Sometimes you just feel like Italian – food that is. Since Olivate closed in Albemarle Square, we have not settled in on one regular Italian Restaurant, though we often visit Travinia’s and find it quite good – depending on the waiter that evening. But when I think of an Italian ristorante, I think of soft music, a glass of smooth red wine, candlelight and elegant dining.
This past Sunday, Nancy and I made our second visit to Carmello’s Ristorante Italiano, and once again, I was quite taken with the food.
For an appetizer, we ordered a single dish of Calamari. It was a huge serving and as good as I’ve ever eaten. Tender, crispy, just right. There must have been more than two-dozen calamari rings and I ate most of them. The Marinara sauce was just fair, a little lumpy and hard to get to adhere to the Calamari, but that appetizer didn’t need much. It was truly delicious.
For dinner – as is my wont at Italian restaurants – I ordered veal, a special they called Veal Delanona, which I think roughly translates to Veal by Grandmother.
It was fabulous. Generous portions of fork-tender veal were smothered with a glazed sauce of wine, olives and mushrooms and ladled atop a bed a of angel hair pasta. Wow! If you enjoy veal, try this dish sometime.
Nancy said her clams and linguine was okay, but too much garlic in the pasta and sauce, she said.
Carmello’s has been serving up genuine “Northern Italian” cuisine for 25 years. The northern Italians love rich, creamy sauces (like my veal dish) while the southerner’s stick to tangy tomato sauces, lots of olive oil and seafood.
The dining room at Carmello’s is elegant and the wait staff quite professional. I still miss my friends at Olivate, but Carmello’s comes in as a close second. They are located in the Twentyninth Place Shopping Center (formerly Shopper’s World) across from Fashion Square Mall. Call them for reservations at 434-977-5200 or go to www.carmellosrestaurant.com.