THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED CiaoBella

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED CiaoBella Restaurant Review:

The area around Second Avenue and E. 85th was once a culinary wasteland, filled with bad restaurants, fast food chains and generic Irish pubs. Well, the Irish pubs are still around, but hungry New Yorkers can now actually eat well here, too. Enter CiaoBella. The cliché name doesn’t inspire much confidence, but the menu does. The offerings are structured in typical Italian style with menu sections for antipasti, pasta dishes, and meat dishes. Creamy fresh-asparagus-loaded risotto hits the spot. So does pappardelle with sausage and robust porcinis. For heartier fare, the seared tuna is a standout as is the breaded chicken Milanese (the chef is from Milan and clearly knows his city’s cuisine well). The wine list, predictably enough, leans heavily toward Italy and has some nice, affordable options. Desserts include the torta di ricotta and a soufflé al cioccolato.