Bella Nonna Brings Homestyle Italian Back to Greenwich with New Chef from Arthur Ave. – Greenwich, CT

The people of Greenwich…Greenwichers?…had some serious Italian food withdrawals when Bella Nonna was forced out of its spot in Cos Cob to make way for a Chase bank.  See, people loved their focus on classic Italian dishes, their affordable prices, their service, and their warm vibe.   Without a doubt, the giant chef statue that drew everybody in was a landmark that we still remember.  Well, the good news is, as you probably figured out from our title, they have reopened, and the way we found out was kind of serendipitous. We were driving through Greenwich and saw Bella Nonna on Railroad Ave. and wondered if it was the same restaurant and owners of their other spot.  And like magic, the very next day we got an e-mail from Joeilynnae, a daughter of the owners asking us if we wanted to check out a hot new restaurant.  She told us that their chef, Enzo Roppo, honed his skills in Italy and Arthur Ave, so we didn’t even need to think twice about checking it out asap.

Joeilynnae told us how they were still a very affordable choice with a nice atmosphere, so we should definitely come dine in, but we were feeling lazy one fine Friday (really, we’re kinda lazy every Friday, but let us pretend) and decided to get some delivery.  Now, we haven’t had much luck with delivery since we moved to Greenwich and were really hoping for a replacement to our fave go-to, Nick’s Pizza. We were crossing our fingers that Bella Nonna was it.

Antipasto for two (or one hungry paesano)

To start, we were very happy to see that the food got to us hot and very quickly.  We had ordered an antipasto for two, an appetizer of clams, penne vodka to share, and a tiramisu to end things off.  As we opened our bag, we were happy to see (and smell) some nice garlic knots that they threw together for us.  They weren’t too buttery and oily, had a nice bite from the garlic, were crispy on the outside, yet were nice and bready on the inside.  Nice start to the meal.  The antipasto was next with big chunks of parm and even fresh water mozzerella.  There was also a nice variety of meats, though we would have liked more greens.

The clams oreganata came next and were quickly devoured.  The stuffing was nicely browned and the sauce on the bottom was lemony with a good touch of extra virgin olive oil.  While the clams were a bit salty, we really didn’t mind because they were so tasty.  Finally, we were ready to conquer the penne vodka.  The sauce was thicker than most vodka sauces, but that’s not a bad thing…just an observation.  The sauce was creamy and had a nice salty smokiness that came from the bits of pancetta that was throughout the pasta.  The pasta itself was cooked nicely, perfectly al dente.

The penne vodka..yum

We finished with our tiramisu later that night because we were stuffed.  Now, there are dried out tiramisu slices and tiramisu slices that are lame, but this sure isn’t one of those.  The liquor had clearly soaked through and made the ladyfingers moist and gave a slight little kick.  It’s a really excellent slice if you’re ever looking for a nice dessert.

Medium crust pie with onions, sausage, and hot cherry peppers

As an added bonus, we’re including our second delivery experience because you need to also judge an Italian spot by their wings and pizza, right? Yeah, that’s how we justified ordering from them again. :P  The hot wings were pretty saucy, not too breaded, and were actually spicy.  Imagine that?  You order hot wings and they are actually hot! Take heed all you lame pizza shops who say they have spicy wings.  Do it right, or just call your wings mild.  The meat was nice and moist and most of the wings were crispy, though some of the drumsticks were a tad bit soggy…maybe from the delivery.  Then, we had our standard pizza that we judge all pizzas by:  onion, sausage, and hot cherry peppers.  They’re serving up a medium thick crust here with a nice gentle char from the stone deck oven.  You could tell that they used fresh, quality ingredients, so that made us happy.  What also made us happy is that they had a great sauce to cheese ratio.  Speaking of the sauce, it was very well-balanced with little hints of oregano peeking through.  Dan felt at home eating this because it took him back to eating Long Island pizza.

Verdict

Yes, there are plenty of Italian restaurants in Fairfield County, but there aren’t as many that are great in all areas, are affordable, super reliable delivery, and have a nice dining atmosphere (we checked one day, it’s really nice in there).  Aside from a few hiccups, we are pretty much sold on Bella Nonna being our new go-to delivery spot.  This is a serious contender for our next OmNomys…Best Delivery perhaps?

Have any of you been to the old or new Bella Nonna?

You know ours, but what’s your favorite toppings to put on a pizza?

Bella Nonna

Noms: 3.75

Cost: $$$

Address:  280 Railroad Ave.

Greenwich, CT

Phone:    (203) 992-1888