Restaurant: Bella Notte Italian Trattoria, Lexington, Kentucky
Gluten-free and Italian food don’t always go hand-in-hand. Believe me. More than once I have relegated myself to the salad, but no croutons, please, at an Italian eaterie. In fact, unless I hit up a local chain or one of the box chains that has a couple of gluten-free options (Olive Garden, Carrabbas), pasta is usually off my radar unless I make it myself at home. And, unfortunately, much of the gluten-free options at the box chains are meat heavy…which doesn’t work for this vegetarian.
But, every now and again, you find a place that surprises you.
Bella Notte Italian Trattoria in Lexington, Kentucky, is one of those places.
I probably never would have given Bella Notte a second look if I were simply passing by on the road. I tend not to notice Italian places anymore because most of them have nothing I can eat. But I have this great app on my iPhone called Find Me Gluten Free and I used it to find somewhere I could eat after I ran in The Great Buffalo Chase 5K on the Fourth of July. One of the places it returned was this little Italian Tratoria on Nicholasville Road in Lexington.
Bella Notte is a very unassuming looking building just off the main drag. We arrived shortly after it opened for lunch. It wasn’t very busy at the time, but by the time we left, it was starting to pick up. I liked arriving before the crowd, especially with my dietary needs. That way I could be certain that my waiter or waitress understood my food allergies.
Little did I know that I wouldn’t have even had to worry about it here. The staff at Bella Notte knows their stuff.
We were greeted warmly at the door and escorted back to a table near the far wall and window. The restaurant has a very homey feel to it. Christmas lights line the trees inside, twinkling in the dimly lit setting. The walls are a rustic yellow, but the area is set up like you might be eating out on a terrace in Tuscany. From the ceiling, little yellow stars dangle overhead. Bella Notte, as you may know, means ‘beautiful night’ in Italian.
We were seated and our waiter came over to get our drink orders while we looked over the menu. I knew from my gluten-free app that this place had gluten-free pasta, so that was a plus. When the waiter returned with our water, I let him know that I was medically gluten-free and he said they had a menu for that.
Boy…did they ever have a menu. He returned only a moment later with a full page menu, that resembled their regular menu, only excluded items that were not safe for me to eat. He also explained as he poured out the olive oil for the fresh, homemade bread my roommate could enjoy with her meal, that I should not feel compelled to sample the herbed oil as it does have gluten in it. I was also informed that both soups of the day, a tomato basil and a corn soup, were both gluten-free. I love a helpful staff.
After giving me a moment to decide on something off the gluten-free menu, he returned and we placed our orders. My roommate went with the Chicken Parmesan ($9.00). She had never tried Chicken Parmesan before and was intrigued. This one included a hand-breaded chicken breast served over a spaghetti marinara, topped off with mozzarella and provolone cheeses and fresh basil. With the option for either a soup or a salad, she opted for the Tomato Basil soup.
My waiter then turned his attention to me. I ordered the Gluten-Free Penne Arrabianta ($7.00). I was going to get the corn soup, but just to be certain I asked if it was also vegetarian and he said it was not. So, instead I went with the Salad Rustica. He took down the order and went to go put it in at the kitchen.
I was already feeling very confident about eating here. The staff was definitely putting my mind to ease with their knowledge of the menu and the care they were taking with my order. I released a huge sigh of relief and before I knew it, the soup and salad arrived at the table.
The Salad Rustica is a beautiful blend of seasonal fresh greens, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, tasted walnuts, and a side of the chef’s vinaigrette. When it was set down in front of me, I was elated. Not only was it a vibrant salad, but they put the dressing to the side instead of dowsing my salad in it. I appreciated that more than ever because I’ve grown into not drowning my salad in dressing like I used to, and most restaurants tend to be heavy-handed on the dressing, especially a vinaigrette. I dug in…and wow. The walnuts are what really make this salad pop. The greens were crispy, fresh, and perfect. The waiter gave my salad some cracked black pepper on top and it really helped amp up the flavor in the greens. The lemon juice and olive oil were the perfect seasonings for this salad. And the vinaigrette was delicious. The chef was right on point with those.
After leaving a clean salad bowl, the main dishes arrived at the table.
My bowl of Gluten-Free Penne Arrabiata looked absolutely fantastic. My mouth was watering as I took a moment to look it over, take a picture on my cell phone and my camera, and finally picked up my fork and dug in.
Let me first say that when ordering gluten-free here, the gluten-free pasta is a fusilli. So, the penne in my pasta was replaced with a perfect al dente gluten-free fusilli. pasta. The rest of the dish remained true to the original. The pasta was coated in a homemade marinara sauce with crushed red chilies, a chili-infused olive oil, lemon juice, and topped with fresh basil. One bite, and I was hooked. It was a delicious, spicy pasta. One of the best arrabiata pastas I have ever had. Honestly. The red pepper was added to perfection. And the olive oil that had been infused with chili really gave it the perfect kick that I look for when I order an arrabiata pasta. I was beyond impressed. And I ate the entire bowl of pasta, savoring each perfect gluten-free noodle. Which, by the way, was amazing. It didn’t crumble and fall apart on my fork or under the marinara. It remained a perfect al dente throughout the entire meal. Impressed doesn’t even begin to cover it.
We both were quite happy with our food and the service at Bella Notte in Lexington, Kentucky. But, we had a 12:30 movie to catch at the cinema just up from the restaurant, so we didn’t linger nor grab a dessert. It was okay though; we were both completely stuffed. Our check was handed to us and I was quite happy to see that Bella Notte also does not charge you extra for ordering something gluten-free. There was no upcharge for the gluten-free pasta or anything. I felt like a normal customer and that, sometimes, is not an easy thing to come by as a gluten-free foodie.
Will I return to Bella Notte next time I’m in Lexington? Of course. I didn’t expect to find such care, such precision, and such knowledge at an Italian restaurant, but Bella Notte does everything right. And the food was amazing. So, if you are out and about in Lexington, Kentucky and looking for a great place to eat…check out Bella Notte. Honestly, take my word on this one. It’s a gem of a place that knows its food and happily caters to the gluten-free diner.
A beautiful dining experience at a beautiful restaurant…in the heart of Kentucky’s bluegrass region. Bravo, Bella Notte. Bravo.
The Celiathlete 