I was bummed to hear about Sullivan’s vacating its downtown Maryville location last year. But it seems that a suitable replacement might have found its way to that same Broadway address. Bella, which belongs to the same family of restaurants as Knoxville’s Kefi and Vida, specializes in Italian cuisine, which was impetus enough for The Grub Spouse and me to drop in for a mid-week dinner last week.

The proprietors have given the former Sullivan’s interior a significant makeover. The configuration of the bar and dining room and even the traffic flow amongst the tables and booths is similar to what it was before. But the general look and feel of the high-ceilinged space is new and noteworthy.