Bellini's Italian Eatery

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  The food sucks and the service is a training ground for kids.  This is close to my house and my wife talked me into going for a late night stop.  I knew better because I have been there many times, always with the same results.  I figured I would order a simple pizza margherita.  How can you screw that up ?  Well let me tell you!  Rather than fresh tomatoes there was some sort of tomato paste spread on the top with shredded basil and substandard commercial grade mozzarella.   Thick and doughy despite having a proper wood burning pizza oven.
  
  I dont think the owners care one bit.  They dont use fresh ingredients.  They dont use skilled kitchen staff (just take a look at the kids they have working in the open kitchen).  The kid bartender didn't know how to make a cosmopolitan.
  
  That's it.  I have had it.  Never going back.  They suck.

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  Posted on 01.15.13 Jeff B.

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  Had a great dinner last night with a group of friends. We shared the "stack" appetizer (eggplant cutlets, roasted tomatoes and fresh mozzarella), which was definitely ample for a party of five. It was delicious, and the presentation was lovely. This group had a number of people who are vegetarian or kosher, so a few people had the prodotto salad with salmon. Aside from being vegetarian, some of my friends are kind of picky, so there were lots of variation on the salad (ex. no cheese, no onions, dressing on the side, etc.). The kitchen did great and got everyone's order correct, variations and all.
  
  I had the gnocchi (always a favorite of mine), which was delicious and hit the spot, as usual.
  
  The only negative comment that I can make about last night was that the service was slow. Granted, my friends and I were clearly enjoying ourselves and hanging out, but we were still hungry. It took a long time to get our entrees (especially considering that 4 out of 5 were salads), and it even took a while for bread to come out. The server was very nice, and she was very pleasant about all the menu modifications, though.
  
  We were there until 10pm (last party in the place last night), and no one made us feel at all rushed or unwelcome. Overall, it was a great night, great food and I would go back again any time!

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  Posted on 10.17.12 M. G.

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  Food and service were both excellent. Our server was courteous and had a great sense of humor. We were passing through the area wanted a bite to eat. Saw the restaurant on this app and decided to stop. Glad we did.

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  Posted on 09.28.12 Jeff S.

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  We enjoy the food and atmosphere at the bar with Ralph especially on Friday nights. It is busy but you can easily sit and relax with dinner at the bar and have some nice beverages. I would recommend Bellini's in Clifton Park to anyone.

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  Posted on 05.03.12 Darrell S.

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  I ordered Pocolo, and got Racolto.  While the food was good, it was all pasta and no chicken which is what I ordered.  My friend a ordered a soda, and it ended up on my bill.
  
  My friend and I asked for separate checks; her order came to $29 and mine came to $24, yet our separate checks came back as the same amount of $26.
  
  While the food was good, the service was crappy.
  
  i

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  Posted on 11.06.11 Gloria H.

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  I never go out of my way to write a bad review but I was appalled by my last experience at Bellini's I just have to vent! First, I have never dealt with a more unprofessional in ignorant management staff in my life.  After waiting 10 min to be seated for lunch some older man came from the back to seat my girlfriend and I ( he seamed annoyed that I had bothered him from whatever he was doing). I ordered soup which came out cold, when I sent it back it took another 15 min. I guess the staff was too busy watching the tv up front along with the manager. We left and ordered pizza in. No surprise we were the only customers there on a Friday at 1230.

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  Posted on 09.06.11 Jimmy M.

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  Bellini's, oh Bellini's.  What happened to you!?!?!  This was a solid 5 star establishment for years, but my last experience here was exceedingly disappointing.  In fact, I'd be tempted to give it one star, but the service was good.
  
  For starters, let me be clear about how much it pains me to give this place a bad review.  I actually worked at Bellini's for several years, so I clearly ate a lot of the food here, and know at what quality it used to be.  My father and I were both addicted to the Eggplant Parm, so for Father's Day it seemed obvious to bring him here.  While it was never on the menu, as eggplant was used for other dishes, they would always make Eggplant Parm.  In fact, I frequently recommended it to customers.  Then, there weren't any dishes that used eggplant for a while, so we didn't go for years.  Recently, I walked by and noticed eggplant had returned, so we went for the first time in a couple of years.
  
  Our bad experience began with the bread.  While it used to be fantastic, I'm pretty sure this was bought over at Price Chopper.  No, I take that back.  I had bread from PC on July 4, and it was actually good.  This bread was tasteless and boring.
  
  My father and I had decided to split a Prodotto salad for an appetizer.  Again, I used to love this salad, and have eaten it many times.  This time it was awful.  All of the produce, and especially the greens were wilted to the point where it was actually almost slimy.  It should not have been served to customers, period.  On top of that, it was drenched in dressing.  In the past, I believe a ladle was used to portion dressing out.  This either is not a practice any longer, or it was ignored for this salad.  Really gross.
  
  Then, the most disappointing part of the meal came: the Eggplant Parm.  First, let me say that this portion used to be huge.  While I realize many restaurant portions are overly large, and I would be fine with it being a bit smaller, it was instead a fraction of the size it used to be, but the price was several dollars higher.  It looked like what the kitchen had done was taken the chicken sorrento, took way the chicken, but didn't add any more eggplant to compensate.  Then, they reduced the pasta and eggplant portion by half.  The portion was so small it was laughable.  $16.95 is a lot for an Eggplant Parm, so it should be a generous, not laughably small portion.
  
  The worst part was it wasn't anywhere near as good as it used to be.  Even if the portion was as large as it used to be, I would not return for this dish.  The Eggplant was tasteless, and even the recipe for the sauce was different, and not in a good way.  It had a cheesy consistency, instead of being a nice tomato sauce.  The pasta is now a gummy pasta instead of a penne, cappellini, or other light pasta.  The Eggplant Parm here used to be so good that Bellini's could have easily made it their signature dish, and people would have traveled there to eat it.  Whenever I recommended it to customers here, they were always blown away by how excellent it was.  Unfortunately, it has now gone to the other extreme, and become the worst Eggplant Parm (and smallest portion) I have ever had.
  
  I was going to order us the Torta di Nocciola for dessert, as it used to be our favorite, but we were worried about being disappointed for yet another part of the meal, so we went to Price Chopper and got ice cream instead.
  
  If only one part of my meal was not up to par, I'd think it was a mistake.  But, when all elements are this horrible, it makes me think Bellini's has gone very, very far downhill.

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  Posted on 07.12.11 F B.

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  GREAT food, friendly and professional wait staff,  welcoming ambiance. Overall great place to eat!

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  Posted on 01.17.11 Sara S.

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  My wife and I absolutely Love Bellini's.  From the service to the Food to the atmosphere you cannot get a better Value in the Capital Region.  My wife Loves their salads and I get the Gnocchi almost every single time I go and I am not one of those guys that gets the same thing every time.  The Gnocchi is just that good!
  
  You will most definitely enjoy this restaurant.

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  Posted on 10.12.10 Ryan H.

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  Was at the CP location for the second time and again food was excellent. ONly thing was the fritti misto one of the shrimp still had the shell on it so it scratched my throat. However, that aside, the food was cooked perfectly and very tasty. I certainly enjoy the modern twists on simple typical italian food. My favorite was the fritti misto and the lemon dipping sauce...I can see how that sauce could go w/ so many other dishes b/c it's so light and tasty. We even used it to dip our bread in.
  
  What really impressed me was the service from the waitress and the kitchen staff. I have a very severe food allergy and the waitress was right on top checking to make sure the food I ordered was without the food allergen. IN fact, in the steak I ordered, the chianti reduction has cheese, of which I am allergic to that the waitress said the chef caught and so he switched it out and provided some au poivre on the side to use to dunk my steak in instead.
  
  Dessert was delish. Tried the nocciola cake and one of the cupcakes and both were delish. I washed it down with the cappucino mixed w/ frangelico and it was heaven on earth.
  
  Great job! Prices were reasonable too!

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  Posted on 04.11.10 A L.

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  Wow, what a great find! We were just passing through on a small multi day road trip and pulled off the 87 to grab a quick bite.
  
  The place was elegant and modern yet we were comfortable dressed in casual attire.
  
  The servers were well groomed, professional and attentive.
  
  The food came very quickly and was delicious. The portion size was right on, we were full without feeling like our bellies were going to bust.
  
  Bellini's works as a sole location but could easily be franchised out to other upscale shopping malls. How about in my home town???

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  Posted on 10.25.09 Joel G.

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  Bellini's Italian Eatery is a very nice Italian restaurant located in the Price Chopper Plaza, next to those nice roundabouts. My folks took me here for my birthday dinner. The atmosphere is very nice here, the place is dimly lit. The bar area and takeout counter/open wood fired oven pizza kitchen are in the front. The main dining area has shiny wood tables with rows of table seating and booth seating, candlelight at each table. There's also outdoor sidewalk seating and a backroom too.
  
  We made reservations for a typical weeknight and were seated in a cozy booth in the upper tier, higher level than the rest of the dining area. We looked over the menu which looked very interesting. Our server (James) took our drink order 2 coffees and 1 Diet Coke ($2.75 each) and explained to us the 4 course "supper club" deal, with pasta dishes starting at $20, and classico dishes starting at $25. You get 1) mozzarella bread, 2) choice of soup or salad, 3) entree, and 4) choice of mini dessert (chocolate cake $3 extra). We opted for the "supper club" deal. Cavatelli ($20), Linguine ($20), and Pappardelle ($22).
  
  STARTERS: A standard hot loaf of bread with cheese, pesto, & olive oil dip was brought out first and was very good. Next the loaf of mozzarella bread with marinara sauce was like eating a French bread pizza, sort of reminded me of my favorite cheese breadsticks with sauce at Papa Gino's (a New England chain). We shared a Stack ($9.95): thinly sliced eggplant cutlets, roasted tomatoes, buffala mozzarella, layered nicely with sprinkled parsley, delicious!
  
  SALADS: My folks each had a Caserta: baby spinach, mixed greens, crispy pancetta, red onion, roma tomatoes, buffala mozzarella, and a citrus vinaigrette dressing, which had a fresh sweet taste. I had a Zeppa: baby iceberg wedge gorgonzola crumbles, crisp pancetta & tomato slice, a great start!
  
  ENTREES: The old guy (I'm using alias) had the Cavatelli (sweet sausage, spinach, chunky tomato, roasted peppers & garlic) which had a nice spicy kick with al dente pasta. Lil mama had the Linguine (PEI mussels, littleneck clams, garlic, herbs, & marinara over firm linguine) was excellent and had great flavors. A small bowl for the shells was provided. I had the Pappardelle (seared chicken, asparagus, artichocke, sundried tomatoes, wide noodles tossed in a garlic cream sauce) which was very tasty and rich.
  
  All of us ended up getting our food "doggy-bagged" since we filled up on bread and appetizers and needed to save room for dessert.
  
  DESSERTS: The old guy had a Cannoli (crispy shell filled with pistachio ricotta filling with chocolate chips on the outside) which was sweet and just right. Lil mama had a Mini White Chocolate Cheesecake (with with white chocolate shavings & raspberry sauce) was very good, homemade and not too sweet. I had the Chocolate Kahlua Mousse which was light and creamy tasting the chocolate flavors.
  
  SERVICE: The service was very professional throughout the entire meal. Our waiter (James) explained the menu very well and checked up on us often offering complementary refills on coffee, brought out a complementary fresh Diet Coke with lemon without asking, and delivered our food and clearing dishes in a timely manner. We were also offered fresh ground black pepper and sprinkled cheese on various food items.
  
  Overall, I had a fantastic birthday dinner with great food and service. The 4 course "supper club" was a great deal! My folks really enjoyed Bellini's as well and told me, excellent choice at picking a place for dinner. Bellini's Italian Eatery of Slingerlands gets a well deserved 5 STARS.
  
  WEBSITE: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eatdrinkbellinis.com&s=c8db43d69ee38201999fabad40946c3c3706eb4ea275a686030cd18504fa5bfd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.eatdrinkbelli…</a>
  
  IRRELEVANT YELP FUN: This is the second restaurant named Bellini I've yelped. Not connected to this restaurant, Bellini Restaurant & Lounge in Dunedin, FL was a 4 star experience for me.
  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/bellini-restaurant-and-lounge-dunedin">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>

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  Posted on 09.09.09 Ian W.

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