Caffe Bella Vita in Beacon Hill

I have lived within a stone's throw of the Caffe Bella Vita for four years and last night was the first time I went there for anything other than some gelato.  The restaurant has two full sides of windows letting you look in and see what is going on.  Most of the time there are some students studying (they have free wi-fi) or people catching up over a nice looking cup of cappuccino.  Within the last year they have completely repainted the interior with a deep red color and a yellow/gold trim, creating a warm place.

This cold and rainy day seemed like the perfect time to test out a place that has a reputation for great soups, among other things.  Having watched all those people with their gourmet cups of coffee, I decided to order myself a cappuccino.

Cappuccino

There was plenty of yummy froth and a nice sprinkle of cinnamon and chocolate on the top.  For food, Nick ordered the mozzarella, tomato, olive oil and oregano sandwich that was on a freshly baked baguette.

Sandwich

The sandwich was loaded with plenty of melted cheese and a good herb kick.  Most days, Bella Vita has a number of soup specials.  On this particular day there was lentil, minestrone, chowder, and beef chili.  Originally I was thinking I would go for the chili, but I am a huge fan of lentil soup, and since lentils are one of the only things that Nick does not like (compared to my laundry list of dislikes), I decided to get my lentil fix. 

Lentil Soup

The soup was warm and perfect for such a rainy and raw day - just the trick to warm me up.  The texture of the lentils with the chunks of potatoes and carrots was great.  The soup was well seasoned and just all around tasty.

The desserts at Bella Vita are the other menu items that have a great reputation.  There are a bunch of amazing looking cakes, pies and other Italian desserts.  So, after dinner we knew we had to try something.  Among the snicker pie, the chocolate suicide, the lemon meringue pie and other amazing looking things I selected the creme brulee cheesecake - delicious!

Cheesecake!

Bella Vita is a good spot for lunch or a light lunch.  I highly recommend stopping in for a coffee break and indulging in a little gelato or pastries.