Coco Bella Grille
Coco Bella Grille occupies the space formerly held by Peppermill. Though the owner is the same, they have decided to take things a little more “upscale”. When we visited, they had only been “re-branded” for approximately 2 months, so I will forgive some of the issues and chalk it up to the learning curve (hopefully). While we saw many positive things, I just didn’t get that “upscale” feel when we walked in. Even for a Tuesday night, they were empty and the space itself had a few shortcomings. On a positive note, Mr. Z’s chicken parmesan was amazing…..a gigantic portion that was prepared perfectly. We decided to overlook the fact that it may be one of the only Italian restaurants that didn’t serve angel hair pasta! However, I was very disappointed in my Eggplant Parmesan! I have had this dish in so many Italian restaurants that I’ve lost count and it has always been prepared the same way…..thin sliced eggplant, lightly breaded and fried, served with sauce and melted mozzarella cheese……ALWAYS. I was surprised that their preparation was un-breaded and considerably overcooked (read – slimy). The flavor was fine, but the skin of the eggplant was un-chewable and totally turned me off. I asked our server Anthony about it and he said that is the way they’ve always prepared it and was surprised at my disappointment. He was however, very accommodating and offered to bring me something else, but already having filled up on my salad and garlic knots (both very good) I passed on his offer and just shared some of Mr. Z’s chicken!
With so many really good Italian restaurants to choose from; it’s doubtful that we’d revisit Coco Bella (given that the space itself and the somewhat limited menu just don’t translate to the “upscale” prices they charge). That doesn’t mean that many others wouldn’t find it awesome!!! Just sayin…………….
Coco Bella Grille is located at:
7011 Mill Road
Brecksville, OH
(440) 838-6455
https://www.cocobellagrille.com/