On the Menu: A new Che Bello to open in February with chefs from former 21 North

Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times
·5 min read

Martinsville's loss of the restaurant 21 North Eatery + Cellar is Bloomington's gain. The Martinsville restaurant at 21 N. Jefferson St. closed its doors for the final time on Dec. 30, 2023.

Now Chef Matt Harakal and executive chef Steve Martinez are with the new Che Bello Italian restaurant at 106 W. Sixth St.

The downtown Bloomington restaurant, previously owned by Wow Food Group, is currently closed as it transitions to new ownership. The chefs are hoping to have the doors open by mid-February.

The actual restaurant won't change that much — it will still have seating for about 180 people with a private room in the back for up to 40 people. With seating on one side for families with children, a kids' menu will be available. There will be games on the TVs and live piano music on weekend evenings.

The restaurant will continue to serve beer, wine and cocktails. A new menu for those is expected soon.

Che Bello Italian restaurant in Bloomington will serve freshly baked Roman-style pizzas when it reopens under new ownership in February.
Che Bello Italian restaurant in Bloomington will serve freshly baked Roman-style pizzas when it reopens under new ownership in February.

The biggest change will be the food. Harakal and Martinez will create made-from-scratch, craft Italian cuisine alongside a few American classics with a gourmet twist using seasonal and local ingredients.

In addition to dine-in, Che Bello will have carry-out. The restaurant will offer brunch from 8 to 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will be open daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for lunch and 4-10 p.m. for dinner. Homemade pizzas will be available all day. Espresso drinks of all sorts and fresh juice also will be available all day.

The brunch menu will include panettone French toast made with traditional sweet bread, berries and syrup. Another option will be strawberry cream cheese-stuffed French toast. Pancakes are served with whipped honey butter and syrup, blackberries and chocolate chips. In addition to the usual breakfast plates, Che Bello will have biscuits and gravy, breakfast pizza and a vegetable frittata made with whisked eggs, ricotta, sundried tomato, spinach and mozzarella.

The vegetable panini, served with truffle parm fries, will be on the menu at the new Che Bello next month. A calamari appetizer can be seen in the background.
The vegetable panini, served with truffle parm fries, will be on the menu at the new Che Bello next month. A calamari appetizer can be seen in the background.

The lunch menu is bountiful. Appetizers include fried calamari; truffle parm, dipping fries served with marinara, garlic aioli and pesto aioli; spinach and artichoke dip served with crispy pita; and mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, parsley and butter. Selections include a house salad, Caesar salad, stuffed burrata salad and soups, along with sandwiches: paninis; muffuletta; a wood-grilled Italian burger; and a meatball sandwich, all served with truffle parm fries.

Specialty pizzas are caprese, with basil, pesto, sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and sea salt; Sicilian upside down, with baked mozzarella on the bottom, topped with fresh tomato sauce, herbs and sea salt; bacon and blue cheese with a white sauce, bacon, mushrooms, rosemary and blue cheese; and pear and gorgonzola with extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella and prosciutto.

A peppercorn crusted New York strip steak, topped with white wine asiago sauce and served over red pepper orzo, is one of the dishes cooked up by the new chefs and owners of Che Bello restaurant in downtown Bloomington.
A peppercorn crusted New York strip steak, topped with white wine asiago sauce and served over red pepper orzo, is one of the dishes cooked up by the new chefs and owners of Che Bello restaurant in downtown Bloomington.

Dinner entrees include a cognac mushroom fettucine flambee that's created tableside for patrons. A Parmesan-Reggiano wheel is brought to the table, set on fire and then the ingredients are mixed into the melting cheese.

Other dishes include a pan-roasted pork chop served with cognac plum glaze and spaghetti with garlic and olive oil; pan-seared salmon with a bourbon citrus glaze and red pepper orzo; stuffed chicken breast with prosciutto, asparagus and brie served over angel hair pasta; grilled scallops with lemon caper butter served with red pepper orzo; a peppercorn-crusted New York strip steak covered with white wine asiago sauce served over red pepper orzo; Tuscan shrimp, sundried tomatoes, artichoke, spinach and garlic Tuscan sauce served over linguini; and spaghetti and house-made meatballs in a vodka marinara sauce.

Some menu items will change seasonally, according to Harakal, who is excited to be opening a restaurant in Bloomington. He explained that many of the patrons of the Martinsville 21 North were from the Bloomington area. And since he lives in Paoli and Martinez lives in Bloomfield, it's going to mean less travel for both.

Other new restaurants: On the Menu: Lincoln Square Pancake House, Rita's Italian Ice now open

Stay tuned for more about the cocktails, other offerings and possibly another restaurant opening with cuisine from Harakal and Martinez.

Planted Bloomington now offers catering, has Valentine's Day menu

Planted Bloomington food truck has started catering events. Planted serves plant-based fare from a seasonal menu. Its food truck offers open-faced sandwiches called flats as well as coconut-based ice cream, sundaes, floats and kombucha.

An open-face sandwich, called a flat, is one of the main items served by Planted Bloomington food truck.
An open-face sandwich, called a flat, is one of the main items served by Planted Bloomington food truck.

The catering menu is different. It has savory snacks including focaccia with mint spring pea cashew, ricotta with seasonal veggies, buffalo cauliflower with vegan ranch, lions mane crab cakes with dip, and spicy, sweet, sticky tofu scallion sesame skewers. Sweet options include chocolate tofu mousse cups, halva snickerdoodles, raspberry blondies and salted caramel brownies. Planted also can create platters, heavy appetizers and full meals.

For its special Valentine's Day menu, available pre-order only, Planted will have eggplant involtini with cashew ricotta and spinach-stuffed eggplant rolls topped with a marinara sauce and served with potato olive focaccia. Dessert options are chocolate truffles, and molten chocolate mini-cake topped with raspberry dust and rose petals. A take-home cocktail mixer of blood orange rose fizz also is available. Go to http://tinyurl.com/ffrhknau to preorder the Valentine's Day items, which are a la carte. Orders are due by Feb. 9.

For more information, email planted.manager@gmail.com.

Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com or 812-331-4359.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington's Che Bello to reopen in February with new chefs, menu