Desserts Save the Day at Belvedeer’s

Belvedeer’s
3061 N. College Ave.
Fayetteville

On a recent lunch trip to Belvedeer’s Italian restaurant we were “whelmed,” as one member of our group termed it. That means we weren’t overwhelmed, but we weren’t underwhelmed either. We were just whelmed.

After an appetizer and four entrees, we pretty much agreed that the food was average. Then the dessert came, and we ratcheted Belevedeer’s up half a star.

We started with a bottle of the house Merlot (M.G. Vallejo, 1998). The wine ($13 per bottle, $6 per glass) was acceptable but not exceptional.

For an appetizer, we chose the artichoke heart dip ($6). We were a little confused when it arrived because it didn’t look anything like a dip. Pieces of artichoke heart were covered in cheese and swimming in oil alongside sun-dried tomatoes. The dish was good and unique, but like the wine, not great.

One diner at our table had the chicken Marsala ($6.50), a boneless, skinless chicken breast sauteed in creamy Marsala mushroom sauce.

“It was OK,” our diner said. “It tasted like peanuts.”

Another diner at our table had the “chicken thermador” lunch special ($4). The dijon cream sauce made the chicken and ziti dish very tasty, but there was a lot more ziti than chicken.

Another at our table ordered the special fish of the day, a large serving of grouper in a creamy pesto sauce ($7).

“It was … fishy,” she said, “not particularly flaky. The pasta was good. I sort of ended up eating around the fish.”

Yet another diner had the shrimp marinara pasta ($7). He said the sauteed shrimp, served on a bed of linguini, was “very good.”

For dessert, we ordered the chocolate genache with raspberry sauce, something countries should go to war over, and the tiramisu, which also got rave reviews. Both desserts were rich and delicious, the highlight of the meal.

As far as we were concerned, the desserts saved the day. We left the restaurant feeling full and happy.