Bella Bru-ha-ha

Recently SacEats gave a negative review of Bella Bru. I'm thinking he went to the one in Carmichael, based on where he lives. I'm writing today to say I've had two great recent experiences at both the Carmichael and the El Dorado Hills locations.

I will admit that I'll just be commenting on food because I wasn't paying too close attention to the service. After all, I've always considered BB as a coffee shop more than anything else. I've never expected more than basic taking down an order and dropping it off.

Bella Bru Cafe on Urbanspoon

The day after Thanksgiving I ended up at the EDH BB for brunch. I ordered the quiche which I believe had ham and asparagus in it and a side of fruit. It arrived piping hot and was fabulous. I wish I could make a quiche like it. I still haven't figured out the secret to making quiche really light and fluffy instead of kinda curdly. (My roomie says I need to add sour cream to my egg mixture next time.) Anyway, it was good. My friend ordered the french toast and it was a huge helping with strawberries.

Bella Bru Cafe on Urbanspoon

Yesterday was my birthday and my BFF had invited me over for dinner because I share the day with her husband. She had the fun day of her plumbing backing up, so out to dinner we went - to BB.

I had been with her for lunch before and we had a great pepperoni pizza. In fact, I remember being impressed with the quality of the pizza because I had really low expectations.

I was expecting the same menu from lunch at dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a nice assortment of dishes, from crab cakes and pork sliders to duck and fig pizza. My BFF ordered the pork ragu pasta. It reminded me of dishes I had when I was in Florence, Italy. Rustic with the shredded pork shoulder tossed with a tomatoey sauce. I was very happy with my duck breast over risotto. The duck was perfectly cooked and the risotto was de-lish. Super creamy/cheesy. This was all drizzled with a bit of balsamic reduction.

All I can say about my BB food experience is, what was I thinking? They are more than just a coffee shop.