Chow! Bella: Italian in Saint Albans, Vermont

This June in Saint Albans, Vermont, a small Italian restaurant, Chow! Bella, will celebrate its tenth anniversary. While I had sampled the chef's cuisine in the past, I had not been more recently. Suffice it to say, Burlington area restaurants are far superior.

For our wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided to pay Chow! Bella another visit. I am not sure we will return. In the chef's defense, I am the type to not complain about a meal unless it is simple horrible. I would rather keep quiet, return once more for a second attempt to see if it was perhaps just an off night, and then after two strikes, I will not return. I do, however, always fill out a comment card so that they know where improvements are needed.

Chow! Bella is located at 24 Main Street in Saint Albans, right across from Taylor Park. Parking is on the street, so it may take a few minutes to find a space. The restaurant is tucked in the main strip of shops, banks, and cafes, and is not hard to find. Chef/Owner Connie Jacobs Warden worked for years at Jeff's Maine Seafood before branching out and starting her own restaurant. It is not surprising to find Connie chatting with the customers.

Though we did not have a reservation, we did arrive right at 5 P.M., so we figured we were early enough to beat the crowds. When we arrived, there was one other couple in the establishment, yet the host was very hesitant on finding us a table. After some hemming and hawing, he opted to seat us in the front of the restaurant near the doors. To me, the location was fine; it was his indecision on being able to seat us that did not bode well.

For the next ten minutes, we perused the menu. Prices have changed drastically since we last visited, and current website prices are not accurate. If you use the menu found online, add around $2 to $3 for appetizers and $3 to $5 for entrees. A glass of wine will cost you between $4 and $9, while a bottle is between $17 and $35. The house wines come in a full carafe for $19 or a half carafe for $11. We, however, opted for the draft beers. I had the Sierra Nevada Blackberry Wheat and my husband had Harpoon's IPA. The pints of beers came in chilled glasses and were exceptional. Even the $4.50 price for a full pint was standard compared to other area restaurants, so no complaints there. While the host took our drink orders and appetizer order, another woman delivered our drinks. We were also given a small basket of garlic focaccia.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Portuguese Mussels for $8. The mussels are steamed in wine, garlic, chorizo sausage, and then a rich tomato sauce is added. I feel it is the chef's responsibility to ensure that the mussels have opened and are good. We received a dish of mussels, twenty in all, that smelled fantastic when yet a third server brought them to us. We ate through the top layer and they were exactly what we had hoped. The broth was rich and hearty and worth eating by itself. However, the bottom layer of mussels proved troublesome. Six were shut and two others had cracked shells, so we could not eat them. It is at this stage that we gained a new waiter and he made a comment that he was surprised the mussels had not all opened, but no effort was made to reduce or bill or offer us a discounted appetizer in the future.

For dinner, my husband ordered the Seafood fra Diavolo ($18) and I ordered the Shrimp and Scallops in a Creamy Basil Sauce ($18.) Meals come with a small salad of mixed greens, red onions, half a cherry tomato, and one slice of cucumber. The Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette was amazing and the salad was a perfect palate cleanser. During the salad course, a new waitress joined the picture, and I began to wonder just whom we would eventually be tipping or if they pool tips.

When our dinners arrived, I was surprised that they do not offer grated cheese or freshly ground pepper like many other Italian restaurants do. My husband's dish was a lot larger than my own, but he was missing his garlic bread. He had a good dozen mussels, half a pound of calamari, and then prosciutto ham slices. He said his meal was certainly worth the money. Meanwhile, my own meal had a total of five small scallops and three large shrimp, I had two pieces of garlic bread and gave him one of mine. The sauce was extremely watery and bland. The basil was there, but not as strong as I'd expected. The shrimp were crisp, but rather fishy tasting, making me wonder if they were fresh. The scallops were exceptional, though smaller than I would have expected. With Nicco's in Williston offering similar dishes for a much lower price, I cannot say that the dinner won me over at Chow! Bella. After we finished eating, we were never asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu. Our dishes were whisked away and no one else returned to the table. After waiting for ten minutes, we were able to flag someone down to get our bill. Meanwhile, the restaurant had filled up a bit. There were still about six empty tables on our side of the restaurant. Another couple came in and I overheard the hostess (another staff change) say that we had been unexpected so they could not have the table they'd requested. At this point, I'd had enough. We left enough month to cover the bill for $67 and a lower 15% tip due to the poor service. Now that I have experienced Chow! Bella at ten years, I really do not see myself returning.