Tony’s Bella Vista -- that’s amore!

Bill Scollon

The moment I entered Tony’s Bella Vista I was struck with a craving

-- must have pizza. Two things fueled my obsession. First, from

experience I already knew the pizza at Tony’s was terrific. Secondly,

it was the not-quite-subliminal message coming over the restaurant

speakers as Dean Martin crooned, “When the moon hits your eye, like a

big pizza pie ... “

Established in 1965, Tony’s has been run by brothers Angelo and

Giovanni for more than 15 years. They’ve nurtured the comfortable

neighborhood feel of the place. Subdued lighting, strings of

mini-lights and red vinyl booths set with red tablecloths and topped

with map-of-Italy placemats.

The wait staff does a good job of making you feel right at home,

which is exactly how my wife feels about the place. Having grown up

in an extended Italian family, she says the food at Tony’s is like

taking a trip back to the old neighborhood.

High on her list -- and mine -- are the great meatballs you can

order with any pasta dish, really good gnocchi and a homemade sauce

that’s thick and a little sweet -- just like Nonna used to make. The

over-sized meatballs are a blend of ground beef, breadcrumbs and

seasoning cooked just right. The moist texture and flavor is

wonderful.

Tony’s gnocchi is also expertly prepared. Under- or over-cook

these potato pillows and they become gummy and all but inedible. But

at Tony’s, they come out right every time. The same can be said for

the traditional pasta dishes. Like the gnocchi, Tony’s knows (and if

they don’t who does?) how to cook pasta to a nice al dente texture.

By the way, please stop cutting your spaghetti into bits and

scooping it up with a fork. Do like the Italians do, stick your fork

part way in and twirl the pasta around the tines. It takes a little

practice but you’ll get it.

I also appreciate the daily fresh fish specials. They are prepared

simply by sauteing or broiling. Be aware that the fish dishes can

come out swimming in too much butter, so if you’re cutting back on

fats, let your waiter know. They’ll keep the butter to a minimum for

you. Hey, that’s what family does, right?

Back to my pizza obsession. We ordered ours with pepperoni,

mushrooms and black olives. Tony’s isn’t stingy with the toppings and

the pizza dough itself -- whether thick or thin -- is delicious. An

Italian beer or nice Chianti from the wine list makes the experience

even more enjoyable.

* BILL SCOLLON is a Burbank resident and president of Scollon

Media Arts. You can reach him at ewscollonhotmail.com.