Bellini’s Ristorante e Media
by Andrew | October 10, 2007 | 1 Comment
(votes: 6, average: 3.5) 
Loading ...Bellini’s is located at 6305 Waterford Blvd - Suite 100, Oklahoma City (map). They are open seven days a week. Contact them at 405.848.1065 or visit their website. Reservations are available by phone.
I’ve been searching for a great Italian restaurant in Oklahoma City, and I’m still searching. I’m not saying Bellini’s is bad, it’s actually quite good, but its not great.
Maybe it was the 20 kids having a “Sweet Sixteen” celebration in what should be a quiet and reserved upper-scale Italian atmosphere, or maybe it was the fact that they brought me chicken rather than veal, or perhaps the very lofty expectations for said veal, but I’m still searching for that “great” Italian experience in Oklahoma.
Bellini’s has a reasonably diverse menu and can range from quite pricey to quite reasonable in price. Wood-fired pizzas topped with everything from shrimp to barbecued chicken, apparently inspired by the California pizza movement, can feed 2 people for under 15 bucks. There are also steaks that can set you back upwards of $30. I chose to try something from their specialty menu. These are dishes that are typically highlighted by the chef as the best they have to offer. Veal Marsala is a favorite of mine so I thought I would see how their marsala sauce stacks up against the other marsala sauces I’ve had in my day. To me, great Italian food is defined by its sauces. In fact, I’ve become quite the saucier myself and find myself being tempted often to cook up a big pot of cream-based sauce to eat alone with an artisan loaf of some sort. Thankfully, for the sake of my arteries, I have managed to resist this temptation.
The Caesar salad was very good, the bread was fantastic, and the Marsala sauce was….eh…not bad. I like my marsala sauces a little thicker, and I also like a more rustic and bold mushroom like a porcini or morel (my favorite). Bellini’s used your average button mushrooms. The Veal cutlets were served on top of a bed of noodles that were well past “al dente,” and the cutlets were a bit thicker than I’m used to in a marsala dish, which caused them to seem a bit tougher than I had hoped. I kind of wish I had kept the chicken dish that they brought by mistake the first time because it looked fantastic. I may have also set Bellini’s up for disappointment because I have had some fabulous veal dishes that would be very hard to top.
Ambiance is quite nice, or would be were it not for the 20 sixteen-year-old kids next to us. The patio is particularly nice overlooking a pond, and would be a nice way to enjoy a cool evening. I’ll be sure to give Bellini’s another shot and try a different sauce on another occasion. For the price, Bellini’s provides a great atmosphere and food selection. In fact, you would have to visit one of the city’s nicer, and much pricier, steakhouses to get a better all around dining experience and you would spend twice the money.
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So far, one person has responded to this article. Won't you join in?October 27th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
I like Bellini’s OK, but I am interested in trying a new Italian Restaurant on NE 47th and Lincoln. I will let you know what I think or maybe you would like to check it out for a review.
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