, as soon as you walk into the restaurant, its staff greets you in true
Italian fashion: warmly and enthusiastically. And that staff makes you feel like
— much loved — family throughout your entire visit.
Furthermore, just about anyone who has ever dined at Bellissimo will tell you to
expect a large number of enticing specials, in addition to an already tempting
menu with a mind-boggling array of choices. And, well, they are not lying.
Still, that is not the end of the restaurant's appeal; even the simple fact that
Bellissimo is small adds to its charm. Moreover, softly painted Italian murals,
sophisticatedly appointed tables and boisterous opera music are also responsible
for making the restaurant's well-heeled diners smiley, enchanted. Nevertheless,
in an effort to relieve soon-to-be Bellissimo first-timers of ordering anxiety,
I will make a few suggestions.
Let's see. Appetizer-wise, there is at least a two-way tie
for the "most delicious" title, shared between the Portobello tartufato
—grilled Portobello mushrooms topped with a heavy dose of fontina cheese and
truffle oil — and the capesante al pesto — several sea scallops, grilled
to perfection, topped with the restaurant's homemade, absolutely magnificent
pesto. Bravo! Entrée-wise, however, you can't go wrong with the pesce di
spada — a large portion of grilled swordfish topped in a pleasantly spicy
tomato sauce, served with three large mussels and a couple of shrimp, as well as
fresh green beans and carrots. And when it is offered as a special, order the
ground veal-stuffed homemade spinach ravioli; it will leave you in awe.
Recently, the perfectly prepared pasta was served around a sizable veal
medallion, and both were topped in a wonderful white wine sauce with wild
mushrooms. The only problem was that, after enjoying the appetizers and the
ultra-soft homemade Italian bread a little too much, the ravioli seemed to cool
too fast, in comparison to slowed eating. Yet as beyond satisfied as my friend
and I were, we couldn't bear leaving without having dessert; therefore, we
ordered the tiramisu — rich and creamy! — and enjoyed some complimentary
Amaretto, which can win this gal over any day. |
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