Chicken Piccata

A rare Four Forks for the popular Line Avenue restaurant

318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter often has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

Perception is reality.

Now, I don’t agree with that statement. I believe reality is reality.

However, many people believe that how someone views something is how that thing really is.

So, what does all that have to do with a lunch restaurant review?

My perception of Bella Fresca (6307 Line Ave., Shreveport) was that it is an upscale dinner restaurant. But I had seen its social media posts urging people to try them for lunch.

So, on a recent Friday, I invited a friend to join me to see if perception was reality.

If you’re expecting to find Bella Fresca with the help of a nice, modern sign out front, that’s not happening. Instead, there is an old, faded sign from which hang electrical wires. I will say the sign matches the building’s outside appearance — gray and drab.

We arrived at 12:45 and walked into, thankfully, a dining room which looked much different from what we saw outside. The tables and booths were modern and well-appointed, with folded white cloth napkins and glasses waiting to be filled. Some of Bella Fresca’s wines and their prices were written in colorful chalk on boards flanking each side of the room.

Chicken Cesear Salad

Bella Fresca seats approximately 60 people, counting 10 chairs at the bar. However, while we were there, no more than two other tables were occupied. When we walked in, one of the servers told us to sit anywhere we liked.

We chose a booth and didn’t wait long before our server, Angel, was filling our drink glasses and asking if we wanted anything other than water (we didn’t). Angel was very attentive throughout our visit. On one occasion, he refilled our glasses when they were clearly not in need of refilling. But, hey, it’s better to have too much water than not enough, right?

Angel also brought us a basket of bread — four warm slices, which were very good. But beware. If you like the bread so much that you want more, you will have to pay for it. While the first basket is complimentary, you will be charged $5 for each additional basket. I’m glad I noticed that on the menu, or I would have ordered a second basket.

Bella Fresca’s lunch menu offers six appetizers. Five were between $14 and $16, with the other one at market price. Those seemed a little pricey, so we decided to pass and focus on our entrees.

The lunch menu described four salads and 12 “Main Courses.” I prefer not to eat a heavy lunch, especially in the summer. I chose the rustic Caesar salad ($12). For an extra amount, I could add either grilled chicken, grilled shrimp or grilled New York Strip steak. I chose to add grilled chicken ($7).

My friend was really hungry and ordered a salad and a main dish. She started with the field greens and goat cheese salad ($14), followed by chicken piccata ($19).

Her salad arrived first, as it should have, and the presentation was beautiful. There was an ample serving of greens in the center of the plate. Two corners of the plate each had a fried goat cheese ball. Another corner had sliced grapes, which looked very fresh. The final corner had what the menu described as “spice pecans.” However, I tried a few and didn’t taste any spice.

It felt like we waited a while before the rest of our meal arrived, but it was worth the wait. My friend’s chicken was a nice-sized portion, especially for lunch. She said it was cooked just right, juicy and flavorful. The chicken was topped with capers and two asparagus. The asparagus was tender and much thicker than what you find at the grocery store. All of the above sat on a healthy heaping of mashed potatoes. I had a bite (OK, maybe a few bites), and the potatoes had that old-fashioned taste. They reminded me of the potatoes my mom used to make at home.

When ordering a salad as my meal, I’m always concerned the serving might not fill me up. When Angel brought my salad, that concern immediately disappeared. My plate was full of romaine lettuce, topped with crispy bacon, Parmigiano Reggiano, and served with two (very) small garlic crostini. The grilled chicken came in eight thick slices. Each was warm, seasoned just right and perfectly cooked.

However, the most satisfying aspect of my salad was the generous amount of homemade Caesar dressing. Oftentimes, a Caesar salad is drenched in dressing, so much so that the dressing overtakes, and sometimes ruins, the salad. That wasn’t the case here. My salad had just the right amount.

Field greens and goat cheese salad

Angel offered us four desserts, including one of my favorites: key lime pie.

It took all of our willpower to decline, knowing if we didn’t, we would be useless the rest of the day.

A couple of other thoughts about my lunch experience: Bella Fresca’s music wasn’t what I was expecting. It was upbeat, lively, and at times, bordering on the hard rock sound. But the music was a bit too loud, making it difficult for my friend and me to speak in a normal tone and be understood.

Speaking of volume, another server had two different conversations with people sitting behind me.

He was so loud, it was impossible for me to converse with my friend. The dining room is quaint. I suggest he use a softer one when speaking with diners.

Oh, and here’s an example of how Bella Fresca’s dining experience is a little different. No salt and pepper shakers here. Angel served us a tray with salt, pepper and a spoon for our use.

The cost of our meal before taxes and tip was $52. However, I noticed that while the original receipt showed a subtotal of $52, my credit card receipt listed $56.98, which included tax. So, if you’re tipping based on the subtotal, go by the this week. I would go out of my way to have lunch at Bella Fresca. I won’t go frequently, but when I want something other than the usual lunch experience, Bella Fresca will be worth the trip.

That’s not perception. That’s reality.