Bite Of The Week: Heirloom Tomato Salad At Bella Gioia

If you’re looking for a way to savor the last days of summer in a few bites, you should head down to 4th Avenue’s Sicilian restaurant, Bella Gioia, and order yourself the heirloom tomato salad.

Opened in April, the restaurant serves up chef and owner Nico Daniele’s updated version of his Italian family’s specialties, hoping to “bring Sicily to Brooklyn,” he told us at the time. And in the comfortable dining area, enjoying a classic Negroni (or an updated version), you’ll definitely feel a bit like you’re on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

When you’re looking at the menu trying to decide on what to order, you might do best just to share a bunch of things with your table. That way, nobody will miss out on the heirloom tomato salad ($13), served with an impossibly creamy burrata cheese, a bright basil pesto, and a bit of arugula. It’s almost all the best things about summer on one plate, and it’s light enough to leave plenty of room for pasta.

They do a happy hour at the bar Tuesday through Friday from 5pm-8pm ($8 well cocktails and half off beers), and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays they offer a $21, three-course prix fixe menu. And in addition to dinner service, they’ve also recently added brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-3pm — that menu includes a burger, panini, fritata, a potato and cheese pie, ravioli, and more — which we’re looking forward to trying out soon.

Bella Gioia is located at 209 4th Avenue near the corner of Union Street, 347-223-4176. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday 5:30-10pm, Friday 5:30pm-11pm, Saturday 11am-11pm, and Sunday 11am-8pm; closed Mondays.