annabella
by Frank Quattrone
It exudes Old World Italian family warmth. No surprise there. After all, chef-owner Robert Angelaccio named his cozy eatery after his dear mother, Annabella. She taught him, a fourth-generation Italian, the basics of Italian cooking right there in Bristol, where he was born and raised, and where his popular restaurant/pizzeria is doing its part in the revitalization of the blue-collar borough.
Situated across Radcliffe Street from the acclaimed Bristol Riverside Theatre, Annabella’s looks and smells like your grandmom’s (and grandpop’s) kitchen and dining room. On one wall is a framed portrait of Angelaccio’s mother, protected by photos honoring some of boxing’s greatest Rockys. Think Marciano and Graziano, and then add Two-Ton Tony Galento and you have a recipe recalling the heyday of boxing, beloved by the chef’s grandfather, who was the head steward at nearby St. Ann’s Parish Social Club, which featured a popular boxing ring back in the 1950s.
But it’s Angelaccio’s interpretation of fine regional Italian cuisine that keeps drawing customers back again and again. A self-taught chef, he says he loves his intimate 35-seat restaurant because here he “can cook from the heart”—so much different from the huge and successful “turn and burn” restaurant he owned and operated for 20 years in the ski resort of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
And on the third Wednesday of each month, for the past six years, the chef has been featuring regional cuisine from up and down the boot on Italian Night, which ranges from lamb, goat, wild boar and truffles from Abruzzo to the fresh and spicy seafood dishes of Sicily.
But his everyday menu, enhanced by daily specials, does more than enough to delight. Among the antipasti Eve and I enjoyed during our first visit were a zesty bowl of Italian Wedding Soup, a special laced with black pepper as they do in Basilicata, Italy; a Brussels Sprouts special, roasted lightly with garlic, olive oil and fresh basil, sautéed with prosciutto in butter and white wine, and enhanced with a dash of cream; and Ravioli Fritti, or ravioli lightly breaded and fried.
This delectable signature appetizer, which we had never before tasted, consists of ravioli stuffed with Parmesan, mozzarella and Asiago cheese, then “toasted” and served over Angelaccio’s mother’s homemade marinara sauce. A dish he learned from visitors from St. Louis and Kansas City in Steamboat Springs, it’s a classy upgrade from traditional mozzarella sticks!
Next we tried the Classic Arugula Insalata, a beautiful salad bursting with chopped walnuts, Mandarin oranges, Kalamata olives and craisins, tossed with fresh lemon, olive oil and capers, and topped with Asiago and Parmesan cheese in a white balsamic dressing—enough to feed a table of four! We enjoyed half the salad the next day so that we would have plenty of room for tasting portions of three of Annabella’s specials of the day, all variations on dishes on the regular menu.
We had Shrimp and Scallop Piccata, tender seafood delicacies seared and sautéed in garlic butter, capers and lemon juice and served over fettucine; Pollo Trentino, a recurrent chicken special served with broccoli, artichoke hearts and mushrooms in brown gravy; and one of the chef’s personal favorites—Flat Iron Steak grilled in a balsamic reduction and served with crimini mushrooms and asparagus. Angelaccio loves the marbling of flat iron steak, which he says is especially lean and tender because it comes from the shoulder, a moving part of the steer’s body. “It eats like a filet,” he says, “or London broil.”
Other popular menu items or recurrent specials are the Vodka Rigatoni; traditional Margherita Pizza, topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil; Salmon grilled with balsamic reduction or topped with a mustard cream sauce; Osso Buco served atop risotto with a demi-glaze sauce; and the signature Seafood alla Annabella, a “five-fish” dinner featuring mussels, shrimp, clams, calamari and crabmeat served over linguine with a red, white or spicy fra diavolo sauce.
The chef feels fortunate to have all the desserts prepared in house by his wife Alison, also a native of Bristol, whom he says makes some of the best cannoli, tiramisu—and wedding cakes—he has tasted anywhere in his travels. Alison, who is the director of a day school and teaches childhood education at Bucks County Community College, also helps him research the menus for Italian Night.
A gregarious sort, Angelaccio enjoys visiting the dining room to ask his clientele what they think about their meal and to be sure that season ticket holders and other guests get to the theater on time. He says that there is nothing more important than family, which explains the warm, friendly service and the care he lavishes on every dish he cooks and creates for his loyal guests, who have become part of his extended Bristol family.
Annabella’s Restaurant is located at 119 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, PA 19007; 215-788-2929; www.annabellarestaurant.com. Open Sunday, Tuesday–Thursday, 3–9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 3–10 p.m. Closed Monday. BYO. Reservations recommended on weekends and for those attending theater.