Chicken Milanese—chicken cutlets with arugula, grape tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, drizzled with lemon and olive oil. Arancini—fried risotto balls with sharp provolone, mozzarella and roasted peppers. Bracciole—stuffed with ground beef, prosciutto, egg and parmesan. Served with pasta al aglio.

(photo: Rose Mattrey)

There is a new Italian restaurant in Buffalo. Its name is Bel Cibo (pronounced chee-bo), which means “beautiful food.” Located in the block of Elmwood near Bidwell where Burger King no longer reigns, Bel Cibo has brought life to a building filled with happy memories. Remembered yet in its original incarnation, the Elmwood Soda Bar, in later years the building housed Bistro Vite, known for its small and pricy sandwiches; Sofra’s, one of the area’s rare ventures into Turkish cuisine; and an upscale bistro. The building has sat forlornly empty for years, but today the block is undergoing a renaissance, and restaurateur Martin Palame, also owner of Mode at Elmwood and Utica, is part of its rebirth.

We visited Bel Cibo the night after its grand opening, when about 300 people had celebrated its entrance onto the food scene. The restaurant was still lively and warm the next evening, though it was frigid and blowing outside.

The restaurant has two tiers, so diners can choose to eat at street level or to survey the space below from the second floor. The upper tier, reached by climbing several stairs, has a number of tables as well as a fireplace. The bathrooms are also on this level. We were seated on the ground floor at the table by the window to Elmwood. Downstairs is a little darker and cozier than upstairs, and the sightlines allow inquiring diners to observe all who enter. Early on we felt a draft. Our waiter, Sean, recently returned from the desert, sympathized with our chill. We declined his offer to move to a less drafty spot, however, taking the more prudent route of warming up with drinks. To the left of the entrance is a full bar, with top-shelf liquor available. Looking over the wine list, we found it to have a wide selection at very reasonable prices.

Our drinks arrived. A Grey Goose martini was served ice cold, in a stemless glass, with two fat olives floating in it. Holly had chosen a Pepperwood cabernet sauvignon from California that came in a round, stemless glass for $5. She described it as full and rich. Bread arrived, warm and served with a dip of olive oil and roasted peppers. The dip showed how simple ingredients can really shine—it was light and peppery and delicious on the little rounds of bread.

Variety is the keyword describing the menu. The prices in the appetizer section range from about $6 to $9, and include an antipasto, steamed mussels and stuffed peppers. We picked the fried calamari, rock shrimp, scallops, rosemary and lemon dish, as well as the fried rice balls. The fish was simply prepared, the scallops fresh and soft and creamy. We really couldn’t taste the lemon or rosemary. There was a little surprise of peppers and cheese in the middle of the breaded rice balls. With both, the restaurant’s pomodoro sauce is served for dipping. The fish didn’t need the embellishment, but it did perk up the rice balls.

About the tomato sauce: It is meatless, featuring chunky tomatoes and garlic. Its tastes are crisp and clear. It is not the thick, long-simmered and somewhat sweet sauce often laced with pork chops or spareribs that is the favorite of many Buffalonians. Sauce preference is one of the most idiosyncratic and almost viscerally emotional responses to food, and everyone has her own opinion about what is good.

Wanting just a light salad, we asked for the simple salad ($5) with olive oil and lemon. The menu lists a Caesar salad, also for $5, as well as some more elaborate creations including a panzanella salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, toasted bread and red wine vinaigrette for $5.50. I was delighted to be able to order a salad that didn’t feature the now ubiquitous balsamic dressing. We shared the mixture of fresh greens and Sean made a note to himself to add a little more lemon when he dressed it in the future.

We didn’t go light on the entrees. It was a night for comfort food in a place where comfort food rules. There are pastas in the $9-11 range, among them a pasta carbonara; a chicken, arugula and pesto variety; and a choice of red or white clam sauces. But we passed the pastas and went to the entrees. Holly chose the bracciole stuffed with ground beef, ham, egg and Parmesan, served with pasta in garlic oil sauce. I ordered the pork osso buco braised in tomatoes and white wine, with risotto and gremolata. We thought about the salmon with fennel crust, mushroom-Madeira sauce, wilted spinach and roasted fingerlings, or the sirloin with olive oil, lemon juice, sautéed spinach and crispy Parmesan, but those will have to wait. There is also a list of chicken and veal classics such as Parmesan (eggplant available in this preparation, too), piccata and Marsala, all served with pasta. The main dishes range in price from $12 to $15.

As our entrees were served, we looked at each other and wondered how we would manage more food. But we did. The filled bracciole was tightly wound and needed sauce to juice it up. Holly said the pasta was really good, and tasted even better when she ate her leftovers the next day. A hunk of bone with meat falling off it was resting on the risotto in my osso buco’s tasty broth. Gremolata, I have learned, is a mixture of lemon zest, garlic and parsley added toward the end of the very slow and long cooking process. The garlic lover in me cried out for more. Overall, I don’t think pork lends itself to osso buco and that the traditional veal shank, with its marrow, brings a more velvety taste and texture to the dish. As a treat for my husband, I brought an order of fettucine alfredo ($10) home for the next day’s lunch. It was lavish—ample, thick, creamy, cheesy—and he loved it.

We ordered another glass of wine, Farnese Montepulciano, also very good and well priced at $5. We ate what we could, our obligation to sample desserts weighing heavily.

The tiramisu served at Bel Cibo is a light cake with a creamy filling, sprinkled with chocolate. There are many variations of tiramisu, and I much prefer the ladyfinger, mascarpone-egg mixture drenched in coffee liqueur sort. My husband, however, ate most of the tiramisu the next day and he liked it. Holly’s cinnamon-flavored cannoli was a crispy cylinder oozing a soft cream with chocolate chips adding crunch. She enjoyed every bite. Maryann Waldman, also the pastry chef at Mode, makes the desserts.

Marty Palame, the owner, joined us after our meal. Just getting started in this location, he has made a number of renovations to the space and has more in mind. His ideas include plans for cozy banquettes to replace the handful of tables on the first floor. He envisions running heating elements along the baseboards to neutralize those Buffalo drafts. He envisions his two venues embracing the full range of the neighborhood restaurant, point and counterpoint: He sees Mode as the more sophisticated venue, with Bel Cibo the down-the-block restaurant featuring “the kind of food Grandma used to make.” I had to laugh at that as I thought about my Irish-American grandmother boiling her potatoes and meat, and the one from Newfoundland pouring her sherry. We have different images of grandma in the kitchen. The hominess of that image, though, is amply felt at the restaurant.

The chef at Bel Cibo is Culinary Institute of America-trained Louis Zanghi. Both men are of Sicilian origin and share a vision of offering well-priced and well-prepared food in a neighborhood setting. Even in these early days, Bel Cibo has it regulars. Anticipating his meal, repeat customer Gerhardt Yaskow raved about the extensive menu, the wine selection and the reasonable prices. The restaurant has a great buzz already, and I plan to return to sample the pasta dishes.