My wife and I decided to give Belle Peppers a try last week. It used to be the Arrostaria in the Coventry Square shopping center on Route 8. We were VERY disappointed. The only redeeming quality was the service; the waitress was very prompt, friendly, and efficient. We ordered the grilled vegetable appetizer and the cajun chicken salad (the evening's special, but on the regular menu as well). The vegetables were okay...nothing spectacular. They are char-grilled, in some cases more charred than grilled. They were served with a non-descript maranara sauce. A plus: large serving of vegies. The chicken salad was weak...especially for a "house special." Some lettuce (that was a bit wilted), tomato, a couple slices a cucumber, and four strips of cajun-grilled chicken breast. To their credit, the chicken was not dried out, but the cajun seasoning wasn't particularly flavorful. For $7, I expected not only a large portion, but perhaps some cheese, olives...in general, a heartier salad. For anyone who remembers the Arrostaria's bread, you will notice a big change there as well...(seemingly) off-the-shelf sourdough, not very fresh, and served at room temperature, not warm. All in all, we won't be back. And we informed the management of that on the comment card enclosed with the bill. Belle Peppers, Route 8 in Hampton Township, Coventry Shopping plaza. **NOT** recommended. Regards, Michael Sykuta
Pittsburgh, PA