Bella Rosa Bistro sits on a sweet, quiet block across from a grassy field, near a firehouse and an old-fashioned barbershop. At first glance, everything about the place indicates it's a standard Italian joint, where you can stroll in wearing shorts and flip-flops and get some linguine with red sauce. A flag-sign proudly flaps out front; inside, you'll see familiar clutter: rows of wine bottles, small statues, twinkly strings of lights, lots of stuff on the walls. Scan the vast menu and you'll find pastas, lasagnas, and fresh seafood, lamb, and veal prepared with classic Italian methods. There is no hint of Morocco whatsoever.
But wait. There is a menu within the menu. Take the specials insert and flip it over. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but who cares? Here's where you'll find the tagines (traditional, slow-cooked Moroccan stew; "tagine" can also mean the sturdy, cone-lidded ceramic crocks the stews are cooked and served in), and other treats such as Moroccan chickpea-tomato soup or chicken bastila (a sort of chicken pie tucked between thin sheets of buttery phyllo and topped with almonds). I love Italian food, but this is the stuff I'll go back for.
Turns out, while Italian favorites keep rolling out of Ali Chalal and Atouani's kitchen because of their practical business sense and understanding of neighborhood demographics (why mess with a steady thing?), Bella Rosa's chef-owners hold Morocco very near to their hearts. Chalal is an Algerian chef with Parisian training, and Atouani--just Atouani--is a chef who hails from Casablanca, the very mythical Moroccan city where, as far as I'm concerned, Ingrid Bergman made the biggest damn mistake of her life on that misty tarmac.
The chefs' specials are gorgeous examples of Moroccan cuisine, which is heavy on cumin, ginger, turmeric, saffron, cilantro, mint (e.g., Moroccan mint tea), almonds, harissa (a Tunisian blend of spices and chilies), olives, raisins, apricots and prunes, honey and raisins, preserved lemons, orange-flower water, and, of course, the North African standby, couscous: itty-bitty, fluffy, butter-yellow grains of semolina that absorb all those sweet and savory flavors. North African cuisine borrows much from Middle Eastern food, and contains Mediterranean and French hints as well. This is truly "historical food," in which you've got your ancient trade routes, your colonial influences... it's food that's not simple. I love picturing all the colorful ingredients found in the famed dusty souks (open markets) of Fez or Marrakech--bright woven blankets flapping between vendors, exotic smells wafting in the dry air.
The flavors of Morocco are evident in tagine de poulet ($13.95), served with olives and preserved lemons, which always somehow add automatic sophistication to any dish. The softly bitter, aromatic lemons enhance the tender, seasoned dark chicken meat (elsewhere on the menu they find their way into an Italian calamari appetizer). Tagine de Marrakech ($15.95) is a robust marriage of fall-off-the-bone lamb shank, artichoke hearts, and peas, an enormous portion soaking in a shallow bath of sauce that, as hard as I tried, I couldn't pinpoint: tomato base? Mild chilies? Lots of coriander? Meat stock? The same goes for the aforementioned Moroccan soup ($4.95)--a bit nutty, slightly smoky, the chickpeas and garbanzo beans commingling with pulpy tomato and I-have-no-idea-what-else... and maybe some ginger too? It's like being in on a delicious (pun fully intended) secret.
But Bella Rosa isn't really a secret. When I was there last, I took note of my lovely dark-haired waitress, whom every customer in the dining room could not stop smiling at; the little girl with wild curls playing in the hallway by the kitchen; the chatting couples at other tables enjoying their tagines. It was clear to me that such a lovely place could not remain hidden for long.
Bella Rosa
3410 NE 55th St (Ravenna), 527-3400. Open nightly 5-10 pm.
