The restaurant’s interior is attractive, sleek and trendy with very intriguing light fixtures, tables made from Brazilian wood and a creative rainforest-inspired wall feature in the back corner of the dining area. As with all of Ullio’s restaurants, there is a hip and trendy vibe involved, but don’t let that fool you into thinking there’s no substance beneath the glitz.
What is special about Ullio’s restaurants is that while they may have that “see-and-be-seen” vibe, they also deliver the goods when it comes to the food. Sotto Sotto helped raise the bar for Italian cuisine in Atlanta by introducing the diverse specialties from the many regions of Italy with simply but expertly prepared dishes. Beleza seeks to do the same with a much more radical menu concept, bringing elements of Brazilian cuisine with a dedication to healthy, organic ingredients.
The chef, a young and talented woman named Michelle McKenzie, started her studies in biochemistry before going to culinary school, and it’s clear she understands the intricate relationship of diverse and unique flavor and texture pairings. She’s also very personable, working the floor by chatting with guests and delivering dishes. She was eager to receive feedback about the menu, and clearly is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the ingredients in her creations. Equally as enthusiastic and hard-working is Riccardo Ullio, who socializes with guests while delivering dishes and helping clean up tables. Ullio is always charming and charismatic, but he also is quite serious about his new projects and it is clear he has put a great deal of time, thought and effort into making them successful.