Dining in the Dark

Last week Chow, Baby enjoyed quite the feast -- everything from alligator pie to zucchini casserole -- but that's what happens when the power goes out for two days and you have to eat everything in the freezer before it spoils. On the third day there was artificial light, and it was good, so Chow, Baby and sweetie headed to Market Street in Colleyville to restock. But first, a quick don't-shop-on-an-empty-stomach stop at Bellisimo, 5309 Colleyville Blvd. Technically our stomachs weren't yet empty, but rules are rules.

When Chow, Baby took Italian in high school, ÒbellissimoÓ was spelled with two s's. Perhaps that was medieval Italian. Orthography aside, Bellisimo is indeed beau-iful. The building's fast-food origins are disguised with soothing colors, exposed brick, and, of course, Dino on the stereo. There are three dining areas, with no apparent system to assigning servers; the five parties in our room were served by four always-in-motion waitresses, so dry-mouthed Chow, Baby was constantly lusting after somebody else's water pitcher. Still, service is pleasant and efficient and kind to small children.

Meals arrive too fast to be custom-made but don't taste as if they've been sitting around under a heat lamp all morning. Chow, Baby's shrimp scampi ($8.95 lunch) was light and lemon-tangy, with plenty of big shrimp and perfectly al dente pasta. Sweetie's veal parmigiana ($8.95) was tender underneath a bland marinara sauce. Dinner entrées are $2-$3 higher. Bellisimo also makes pizza in both Sicilian and Neapolitan modes and has lunch specials of cold and hot subs, baked pastas, and salads in the $4.50-$6.50 range. We skipped the not-house-made desserts; Market Street sells a decent tiramisu that will keep in the freezer until the next blackout, or until Chow, Baby remembers that it's there.