Dining Review -- Stephen Santacroce

Recently I looked over a list of the restaurants I’ve reviewed since I

started doing this nearly three years ago. Not surprising, many of the

restaurants have changed ownership or gone out of business. Restaurateurs

will be the first to tell you that running a successful establishment is

difficult, and that restaurants have one of the highest failure rates of

any new business; subject to the tastes of fickle diners, changing

culinary trends and an unpredictable economy.

With this knowledge, it’s easy to conclude that a restaurant that’s

been in business for 15 or 20 years must be doing something right.

Carmelo’s in Corona del Mar is one restaurant that can make that claim,

having now served a traditional Italian menu to loyal patrons for 17

years.

In recent years, Carmelo’s has been as well known, for better or

worse, for its night life as it has for its dinner menu. The lively bar

features nightly entertainment, and Carmelo’s late closing time ensures

that it’s a popular spot for the trendy Newport crowd to meet for one

last nightcap.

Carmelo’s occupies a prominent spot on East Coast Highway, and its red

neon sign makes it hard to miss. In the balmier summer months, the

outdoor patio fronting the sidewalk along East Coast Highway is crowded

with casual diners or those out for a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.

Inside, one enters directly into the bar, a large inverted “U” that

always seems busy. The bar includes a dimly lighted seating area, and a

dance floor and stage that is the focal point for weekend revelers.

To the right, as you enter the restaurant, you see the large main

dining room, an elegant affair with high ceilings, cool white plaster

walls and crystal chandeliers that cast a festive glow. Classic Italian

scenes adorn the walls, and a color portrait of a young Carmelo, looking

like a 1940s celebrity, adorns a prominent spot. Beyond the main room,

two smaller rooms provide a cozier setting amid a trickling fountain or

the restaurant’s wine collection.

Consistency is a must for any restaurant’s longevity, and Carmelo’s

begins with an owner and head chef that have both been at the restaurant

since day one. Carmelo Manto purchased the building 17 years ago, after

having worked there for six years when the restaurant had a different

name. His chef, Celso Razo, has been with the family since the beginning,

finely tuning his menus over the years.

Most Italian meals begin with antipasto, appetizers in sharing-size

portions crafted to open the palate while enjoying a cocktail or

aperitif. Carmelo’s has duplicated the custom of many restaurants in

Italy, and presents an assortment of antipasto arrayed on a table in the

center of the main dining room.

Order a plate ($8.95) and your waiter will bring an assortment of

treats that might include marinated mushrooms or artichoke hearts,

grilled eggplant wrapped around some light ricotta cheese, or some salty

cured meats. A complimentary bowl of olives on each table completes the

selection. If I wanted to be picky, I might suggest that the bread served

should be a heartier Italian loaf than the light French baguette offered.

As many of my readers know, one of the things I judge an Italian

restaurant by is the fried calamari ($8.50). Carmelo’s calamari is as it

should be, lightly dusted with seasoned flour and bread crumbs, and

quickly fried in hot oil. The result is tender and crisp, with no greasy

aftertaste. The marinara sauce served alongside could have used a bit

more kick, maybe I’ll ask for some red pepper flakes on my next visit.

The carpaccio ($9.95) is another good choice. Lean raw filet mignon is

sliced so thin that light passes through, and is dressed simply with good

olive oil, lemon, capers and some fresh Parmigiana cheese. The flavor of

the raw beef is as delicate as the slices themselves, and the lemon and

oil enhance but don’t overpower.

Carmelo’s also offers a good selection of soups and salads, including

a Caesar salad for two ($7.95) that’s prepared table side, and a

traditional stracciatella ($7), Italy’s version of egg drop soup.

Chef Razo organizes his entrees in typical Italian fashion, offering

pasta and rice dishes as the first course, and meat and seafood as the

second, or main course. Don’t let the nomenclature fool you, however, the

pasta courses are definitely meal-sized, in fact all of the portions at

Carmelo’s are enough to start thinking leftovers as soon as you arrive.

Pasta dishes at Carmelo’s include favorites such as a hearty linguine

with clams ($13.95) that sports enough garlic to kill any lurking

vampires and clams that are served in their shells, as they should be.

Rigatoni alla Siciliana ($12.95) is another good choice, pairing thick

pasta tubes with thin slices of fried eggplant and chunks of melting

mozzarella in a zesty tomato sauce.

Another creative combination features wide papardelle noodles ($15)

tossed with artichokes, mushrooms and scallops in a tomato sauce

lightened to a pink hue by a touch of cream. My only pasta disappointment

was the gnocchi ($15.95), a dish that sounded promising with a sauce

studded with prosciutto and porcini mushrooms, but was ruined by heavy

and overcooked dumplings.

Throughout a meal at Carmelo’s, you’ll be well-taken care of by the

attentive wait staff and maitre de. I was impressed on a recent visit

when they offered, without prompting, to create a dish of two half-orders

of pasta when I couldn’t decide between choices.

On another visit, they scored more points when I ordered a bottle of

Amarone from the wine list. I didn’t realized there were two selections,

one priced twice that of the other, and the server brought the cheaper

bottle by default when he could have easily tried to push the more

expensive choice.

Another standard at any Italian restaurant is the veal dishes.

Unfortunately, it’s here that Carmelo’s shows room for improvement. A

dish such as veal saltimbocca ($19.95) starts with slices of veal loin

pounded thin, topped with a few sage leaves and a bit of prosciutto, and

sauteed quickly in a light brown sauce, sometimes flavored with some wine

or mushrooms. Carmelo’s gets all the ingredients right but made the

cardinal sin of overcooking the veal, rendering it tough and chewy.

Conversely, a recent portion of veal Marsala ($19.95) saw the veal

slices cooked perfectly, only to have the delicate flavor of the meat

drowned by the cloying flavor of too much sweet Marsala wine. A more

attentive hand on both dishes would have made each perfect.

There are no complaints, on the other hand, with dishes such as the

gamberi indivolati ($21), large shrimp cooked in a spicy arrabiata sauce

served over a bed of linguine. The shrimp were as large as small lobsters

but remained succulent and tender, and the sharp tomato sauce added a

welcome kick.

Despite a misstep or two, Carmelo’s provides diners every reason to

visit the restaurant for more than dancing and cocktails. The elegant

atmosphere, Old World service and time proven menu are the elements of

lasting success, providing a welcome trip down Corona del Mar’s memory

lane.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’S restaurant reviews appear every other Thursday.

Send him your comments at sdsanta@oc-dining.com.

FYI

* What: Carmelo’s

* Where: 3520 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar

* When: 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday

* How much: Expensive

* Call: (949) 675-1922