THE most amazing experience of my life (so far) was at Carnevino. It consisted of a multi-course meal and wine pairings for each dish that we were served.
Where to start? I think I'll begin with the food...
- Bread, butter and lardo: Yes, I know... sounds incredibly unhealthy (as I'm sure it was) but it was undeniably DELICIOUS, in particular the "lardo", which consists of lard (pork, I believe) and herbs. It was the perfect spread for the warm ciabatta bread we were served. While eating this, I ordered a glass of Aragone Toscana wine, and my fiance ordered the Tritono Malbec.
- Beef Carpaccio: PERFECT cut of "melt-in-your-mouth" meat, with crostini on the side. I was so happy with it that it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
- Black Fettuccini: Pasta made with squid ink topped with a sauce made with crab, shallots and jalapenos. I have just one thing to say about this- TO DIE FOR.
- Osso Buco a la Milanese served with saffron orzo and gremolata: THE best osso buco I have ever had! The meat literally fell of the bone and it was seasoned perfectly!
- Dry Aged bone in ribeye steak: So... this is kind of pricey, but it is the most amazing steak I have ever had. It has a very unusual but outstandingly delicious taste. It is a pretty big serving, so I'd say it is worth every penny.
- Sides: Mascarpone and Guanciale mashed potatoes (mashed potatoes+mascarpone+ "super" egg= WHO KNEW?!?!?!) and fried polenta cakes. Both sides were fantastic!
We had a different type of wine paired with each of these dishes, recommended by our server. I highly suggest doing this when you are there. It will really add to your experience.
Desserts:
- Hazelnut Semifreddo with fudge sauce
- caramel date fritter (with pistachios) with vanilla gelato
- Gelato trio (vanilla, espresso and mint stracciatella)
- fresh berry tart
ALL desserts were amazing!
We finished off with a digestif- my fiance had montenegro and I had Argiolas Mirto Tremontis.
The service, the ambiance.... spectacular. It will be hard to find a restaurant that even remotely compares to this place where I live in California.
Until I am able to return to Carnevino, I will be daydreaming about it on a very regular basis. It was THAT good. Notice the repeated use of superlatives in my review? Trust me..... it's because Carnevino really is THAT good.