Bella Luna Ristorante

User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Bella Luna in Ludlow reinforces what I have felt for a very long time, Vermont is not the place to eat Italian food.

Our dining experience started off very well, the establishment was very attractive and spotlessly clean. Particularly enjoyed watching the stars on the ceiling twinkle and the occasional shooting stat pass by. Over all a very relaxed and inviting atmosphere.

We ordered our diners and a couple of bowl of the squash with maple syrup soup. bread arrived at the table nicely warmed and was followed shortly by our soup and a house salad which was part of the entrees we had ordered. The soup was quite good and was thoroughly enjoyed, the house salad however arrived with an oil and vinegar dressing, which is fine if you enjoy oil and vinegar, I do not. It would have been a bit more accommodating had the restaurant offered their patrons a choice instead of taking it upon themselves to decide what we should be happy with.

Our entrees arrived, one Chicken Marsala and one Egg Plant Parmesan. The Chicken Marsala was acceptable with the pasta being properly done aldente.

The eggplant was a completely different matter, the egg plant was breaded and fried without the skins being removed, there is only one reason to leave these tough skins on an eggplant, laziness. This was only the tip of the iceberg, the sauce reeked of oregano, it was so overpowering than no other flavor could be detected. The absolute worst brand of bottled sauce would have been a vast improvement.

When we spoke with the "manager" about our complaints he answered us by stating that no one else had ever complained about the skins on the egg plant and that the "chef" personally sliced, breaded and fried the egg plant himself. Perhaps if the "chef", his word, not mine, would let a helper prepare the eggplant, as all other restaurants do, he might find enough time to learn how to make sauce, or at least how to open a decent jar of commercial sauce.

Part of the problem seems to be the management, the manager went so far as to admit he knew nothing about food preparation, several of his answers confirmed this. His main argument was that the chef was Italian, I can only assume that if you are Italian you are a automatically a master Italian chef and a world class opera singer. My wife is Italian, I consider myself an accomplished cook and we are from New York City where there is at least 1 Italian Restaurant on each block. The owners of Bella Luna should thank their lucky stars that they elected to open in Vermont & not NYC, they would have lasted at best 2 months.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is one fantastic place.If i can,t get to visit every week,I did not have a good week. In NYC this is a bargan at 50$ per. But a great meal can be orded for less than $14.When you step inside you find a beautiful place, That makes you say"WOW ,THIS COULD BE JUST ABOUT THE MOST FANTASTIC RESTURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN "
Not only that,the food could be the best you had in a long,long,time.The wait staff is very special.They make sure that your every need is met.If you miss the best place to dine in New England,then your visit to Vermont has something missing.

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User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The food was ok the bartenders are nice but the owner was rude and made my complete experience terrible. I would go back again if it changed ownership or she changed her persona towards the guests. Until then my business will go else where.

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