“…when it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.” | Photos by Stacey Angel

By Brooke A. Brown

First things first — it’s pronounced ‘Bell-ah-seen-ohs’ – not ‘cheen-ohs’ like I incorrectly spoke while placing an order over the phone on Sunday night. The reason I know this is because the person on the other end of the line who finally answered with an economical, if not sleepy, ‘Hello?’ made me doubt my dialing skills and forced a confused ‘Is this Bell-ah-cheen-oh’s?’ query from yours truly. After a curt request to hold on a sec, the friendly voice-over lady on the hold message informed me of the proper pronunciation. With this new knowledge, and with coupon in hand, I was well prepared when a very capable and energetic fellow appeared on the line to take my order.

This was my first experience with Bellacino’s take-out. The lackadaisical phone response was understandable considering it was a Sunday… on Capitol Street… just before closing time. (The food, thankfully, did not suffer.) On the other hand, I’m quite familiar with their dine-in service, as I’ve partaken of their pizza offerings four times in the last three weeks. What can I say? It’s a research thing.

Located at 218 Capitol Street in downtown Charleston, the initial draw of Bellacino’s is, naturally, the food. Glossy window signs promoting gigantic, cheesy pizzas and grinders that would make Dagwood wave a white flag of defeat effectively entice passers-by. But for me, the idea of sitting down in a restaurant and eating a pizza is quite the novel concept these days, not to mention one that makes the spacious and comfortable Bellacino’s such a delight.

Now everybody knows that Charleston is not pizza-place poor, but there are only a handful of comfortable sit-down parlors around town and I guarantee none of them can compete with the views from this downtown perch. A noontime window-seat, for instance, ensures a lively look at fellow lunch-breakers whilst you dine. People-watching has rarely been so easy, or tasty for that matter. And speaking of taste, I suppose it’s time I get around to talking about that.

The saying goes that pizza is a lot like sex – when it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. I’d say this is probably true based solely on the fact that I’ve never turned down a Totino’s Pizza Roll. Anyway, a Bellacino’s pizza is really good. Their crust is light, crispy and airy, measuring in thickness somewhere between a thin and hand-tossed variety. The sauce is very tomato-y and fresh tasting, with just enough herbs to enhance the flavor without causing oregano-induced heartburn. The toppings are generous and typical, and the cheese is always melted to complete perfection.

A couple of noteworthy things about the downtown Bellacino’s: (A) they cut their pie into squares instead of the classic triangular slice; and (B) they’re open until 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. I get the feeling from the help that (B) will not be a permanent feature as attendance has not been well received. I guess late-nighters prefer the pie served at the open-24-hours-a-day-every-day-except-Christmas Southern Kitchen. That’s amoré for you.

IF YOU GO: Bellacino’s Pizza & Grinders, 218 Capitol Street, Charleston, W.Va.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 3:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.