Happy Birthday, Bella Bru! 21 YEARS LATER, NEIGHBORHOOD CAFE BRANCHES OUT TO LOUNGING, TOO
BY JESSICA LASKEY SHOPTALK
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wo decades is a long time for any business to last, but in the case of local café Bella Bru, which celebrates its 21st anniversary this month, some things get better with age. “Our business has always been about responding to neighborhood wants and needs,” says Bella Bru owner Liz Mishler. “We started as a cafe, a neighborhood gathering spot that offers affordable, gourmet food in a casual atmosphere. But customers wanted Bella Bru to be more.” Since founding Bella Bru in 1993, Mishler has overseen its steady expansion even amid the economic woes of the past several years. To survive as a restaurant in any climate is a feat, but Mishler was up for the challenge, and adapted accordingly by cutting costs where she could while maintaining the stellar service and impressive menu that had put her on the map. Now Mishler boasts three Bella Bru outposts in the region (at its original location in Carmichael, in Natomas and in El Dorado Hills) and customers couldn’t be happier. But what really makes Mishler grin is the updated Luna Lounge attached to Bella Bru in Carmichael. Although the lounge is seven years old, it recently underwent a patio expansion complete with waterfall that will significantly increase its capacity and ability to serve hungry (and thirsty) Arden-area patrons. “(After we’d been open for a while,) the natural outgrowth was to create Luna Lounge, a neighborhood bar
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Liz Mishler and Mike Carlson of Bella Bru
serving food and beverages,” Mishler explains. “It also offers late-night dining and has a private party room upstairs.” The addition of a full bar helped Bella Bru capitalize on the barfly culture that has seemed to capture the Sacramento imagination over the past decade.
“It’s a challenge to stay current with cocktail trends and match the culinary diversity we’ve established in the cafe,” Mishler says. “We handcraft drinks, from muddled cocktails to the classics—which are making a big comeback. Regular customers stop by many times during the week knowing that there will
always be special additions to the menu like dinner entrées, local beers, wines and specialty cocktails. Some even walk over, getting exercise as well as dinner.” The French-cafe-in-your-ownbackyard appeal of Bella Bru and Luna Lounge continues to draw regular crowds, a testament to Mishler and her team’s consistent, and often cutting-edge, offerings. “We always try to keep abreast of food and drink trends and adapt our menus to reflect those ideas,” Mishler says. “The menus change with the seasons, our creative chefs have nightly specials and the small plate menu has been really popular.” And, as always, Bella Bru’s heavensent bakery scents are like nothing else in town. “We still bake all of our own breads, pies, cakes, bagels and sell to a long list of wholesale customers,” Mishler says. “We even make wedding cakes! The bakery seems to be the best-kept secret in town, but it assures that the (local) cafes will have great baked products—the freshest around.” But Mishler’s proudest accomplishment, after the longevity of her local establishment and the newand-improved Luna Lounge? “We have many customers who have met in the cafe or lounge,” she says. “Many have even married. It’s gratifying to know that we’ve provided a neighborhood gathering place that has resulted in so much happiness.” Keep the fresh-baked bread, delectable dishes and top-notch drinks coming, and we bet Bella Bru will be SHOPTALK page 26