I haven’t been to Mia Bella on Mayfield Road in a while. Had dinner there with a friend last week and am happy to report that it’s just as nice as when I reviewed it in 2010. Responding to the weather rather than the calendar, staff had set-up tables on the sidewalk and we enjoyed a lovely leisurely al fresco meal. Of course, the restaurant can’t take credit for the unseasonably warm night or the energy of all the people out and about in the neighborhood but the good food definitely added to the ambiance that kept us in our seats for three hours.
We shared- and enjoyed- a fresh buffalo mozzarella appetizer with prosciutto and roasted red peppers, and no doubt it will be even better when local tomatoes are available. I had a generously sized arugula salad dotted with orange and zucchini slices in a balsamic vinaigrette along with lamb kafteds, technically a starter but plenty in combination with everything else. Most of the menu leans Italian but this delicious dish of meatballs in yogurt cucumber and mint sauce reflects the chef’s Albanian roots and broader Mediterranean palate. My companion went with the last portion of the night’s special, lobster ravioli, and she looked very happy with her choice.
Nobody hurried us- of course it was a Wednesday and there were plenty of empty tables. If that were not the case, I’d have ordered more drinks or moved on to another venue-always try to be sensitive about that. For a catch-up evening of conversation, the setting and the meal was perfect.
You could wait until the next summery day to visit- but that might not come again until June. Or you could go sooner, sit inside, get a pizza or a plate of pasta
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