FLUENT ITALIAN
ISABELLA’S RISTORANTE IN REDLANDS SPEAKS THE ROMANTIC
LANGUAGE OF TRADITIONAL CUISINE.

By DAVID COHEN
Photography by Trina Gonzalez

In this inviting, Old World-style restaurant run by chef Martin Felix and his wife, Ruthie, you will find traditional Italian dishes done the old-fashioned way: to order and without shortcuts. As soon as you set foot in this cozy establishment, all the day’s stresses begin to melt away. The lighting is subdued and the various dining areas are divided by faux brick pillars and trees. The floor consists of paver bricks, and a large bar holds court in the back room. You recline in high back wooden chairs while gazing out on mirrors, artwork and wrought iron decorative pieces on the walls. There is a distinct romantic ambiance throughout, with warm hues, burgundy tablecloths and lit candles on the tables. Strains of Italian love songs and arias play unobtrusively in the background. The menu emphasizes pasta, veal and chicken dishes, and those three sections are extensive. All entrees come with a choice of soup or salad and a basket of wonderful house-baked bread. We began with a classic bruschetta with diced tomatoes and basil atop toasted bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil; a side of sliced white mushrooms in an herb butter; calamaretti sautéed in a light marinara sauce with white wine and herbs; and a lovely scampi al diavola with plump, perfectly cooked shrimp in a garlicky, mildly spicy white wine butter sauce with a hint of tomato. Order the garlic bread to sop up some of the delicious sauce.

The soup of the day was a cream of cauliflower rendition that quickly disappeared without a trace. With more than 25 pastas to choose from, there’s literally something for everyone. The linguine portofino was superb, with big succulent sea scallops and shrimp done in a smooth, creamy tomato sauce along with broccoli and mushrooms. The penne con pollo incorporated pieces of grilled chicken breast, diced pancetta, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli and black olives over penne pasta. The salsiccia campaniola contains sliced sweet Italian sausage, julienned sautéed sweet peppers, onions and mushrooms tossed in a marinara sauce over your choice of pasta. Best of all was the evening pasta special: pesto chicken ravioli made in house and bathed in a creamy fresh porcini mushroom sauce—a rich, luxuriant creation.

Pollo alla cacciatore is your classic skinless and boneless chicken breast in the chef’s version of a hunter sauce: a blend of mushrooms, garlic, roasted red peppers, sliced potatoes, onions, green beans and tomatoes. Scallopini dijonais contains thin sliced veal fillets served in a creamy full grain, piquant mustard sauce, splashed with cognac and scattered with scallions. It’s but one of 16 different versions of veal on the menu. Filet mignon can be done two ways: smothered in sautéed mushrooms or in a red wine and mushroom sauce. Do save room for dessert. Cannolis, creme brulee and especially the luscious tiramisu are made on the premises and are sinfully delicious.


Isabella’s Ristorante Italiano

Location: 330 N. 6th St., Suite 112, Redlands

Reservations: (909) 792-2767 • Second location in Calimesa (909) 795-3700

Hours: Lunch Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner nightly from 4:30 p.m.

Corkage: $15
(Free on Tuesdays up to two bottles per table)

What It Costs: Pasta entrees: $11.95 to $21.95. Other entrees: $15.95 to $24.95