THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED La Bella in Ghent

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED La Bella in Ghent Restaurant Review:

If you don’t live in Ghent, La Bella will make you want to move there just so you can claim this Italian charmer as your neighborhood trattoria. It’s not only an attractive dining room with a soundtrack of lush arias, but also a convivial, cozy spot for sipping vino and cocktails. The involtini di melanzane appetizer, lightly battered eggplant replete with ricotta, fresh house-made mozzarella and sautéed spinach, all blessed with grated pecorino romano and tomato sauce, is a meal in itself, so share it; this way, you’ll have room for the pasta, veal and chicken dishes, including the spaghetti carbonara or saltimbocca. Or perhaps a pie from the pizza oven (like pear and Gorgonzola) or a nightly special such as osso buco. Vegan and vegetarian options abound (even at dessert with a vegan cheesecake). Lunch offers sandwiches and scaled-down versions of select entrées. Fresh ingredients and careful preparations aren’t surprising, given that chef-owner Andrea DiCarlo learned from his mother, Anna Alaimo of the La Bella Italias in Virginia Beach, making fresh pasta with her since he was young.