Although most people associate Italian food with pizza, spaghetti, meatballs and garlic, in  reality Italian cuisine is as diverse as Italy itself. Italy stretches from the French, Swiss, and Austrian Alps to the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and Italian cuisine reflects all the varied contours of this land.

Italian cuisine is often broken up into “southern” and “northern” categories. For the last eight years, Bella Via Ristorante of Highland Park, has been serving the best of both worlds of Italian cuisine. Their diverse menu is matched by their restaurant’s unique blend of atmosphere. While upscale and rustic, complete with chandeliers, a charming bar, and a marvelous wine display, Bella Via is a family friendly restaurant owned  by a very friendly family! It  is the only restaurant in downtown Highland Park that can offer a full-service banquet facility for parties ranging from 20 to 200 people.

Owner and Executive Chef Maurizio LoBosco is originally from Palermo, Sicily. He attended cooking school in Bologna, Italy. Many of Maurizio’s favorite southern Italian recipes can be found at Bella Via, as well as, a variety of northern ones. Bella Via also offers a wine list so extensive that you’d surely have no problem finding something to satisfy your palette. The wine enthusiast can chose from a broad selection of northern and southern Italian wines, with a large reserve list that includes various  Gaja wines.

There are many reasons for the differing cuisine in the northern and southern regions of Italy. Since southern Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, there is a vast selection of seafood to chose from. This is frequently visible in many of the recipes of southern Italian cooking. A warmer climate in the south and fertile soil provide ideal olive growing conditions. Other compliments to this region of Italy include San Marzano tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, mellanzana (eggplant), and carciofini (artichoke).

Bella Via offers many southern Italian dishes to chose from such as Risotto Pescatore, a seafood blend of  calamari, mussels, clams, shrimp, and salmon sautéed in a plum tomato sauce with aborio rice. For the vegetarian, Involtini Melenzanna , a rolled eggplant  filled with seasoned ricotta cheese and baked in a savory tomato sauce is a good choice. Another flavorful southern Italian pasta, called Linguini Putenesca, is made with anchovies, black olives, capers, onions, and San Marzano tomatoes.

Much like southern Italian cuisine, northern Italian cooking is reflective of its climate. Its cooler temperatures  are ideal for livestock, cattle, and certain vegetables. Beef, veal, prosciutto di parma, porcini mushrooms, parmigaino reggiano cheese, and polenta make up a significant portion of this regional cuisine.

Lobster Tortalacci, an oversized tortellini shell stuffed with lobster and ricotta cheese prepared in a tomato vodka cream sauce, is a Bella Via specialty. Also reflective of northern Italian cuisine is the Veal Saltimbocca. It is made with tender, thinly pounded, veal medallions, sautéed in a lemon butter sauce and then baked with prosciutto di parma, sage, spinach and mozzarella cheese. Veal Ossobucco is a bone in veal shank baked with diced vegetables to bring out the tenderness and hearty flavor from the bone.

Bella Via has fifteen Italian red wines by the glass and fifty by the bottle to complement these great dishes. One of their favorites is the Gaja Barbaresco. This wine is made from 100%  Nebbiolo grapes grown in the northern town of Barbaresco at 1000 feet above sea level. After being aged in large oak casks for 28 months,  it is then bottled and held for another 8 months before being released. This wine is the perfect compliment to veal, meat, or a pasta with cream sauce. On the lighter side, Donna Fugata, is a fruit forward wine made from 100% Nero d’Avola Sicilia IGT, a variety unique to Sicily. The grapes are picked at optimum ripeness under the warm Sicilian sun in September/October. This wine pairs nicely with seafood, lighter pasta, cheeses and vegetables.

Whether you enjoy an intimate meal at Bella Via or attend a business function there, we’re sure you will be pleased.  Every time we visit, we see guests warmly greeting Maurizio and his staff.