Pasta alla ruota headlines a Tuscan-inspired menu in downtown Maryville.
We began our Tuscan journey at Bella in Maryville with one of what would be several specialty cocktails, this one the Venetian Old Fashioned, made with Old Forrester 80, turbinado sugar, bitters, Meletti Amaro, and garnished with a Luxardo cherry “This drink is smoked with cherrywood,” said bar manager Makayla Williams, “which seasons the flavor of the bourbon.”
After sampling a few of Bella’s Meatballs Pomodoro and focaccia, it was time for the star of the show, pasta alla ruota, fettuccine in a sauce made tableside in a wheel of Grana Padano. Chef Cory Giaquinta explained that Cistercian monks started making the cheese in the 12th century, and that it is similar to, but softer than, the more familiar Parmigiano Reggiano. With a deft flourish, Giaquinta poured vodka into a steel spoon, heated it to boiling, poured it into the cheese and lit it.
Amid the dancing flames, he stirred the softening cheese. “You keep it moving so the alcohol burns off,” he explained. This dish is so popular that Bella goes through a 90-pound wheel in a week, often with Sous Chef Tyler Michael performing the combination of a flambé and gueridon service.
Bella occupies a building in downtown Maryville built in 1925 as a J.C. Penney store, memorialized in a mosaic at the front door. For 20 years it was Sullivan’s Downtown, a cousin to Sullivan’s on Rocky Hill. Then it was Bella owned by Jim and Lori Klonaris. In December of 2023, Texas transplants Jimmy Loup and Jim Saunders decided to take over.
This is a very pretty restaurant. Deep blue banquettes provide privacy and even on this busy night, our table felt secluded and quiet. On the other side of the restaurant is a bustling and cheerful bar, with tables in the middle of the room beneath dark globe lighting in varying heights and sizes. The effect is both sophisticated and modern.
The evening’s next signature cocktail was the Lemon Chill, a confection of vodka, limoncello, and Sauvignon Blanc with a delicate whipped cream topping. It was a wonderful complement to the Bella’s House Salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, crispy prosciutto, pickled red onions, crouton crumbles, and house vinaigrette.
You may find it difficult to choose among the entrees, as we did. The Duroc pork chop is juicy and flavorful, served with an apple-bacon-ginger chutney atop polenta.
The Atlantic salmon is prepared in the Tuscan fashion, over a hot grill and a little pesto—letting the salmon’s natural flavors shine. Other seafood choices include Grouper Piccata, served with angel hair pasta or a decadent Creamy Tuscan Shrimp, prepared with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, and garlic served with penne pasta. It was one of the favorites in our group.
In the midst of our entrées, we made time for the Ciao Bella, a post-modern gin cocktail with a fascinating story. It uses Dolin Génépy, a quintessential alpine drink that dates back many hundreds of years. It is comprised of a multitude of alpine herbs, but the most prominent is Génépy, a petite variety of artemesia (“mountain sage”) found principally in the high mountains of the Savoy. The Sevez family has been making Génépy in an alembic still since 1821.
Some say the test of a great chef is either an omelet or roast chicken. If Bella’s Roasted Airline Chicken is any indication, Chef Giaquinta is molto talentuoso. The classic preparation with a lemon butter sauce, served with Italian farro and roasted carrots is savory and comforting. If you are looking for something more substantial, the Gorgonzola filet with fingerling potatoes and broccolini may be to your taste. Bella also offers brasserie-style center-cut sirloin or ribeye steaks with parmesan-truffle fries.
Although we felt quite indulgent, we sampled another cocktail— the Lucky Penny. Made with Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Blend No. 40 Whiskey, honey, elderflower and fresh blueberries, this drink has a story. Jim Saunders and his wife Angela were visiting Jimmy Loup in Maryville. “Jimmy had moved here to flee the Texas heat,” says Saunders. “He’s my best friend, my business partner in our restaurant company. He was saying we need to start another one. We need to get the band back together again.” Angela, originally from Sweetwater, often visited her grandmother, so she knew the area.
“As we are sitting with Jimmy, Chris Stapleton’s ‘Starting Over’ comes on and we hear, ‘Honey, for once in our life, let’s take our chances and roll the dice. And I can be your lucky penny. You can be my four-leaf clover.’ And we said, ‘Let’s do it.’ We agreed to buy Bella from the Klonarises and open a restaurant together.”
Chef Cory came to Bella after a year at the Dancing Bear Lodge and comes from a big Italian family in Massachusetts. His father’s side is from Sicily. “I use a lot of my grandma’s recipes,” he says, “I added more basil, garlic, and thyme to the meatballs and make them with a combination of sausage, pork and veal.”
By this time, our best friend and bar manager was back with yet another creation, this time her favorite—a spin on an espresso martini named Winter Is Coming. It mixes Tuaca Italian brown liqueur (instead of vodka) with Frangelico, espresso infused with pumpkin brown sugar and topped with a cinnamon cream foam. You may prefer the Maple Infused Old Fashioned with sazerac rye, bitters, and a maple-cinnamon syrup.
Leave Room for Molto Buono Desserts
Our pause for dessert cocktails was followed by a selection of classic dessert choices, from a chocolate pot de crème to tiramisu. Chef Cory’s tiramisu is unique. “It’s a whole new recipe,” he says, “changed to be less sweet and more traditional.” Its lady fingers are soaked in traditional Italian Moretti beer and prepared with Kahlúa, coffee, mascarpone, and whipped cream.
Bella’s Apple Crostata features thinly sliced Granny Smith apples inside crisp puff pastry, cider glaze crumble top, and vanilla Tahiti gelato. And we felt that we couldn’t go wrong with a few Zeppole for the table.
The Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake is an updated twist on the classic cheesecake, as it is not baked. This preparation makes for a much lighter version than its New York cousin. It is made in two layers on a graham cracker and almond crust and topped with whipped cream and macerated blueberries.
In short Bella hits the sweet spot for a restaurant—fine cuisine for the connoisseur and a local favorite that will become a “Where should we eat tonight?” destination for many.