Ciao Bella - Baltimore

Good but not great: Spectacular bolognese meat sauce but tortellini was overcooked and pricey at $18 for just one medium sized serving of pasta.

Poor Reservation Process: We went to this restaurant for the first time on Saturday, February 17, 2007. We had a 7:00 pm reservation. However, it appears that this restaurant does not truly honor reservations. Instead, its more of a priority list, because they don't actually reserve a table for you for a specific time period. Basically with their reservation system, you get the next free table (for your size group) ahead of any walk-in customers that arrive around your reservation time. Needless to say, we finally got seated at 7:40. However, despite this, the food was very good. However, I don't think we'll be going back due to the way they handle their reservations. Personally, I don't like paying $25-$30 a plate and having to wait 40 minutes when I have a reservation. If I'm going to pay that much, I would like to be seated within 10 minutes of my reservation. However, the food was good, so those that don't mind the wait, should not let that stop them.

The unforgettable dinner!: On the second night of a business trip to Baltimore with my company, it was arranged that all 30 of us would eat at "Ciao Bella." We walked in to friendly faces who would do anything to make us have a dynamite experience that night. We soon find out that we get our own room with a bar and piano player. Tony (the owner) greets us and begins to explain his scrumptious specials and recommendations from the menu. He had all of us practically drooling after the buffet served appetizer, and now we had to discuss what we wanted as the main affair. After what seemed to be 5 minutes, we had the signature salad delivered to us, by the wait staff who were constantly smiling and offering to make our visit to "Ciao Bella" simply unforgettable. By the end of the night we were filled with great food, great drinks, great conversation, great atmosphere and I was even able to get a shirt (free advertising for "Ciao Bella"). I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes authentic Italian cuisine brought to a new level, in an overall superb atmosphere. *Since I didn't drive, I can't comment on the parking arrangements, but I can say - they had valet!