Bellini Italian Restaurant

Today is the first day back at school for the university.  That means that campus finally looks like it is back to normal.  Everyone has returned from winter break and the house is back to its usual bustle.  While it is nice that everything is back to normal and this huge house that I live in doesn't feel so empty anymore, it was really nice to spend the last few weeks exploring Madison when it was quieter.  One of my favorite parts was exploring some of the restaurants!

I am in my last semester here in Madison and that means I want to make sure I "do it all" before it's time to graduate.  One of my missions is to explore as many restaurants as I can.  Madison has a ton of to offer when it comes to food and, while it is a daunting task, I do want to get to as many new restaurants and then be able to tell you about them!

My best friend and I went out for an amazing dinner last week at a restaurant called Bellini.  We had one of those Living Social coupons to use there and it was great.  We went on a Wednesday and that was fun since they do "wine Wednesdays" and you get a free glass of their house wine with your meal.  It was also nice because we are both such foodies and were able to narrow down our entree choices to our two favorites and then we split.  On top of all this, we just HAD to get dessert because we needed to spend enough to use the coupon.  It was a perfect meal!

We ordered the Tortellini alla Maria and the Gamberi al Forno to split. And, for dessert, the cheesecake.  The tri-colored tortellini was delicious and came tossed in a light lemon cream sauce with veggies.  The shrimp was a great dish that I usually don't eat on my typical college diet and it came sautéed in a garlic, lemon and white wine sauce with spinach and mashed potatoes.  Splitting a pasta dish with a shrimp dish was a great way to get the best of two worlds.  Then, the cheesecake topped with fresh whipped cream and berries was truly the cherry on top of an amazing meal!  I would definitely go back.  Aside from these amazing dishes, they have pizzas, salads, tons of pastas, and a salmon dish that has my name written all over it.  If you are ever in the area, this is a great choice for dinner!