In my humble opinion, Italian is the most beautiful language, and one of the loveliest phrases in Italian is “dolce far niente,” or “how sweet to do nothing.”
And nothing is sweeter than kicking back with good friends and enjoying an excellent leisurely meal during the holiday season. Two of my favorite sidekicks provided the good friends part while Carpaccio Tuscan Kitchen provided the good meal. And a good meal it was, from the time we arrived (to be embraced by the warmth of the ambiance and beautiful decor) until the time we departed, having licked the last delicious remnants of the gelato from our spoons.
Carpaccio is one of the places in town where you can get a really great Sapphire martini, so we did. (In today’s market, $8 for a drink like that is a good price.) Even though the restaurant was crowded on a midweek evening, service was as seamless as we have come to expect. (The only glitch all evening involved the non-arrival of a promised refill of yummy pizza bread for our breadbasket.)
Appetizers always are a treat at Carpaccio, so we each contributed a choice for the pass-around sampling. It’s worthy of note that the menu offers the antipasti in two sizes, thus increasing the options for diners with varying appetite sizes. We ordered the larger size for both the calamari and the crabmeat with avocado and were glad we had.
Even though grilled calamari is offered on the menu, we always like to check out a kitchen’s frying ability and the Calamari Fritti ($7 and $11) provided that opportunity. Exquisitely flash-fried, the squid was a tender contrast to the greaseless savory crunch of the batter. Two dipping sauces were provided, and we gave thumbs up to both but preferred the aioli to the marinara.
Granchio Avocado ($10 and $15) was an enticing creation of avocado mousse highlighted with fresh cilantro, lemon olive oil, diced red peppers and fresh corn. The abundant inclusion of chilled jumbo lump crab put the finishing touches on this delectable starter.
As has been mentioned frequently in this space, try to order the specialty when you visit a restaurant. For example, if an establishment has seafood in its title, don’t order meatloaf and complain because it’s lackluster.
Following this rule, we rounded out our appetizer selections with the Carpaccio Di Manzo Toscano ($14). Paper-thin slices of succulent filet mignon arrived artfully presented on a large plate with mushrooms, baby spinach, generous shavings of authentic parmesan and a liberal drizzling of white truffle oil. It reminded us of why we had ordered it and loved it in the past.
A word to the wise: If you prefer dining as opposed to eating dinner, make it known that you’re there to enjoy an unhurried meal. If serving staff members are well-trained (as they are at Carpaccio), they will pace the arrival of your courses in such a manner that you’ll be able to appreciate a multi-course meal without feeling stuffed.
By the time our entrees were presented, we had been at the table long enough to savor our antipasti and sip languidly at a delightful Ruffino Sangiovese ($28).
Choosing a main course at Carpaccio is problematic, as one is tempted by every category from Brick Oven Pizza to Italian Classics to Pasta Sensations and Acqua/Terra. As it turned out, this visit led all of us to the latter page of the menu with two diners going with Acqua and one with Terra.
From the land section, one member of our party selected Vitello Porcini
($24), a real treat composed of tender pan-seared veal scallopini in a white wine reduction with plenty of porcini mushrooms. An inventive accompaniment of truffle-infused mac and cheese was mouth-watering.
A first-time selection of Polenta di Mare ($30) was so tasty that it will always receive serious consideration on subsequent visits to Carpaccio. Plenty of fresh seafood contributed to the success of this dish – prawns, diver scallops and jumbo lump crab. A delicious scampi sauce and a sprinkle of capers made their donation as well.
The menu mentions that the dish will be served on a crispy polenta, but this polenta – though scrumptious – was not crispy at all.
The third member of our group opted for the Salmon Casino Style ($23) and was most impressed with its concept and execution. The broiled salmon filet boasted a filling of herbed breadcrumbs, bits of bacon, fresh parmesan and fire-roasted peppers. The fish was served atop a delectable crab bisque risotto. Remarkable.
Carpaccio offers a creditable tiramisu, but all we needed to hear was Caramel Gelato ($8) and our unanimous decision was “Bring it on.”
Lingering to finish our wine, we basked in the glow of a perfect evening. Carpaccio celebrated its third anniversary this fall, and it is definitely a star in the Annapolis restaurant scene. Stop in, kick back, relax, eat well, and savor your own unhurried evening. Dolce far niente.
A Final Note: For two inveterate foodies, a visit to a Thomas Keller restaurant is the ultimate pilgrimage.
Too far to travel to dine at The French Laundry in Napa, but the New York City one? Definitely doable.
Chef Keller’s extraordinary talent, creativity and vision are enhanced by his delightful sense of culinary whimsy (one of the amuse bouche delights on the night of our visit involved “ice cream cones” of flat bread studded with black and white sesame seeds and a filling of salmon mousse “ice cream”).
The meal at Per Se was one of the most memorable of a lifetime. Go if you possibly can.
Terra Walters is a freelance writer and editor based in Annapolis.
