text: Stumbled across this place my last night in Pittsburgh and was very impressed Great build out very quaint and rustic with exposed brick and dark wood furniture Definitely a great date restaurant unfortunately I was with my coworker so their was no cuddling up over a bottle of Pinot nnOur server Jodi was super friendly and outgoing She was actually getting ready to leave Pittsburgh for Boulder Colorado likely a big loss for the restaurant because she made us feel at home and she did a great job of walking us through the menu nnThe owner and executive chef Jason Capps was actually working on some new menu items and he was kind enough to let us test an appetizer and a side dish He was really personable and you could tell he was passionate about his restaurant and food He checked in with us throughout the meal and we shared stories about some of the restaurants we tried in Pittsburgh as well as our favorite places to eat in Los Angeles He has just visited LA so we had plenty to talk about Apparently Bella Sera is a fairly new restuarant and a compliment to his already successful catering company All I can say is that Jason is great guy chef and I am confident that his restaurant will be as successful as his catering business nnHe made us some amazing veal sausage meatballs definitely amazing The taste and texture was spot on the gravy was top notch as well He also made us some brussel sprouts and panchetta ham blanched and cooked in oil let me say WOW Generally speaking I loathe brussel sprouts but these were delicious They were not at all bitter and melted in your mouth I will never complain about panchetta being incorporated into any meal fantasticnnI was nursing a pretty rough hangover and felt the need for something heavy and comforting so I ordered the chicken carbonara and was blown away It was everything I hope for succulent and creamy but not overwhelmingly rich The portion was perfect too just enough to feel satisfied but not enough for an immediate carb nap nnMy colleague ordered the special half a baked chicken on the bone with a mustard rub garlic roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables He ranted and raved about how much it loved it I tried a piece of his chicken and the rub was to die for nnIn the end I felt vindicated after having a string of soso meals in Pittsburgh I would highly highly recommend that you give this place a try For me a big part of dining out is the experience the ambiance the service etc etc Obviously the food is important but it is only one piece of the puzzle for me This place is the total package you will not be disappointed