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Bella Italia Restaurant
Chef trained in Italy makes Bella Italia worth the drive – even a long drive
December inspires us Rural Foodies to gather with our friends and eat fabulous food. And for a meal that tickles our imagination and delights our palate, we are willing to travel.
On a blustery December day, my friends and I drive more than an hour to eat at Bella Italia, a little-known treasure in Cozad, Nebraska. Although Cozad is a town of fewer than 5,000 souls, it can boast the best northern Italian cuisine for hundreds of miles around.
The reason for that is chef Shadi Aboushady, a native of Alexandria, Egypt who grew up learning to cook all over Italy, resulting in a wide and interesting repertoire with French, Italian and Middle Eastern influences. In the kitchen, Shadi is a clearly a master, bold and confident, a man who understands food and cooking at a whole different level than the rest of us. Watching him, one can’t help but wonder, “Of all places, why Cozad?” When I voice the question out loud, the answer is surprisingly simple: it was love.
“I followed my wife out here from New York,” he says, with a smile and an accent that unmistakably labels him “not from around here.”
A foodie love story
In 1995, Becky was in New York City on a vacation from her work in Idaho as a floral designer. One evening, she happened to dine at Porto Folia, a restaurant known for its northern Italian cuisine, and loved the food. At the end of the evening, chef Shadi came out to meet guests, and before long, she’d come to love him, too. In time, they married and moved to Nebraska to be closer to her family and to enjoy a quieter, less urban lifestyle.
Becky knew that people in Nebraska will drive long distances if the food was good enough, and she was confident of her husband’s genius in the kitchen. They found a building that had formerly housed a Chinese restaurant, and in 2003, opened the Bella Italia. The cuisine is mainly from the Tourina region of northern Italy, which gives it a French flair.
To keep the menu fresh, Becky said Shadi changes the special regularly, invents new glazes and adds seasonal specials – such as scallops with a balsamic vinegar glaze – to an already impressive menu. They special order most of their ingredients, including many pounds of mascarpone for the tiramisu, and semolina pasta imported from Italy. Shadi makes the traditional Caesar salad dressing with fresh lemon juice and anchovies and the finest olive oil. It is unique and brings customers back to the Bella Italia all on its own.
Don't be put off by the modest exterior
“Unprepossessing” is a neutral word for the Bella Italia’s modest front entrance, but once we step past the threshold, the restaurant décor is inviting: walls painted amber with a tint of rose, and a ceiling the deep blue of an evening sky. Seating is spacious, offering comfortable chairs and tables placed far enough apart to provide privacy, yet the room is still intimate enough for us enjoy the murmur of fellow diners
The wine connoisseur among us selected an Italian Chianti to complement our meal and a toast is offered that sets the tone for the evening: “Stimulating talk with people we especially enjoy in a restaurant with an excellent wine list and the aroma of oregano and garlic in the air — what can be better in December?” A comfortable conversation encompassing events in politics, education and family news carried us through the wine and appetizer and into the salads.
For an appetizer, we chose the thinly sliced smoked salmon drizzled with olive oil and flavored with capers, olives, onions and fresh parsley. As we were relishing the blend of flavors, tables around us filled, making for a pleasantly social environment.
Salads followed the appetizer. Some of us ordered mixed greens with a house made blue cheese dressing but the clear winner on the table was a generous Caesar, hand-assembled from scratch and piquant with lemon juice and anchovy. All the salads were served very cold, and the lettuce was fresh and crisp.
Enter the entrée
As we finished the last of our salads and had a few sips of wine, the entrees were served. Our choices included grilled deep sea scallops with a balsamic vinegar sauce garnish and a parmesan cheese-encrusted Grouper al Parmigiano. One of our number said she always judges an Italian restaurant by its spaghetti and so ordered the imported Italian pasta with a red sauce and meatballs. The vegetarian in our group settled on a porcini mushroom risotto.
We found all the choices to be well-prepared and nicely seasoned. Grilled potatoes, carrots and broccoli florets accompanied the fish dishes, all attractively presented on warm earthenware plates. As always, we shared samples around the table and exclaimed over the layer upon layer of flavor we detected in each course.
Replete with our delicious meals, we still felt that we had room to enjoy a cup of rich coffee and share a slice of tiramisu. This is Bella Italia’s signature dessert, and it definitely showcases Shadi’s commitment to quality, freshness and creativity. It is a good thing we were really too full for dessert or there would have been conflict over that last bite!
The Bella Italia is a wonderful choice when celebrating an anniversary, a birthday, a retirement or a joyful occasion of any kind. If you’re looking to enjoy an exceptional meal, Bella Italia is worth the drive.
But then, we’re Rural Foodies. We think any exceptional meal is worth a drive.
Who to Contact
Bella Italia Restaurant
114 W 7th St
Cozad, NE 69130
(308) 784-3100
Email: shadibecky@charter.net
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