Nov 15th 2007, 9:29am By Christa Glennie Seychew

Last Friday, Elmwood Avenue's latest restaurant, Bel Cibo, quietly opened its doors. Located in the 900 block of the bustling village in the location most often recognized as the former Soda Bar & Pastry Shop, it is offering area residents something old in a new fashion.

Owned by Marty Palame and Buck Kaber of Mode and run by CIA graduate and Executive Chef Louis Zanghi, Bel Cibo will be serving up classic "red sauce" Italian with an eye on using fresh, whole ingredients, at an affordable price, in a nice environment.

The space is casual, and much of the woodwork has been preserved and is nicely complemented by the soft mocha tones and burgundy accents. The bar is attractive, and the flat screen television that hangs behind it is a sign to passers-by that this restaurant, though very nice, is a great place to just hang out and watch a game. It is also very family-friendly and service-oriented. On my recent visit, they were still working out the kinks and putting the finishing touches on the building, but my family and I really enjoyed ourselves. The service was exuberant, and the food was good.

Chef Zanghi knows that our region is chock-full of traditional Italian-American cuisine. Having grown up in a very Italian family in Buffalo, it's no surprise that he's had his fair share of chicken parm, spaghetti and meatballs and pasta bolognese--which is why he sees room for a fresher take on these staples. WNYers love their Italian food, but with the evolution of Buffalo's culinary scene, it's time to step up to the plate and offer the same family environment with food that better suits the tastes of New Buffalo.

Guests will find many Italian-American classics on the dinner menu...and more. Appetizers include crispy calamari, rock shrimp and scallops served fritto misto ($9), delicious arancini ($7), very, very hot banana peppers, stuffed with four cheeses--the most notable of which are bleu cheese and the traditional ricotta ($8), and an antipasto, with ingredients (and price) that vary daily.

Salads include a Caesar ($5), green salad ($5) and a panzanella made with tomato and fresh mozzarella ($5.50).

The Italian wedding soup is very good ($5), a sign that the soup du jour is also likely to be well made. Zanghi's little meatballs are the perfect size and of good quality, and his use of fresh greens is apparent in the overall flavor of the soup.

A sample of the pasta dishes includes a rigatoni made with chicken, arugula and pesto ($11), pomodoro with San Marzano tomatoes tossed with your choice of linguini or rigatoni ($9), alfredo ($10) and linguini with red or white clam sauce ($10). Some of these dishes would be greatly enhanced by one of Bel Cibo's meatballs, a flavorful example of the classic accompaniment served here in a portion akin to a baseball. Also note, that the red sauce at Bel Cibo is made from scratch, as is everything else.

Entrees provide the opportunity to order fennel encrusted salmon ($14), bracciole with a side of pasta ($12), a grilled steak served with crispy red potatoes and sauteed spinach ($15), chicken Milanese with grape tomatoes and fresh mozzarella ($12) and pork osso buco ($14).

A separate portion of the menu offers a variety of preparations with your choice of chicken ($13) or veal ($14) as the main feature. Whether you choose picatta, parmesan, marsala or saltimbocca, each dish here is made to order, avoiding the common culinary pitfall of soggy breading.

For only $3.95, with or without the purchase of an entree, you can add the option of visiting the modest salad and soup bar as often as you like, an option that went over exceptionally well with my children, as did dessert. Made at Mode, the desserts, which include things like chocolate cake and mini cannoli are good, the tirimisu exceptionally so.

If you're looking for a quick lunch, for only $8.95 you can be in and out in 45 minutes with the daily special which includes the soup and salad bar as well as your choice of the daily lunch offering. Sunday brunch is only $11.95 and offers the classic breakfast options of waffles and eggs in addition to more Italian inspired dishes like frittata.

All in all, I think that Bel Cibo is a great addition to the neighborhood. I also believe that they're here to stay; the difficulty that previous restaurants have encountered with this storefront won't be an issue for restaurateurs Buck and Marty. Not only have they been successfully running Mode on West Utica in addition to it's previous incarnation as Le Metro, they also have a long standing relationship with the building's owner.


Bel Cibo
929 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, 14222
716.883.1841