“In my kitchen, the transformation of ingredients always prioritizes respecting their integrity, soul, and essence.”

— Chef Ettore Bocchia

Mistral Restaurant has been on our Bellagio agenda on each trip. We dined at Mistral with Judy and Mike, with Debbie and Scott, and now with Marsha, Jason, Sue and Jonathan. Each visit has been exemplary.

What can you expect for your evening…and evening is the time that you will want to dine at Mistral, as that is the time of romance.

A gated entrance is your first encounter with the Grand Hotel Serbelloni. This is a very private property, which makes it an exceptional place to stay. After being welcomed by the welcoming guard, here is where you approach the front door.

As we were a few minutes early for our meal, we made ourselves comfortable in the beautiful common area. Be aware that there is a dress codes, as shown on the Mistral website. “Please note that the dress code for our restaurant is Smart Casual, with mandatory long trousers and closed shoes for men. Short-sleeved shirts are acceptable”. As you can see, we did well with our garments…very well, indeed.

From left to right: Marsha, Jonathan, Sue, Jason, and Ellen. I’m behind the camera.

As we were seated at our table with a wonderful lake view, we found that even the table setting was special.

Check out the chargers.

And, then there was one of the most creative table setting that I’ve ever seen. Here is what I’m talking about.

If you’ve been to Italy before, you’ve been asked whether you want still or acqua frizzante (sparkling water). When it comes time for a refill of your water glass, the wait staff wants to be sure you get just what you ordered, so here is what you will find at the Mistral…

The blue babble secured in the bottom of your glass…acqua frizzante. The green babble…still water. A very creative way to avoid a refill mix-up.

Though one does need to stay hydrated in Italy (you can only drink so much wine during your day), it’s time for food now…right. Rather than trying to reproduce our menu for the night because it does change withe the season and executive chef Ettore Bocchia’s creativity, here is a direct link to their MENU. As the link to the menu may also vary with the season, HERE is the Mistral Restaurant’s weblink.

And, this next glass needs no introductions…and refills should be obvious.

Here is our group of six after we have gazed at the menu. That is Lago di Como (aka Lake Como) in the background.

From seven o’clock position and going clockwise: Jason, Ellen (wife), me, Sue, unknown waiter in background, Jonathan, Marsha.

Just below is a photo from the Mistral website. That’s the same premier table at which we sit…but ours is larger, isn’t it?

It looks like an amuse bush has arrived. Right now, I have no idea what it was.

Here our cameriere gives Ellen and Jason an explanation.

Was it delicious? Read on dear reader…

Yes, of course it was delicious…we are at Mistral Restaurant, we are in the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, we are in Bellagio, and we are in Italy. And just below is the proof of the deliciousness.

It looks like Jonathan has ordered an oyster appetizer.

I forget what this next one was, but it seems to involve caviar.

Next, how about a bit of “ethical” and “natural” foie gras? Yes, please.

A bit of something from the water has also been ordered.

Sue and Jonathan enjoy a French-style dramatic presentation.

Dessert is a peach melba with a homemade vanilla gelato…made right before our eyes using liquid nitrogen as the refrigerant. It was quite a show.

And, here is the final result.

Let’s not rush it. A pre-dessert toast with a delightful dessert wine is in order.

For Ellen and me, it’s a post-dinner Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni tradition to have our photo taken on the stairs of the common area.

Those of you who know Ellen and me well may notice that our photo was taken in the era of 2012. And, as Debbie and Scott were dining at Mistral with us that evening, we may as well add them to the portrait gallery, also.

Debbie and Scott from 2012

Dinner is complete. We are well satisfied, and we have had sufficient to suffice (a saying of my dear mother). It’s time to say arrivederci.

A beautiful evening awaits as we depart.

But wait, there’s more. When we arrive back at our Hotel Suisse [which is a restaurant masquerading as a hotel, and at least the restaurant portion of the place is decent] the desk clerk is in a mood for a dance with dapper Jason.

A fitting end to a wonderful meal at the Mistral Restaurant in the Hotel Villa Serbelloni.

I hope that you don’t mind having to watch us eat a wonderful meal in which you can’t participate…but alas, you certainly can…just as great friends Marty and Tim did just this past April.

If you find yourself dining at Mistral and you see us there, we will be happy to…let me think this through…let’s just say that I will be pleased to take you photo on the stairs as a souvenir of your visit.

But as always, I say ciao for now

Steve

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Index of Blog Articles

At the end of your slow-boat ride on Lake Como is your destination: Bellagio.

Last week, I explained how one should approach Bellagio. This week, I present the town itself...bella Bellagio...the most romantic town in Europe.

“One of the things that makes Bellagio so unique are its ‘streets’. These are no ordinary streets, as no autos can travel them”

The setting for Bellagio is unique, as it sits at the end of a spit of land which juts out into Lake Como, or Lago di Como. This location actually adds a good bit to its charm, as there is no through traffic to clutter up your visit...one has to either intentionally be driving to Bellagio, or one must be lost. Check out the map in last week's article to see what I mean about its location.

Getting There

To learn more about how to get to Bellagio, see my article from last week, appropriately titled, "Getting There: Bellagio".

Here you can see a passenger 'slow boat' that I so espouse as it arrives at Bellagio.

One of the 'slow boats' that ply the waters of Lago di Como

Ah, the destination has been reached...we are now in Bellagio.

The 'Streets' of Bellagio

One of the things that makes Bellagio so unique are its 'streets'. These are no ordinary streets, as no autos can travel them. There are about a half-dozen of these ally-like streets that go from the lower, lakeside, outbound roadway of Bellagio, to the upper, inbound roadway.

In this photo is the lakeside portion of the auto roadway that leads out of town. The roadway makes a bit of a jog to the left at the Hotel Metropole, our hotel for this stay.

The roadway headed through, and then away, from Bellagio. Our pink hotel in the distance

And here is the upper roadway...yes, that's actually the road coming into Bellagio, and we are driving it in a car that we rented for a day (see more in the article 'Stumbling Upon Something Magnificent').

In between these two portions of auto road are the pedestrian shopping streets, as you can see below. These streets echo the difference in elevation between the lower and upper roadways.

Shopping Bellagio

The Como area was once the silk capital of Europe. Mulberry trees kept the silkworms happily making silk, and the Italians were happily making silk cloth. Though this industry has all but vanished, there are still many items made of silk available in Bellagio.

Here we see some of the silk and its shoppers.

A tradition of days gone by was for young women to wear a bridal headdress made of intricately design hair pins -- I'm sure there is a more appropriate name for them, but that's how I know them. Just below is one of those hair adornments.

Today, these head pieces have been disassembled into its individual parts and they are available for purchase. Here you see Ellen and Debbie as they consider their purchase of serving pieces that have been fashioned from these pieces.

In the market for Italian-made shoes or shirts? You are in luck!

Food!

I always try to include photos of food from any place that we visit...this is important, don't you think? Here are a few selections from a number of restaurants we have visited on our trips to Bellagio.

And there are some beautiful settings for partaking of food. We especially like the lakeside setting of the first photo. And both of the ladies in our group thought that our waiter made the setting more attractive, too.

Hotels

Our hotel on one trip, the Albergo Metropole, sits in a perfect location in town. We had a room with balcony overlooking the lake.

Our lakefront rooms were superb. You can see the ferry dock in the photo with Scott and Debbie, and across the lake to Menaggio in the photo with Ellen and me.

And the view at sunset left nothing to be desired. Here is an evening ferry from Menaggio nearing the Bellagio ferry dock.

Evening view from our room at the Metropole

Here is the link to the Hotel Albergo Metropole.

On a previous trip we stayed at the five-star Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. The guest register for this palace of a hotel is chock-a-block full of names of the past that you would recognize -- including yours truly, of course.

Here, you can see the layout of the GHVS, with the main portion of Bellagio being to the right. We swam in the pool -- brrrrr -- and actually found the lake to be a bit warmer!

Have you ever eaten in a more opulent breakfast room?

Lunch or dinner on the terrace is exquisite.

Here is my wife, Ellen, and me after a scrumptious dinner at GHVS. Did I mention that we danced to a small orchestra after dinner?

Here is the link for the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni.

Sights of Bellagio

It is interesting to note that, though Bellagio sits at the base of the alps, it is in a sub-tropical climate. You will find several palm trees, like this one, scattered around.

I will leave you with several photos of Bellagio and its environs. Here you will see the view of the lake and beyond from Bellagio, the beautiful flowers, buildings, etc. Enjoy.

And here is an interesting view of a Pringles dispenser! Have you ever seen one of these? But what a great idea for those emergencies when you feel you need something lite and a bit salty.

I will leave you with one final photo that sums it all up for us...

Want to make a trip to Bellagio? Drop me a line and I'll be happy to give you some more tips!

Ciao for now,