When Marco Cammarata was still cooking at Bel Guardo (he’s now at Niu’s), this restaurant was the closest mall dining ever got to respectability. Curious but apprehensive, we decided to see what had become of the place now that the talented chef has gone. We found boring but honest enough fare, five-star prices (and service) and a food court atmosphere. That might explain why only tourists eat here, and the resulting tacky picture menu. But even they must notice that Bel Guardo’s décor is an utter failure. It plops you smack onto the mall’s ground floor, between Beard Papa and a busy lobby. With such sad surroundings, Bel Guardo should have forgone bright and airy and aimed for cozy and inward-looking. The food, at least, is pretty comforting—generous portions, homemade flavors—but at these prices, you could do much better at any big name Italian in town. (In fact, the bill was the only thing to remind us of Cammarata.) There’s a smidgeon of creativity in the desserts (a dark chocolate millefeuille, a tiramisu served with a kind of cappuccino mousse) but elsewhere, the kitchen plays things safe and seems to deliver both a nice touch and a letdown with every dish. The beef tenderloin, ordered rare, comes cooked to perfection. It’s unfortunate then that the surrounding vegetables just feel like boiled spa food. Just as good, the beef carpaccio comes with thick slabs of Grana cheese but no hint of the advertised truffles in the drizzle of black olive puree. The fettucine with “Angus Beef ‘Ragout’ Bolognese” tastes homemade, but definitely does not evoke the slow-cooked flavors of a good ragu. The service is impeccable, though: they smile, they know the food, they’re attentive and the kitchen is fast. In spite of all this, we can’t turn a blind eye to our surroundings, or the plus plus prices. B220 double espresso, anyone? Dear Bel Guardo, with all that dough, you might want to consider splurging on a spot of cozy redecoration. Corkage B300.
