HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 Nov 18 - Cape Cod Times Article: "Let's do lunch:..."27
Let's do lunch: CaFlUCCIO'S seFves up family -style favorites
By CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL
choch@capecodonline.com
n authentic Italian deli is not
easily found on the Cape. I
have been on the hunt for
such an establishment for
the past year. When my hus-
band and I came upon Carluccio's
for lunch one recent afternoon,
I had a gut feeling we had made
the discovery. The atmosphere is
casual and low-key.
The six tables set the tone
as they are topped with classic,
green -checkered tablecloths. We
were situated directly in front of
the pizza -making nook, where
we could watch the cook roll out
fresh dough.
The decor consists mainly of
family photos from way back
when and not so long ago.
Co-owner Carlo Perugia consid-
ers the eatery part of a family
tradition since his late father,
an Italian immigrant, owned two
restaurants in upstate New York.
Perugia says he wanted to bring
the North End to the Cape. He
does so quite literally by selling
desserts from Modern Pastry,
a Hanover Street bakery often
considered the gold standard for
Beantown Italian sweets.
The no-frills service was
surprisingly charming. The food
arrived piping hot, nestled in to -
go containers, which immediately
lets you off the hook to finish in
one sitting. After careful consid-
eration, we opted for the Sicilian
Potatoes ($6.95). The thinly
sliced roasted potatoes came out
topped with a sauce of minced
prosciutto and cherry peppers,
breadcrumbs, Romano cheese
'And heavy garlic. This delighted
my husband - a confirmed garlic
fiend. I enjoyed it as well, but it
bordered on being over the top.
CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL/CAPE COD TIMES
Carluccio's co-owner Carlo Perugia says he wanted to bring the
flavor of Boston's North End to Yarmouth with an eatery that hand -
rolls pizza dough and makes its own pasta.
Carluccio's
16 N. Main St., South Yarmouth
508-694-6586,508-694-6583
www.carluccioscape.com
Next we tried one of the sig-
nature pizzas, a small caprese
($12.95), which is a sauceless piz-
za. The dough had a mild, yeasty
flavor and there was no scrimp-
ing on the toppings. The pie was
heaped with generous quantities
of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto
slices, tomatoes and herbs. I took
no issue with the pizza, but my
husband said it was a little soggy
in some spots and lacked flavor
with only garlic and olive oil as a
base layer.
For a last entree, I took the
cook's advice and ordered an
off -menu dish, the Veal Parmesan
($9.99) with fresh linguine. The
cutlet was tender, seasoned well
and not too thick on the breading.
The homemade tomato sauce had
a hearty texture, tasting simple
and sweet. The kitchen has my
respect for making the pasta
from scratch, but I must note that
it was slightly overcooked and
not drained well. The otherwise
successful dish was muddled by
the shallow pool of water that
emerged underneath the deli-
cious veal.
Even though we were complete-
ly stuffed, I couldn't resist the
dessert display. We split a cannoli.
The Modern Pastry shell was
filled on the spot with Carluccio's
own velvety cream. I was a little
disappointed that there weren't
any chocolate chips dangling
from each end, but I got over it
when I tasted the sumptuous
ricotta mixture, quickly realizing
the restaurant's recipe needs no
accents.
All in all, our lunch experience
was mixed but definitely teetering
more on the side of satisfaction.
You can't beat the more than
reasonable prices and the quality
ingredients speak for themselves.
It won't be my last visit; I still
need to sample the deli sandwich-
es and wedding soup.