We were seated immediately in the moderately full first floor dining area, replete with a pianist who delighted us for the majority of our meal. We were served a coarse, room temperature white bread with olive tapenade to start. The rest of my companions enjoyed the bread but I didn't find it very impressive. It was probably the hunger that set in after waiting for our meals for so long that made the bread so appealing.
For starters, I was delighted with my Warm Spinach Salad ($8) with spiced candied walnuts, caramelized pears, blue cheese, Gorgonzola and peppercorn dressing on heated, almost wilted, spinach leaves. The walnuts were tasty, but the spice and sugar burned my throat after the first few bites. The salad had just the right amount of cheese. I found the dressing tasteless and superfluous with the blue cheese in the dish. The salad had really fun thin sheets of pear that were like flaky little candies. In addition, there were cubed chunks of pears but so few that finding one was like finding a ripe banana at Val.
Emily ordered the Avocado Salad ($8), as usual, but was disappointed to find that it wasn't the Avocado Salad usually presented. The waiter had either forgotten about it, or not heard her order it. Eventually, the salad arrived. It was a very flavorful salad of mesclun greens, thick slices of avocado, tomatoes, creamy goat cheese, one grape, and a very lemony citrus vinaigrette.
Rhea ordered the Buona Bucca ($7) from the Piattini (tapas-like small plate) section of the menu. These "mozzarella puffs" are two large globs of mozzarella stuffed with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. The puffs are fried and served very oily with capers and a little side serving of greens. Rhea loved them but I thought the excess oil detracted from the flavor of the mozzarella. Unfortunately, Carmelina's was out of eggplant, in addition to a few other items that night, so the poor vegetarian had even fewer options to choose from.
After the length of time it took for our salads and appetizers to come, our waiter pacifically assured us he had "a strong suspicion" our dinners would be out soon. I've certainly never heard a waiter suspect things about dinner, but thankfully he was about as accurate as an Amherst weatherman saying it would be cold, windy and cloudy.
For her entrée, Rhea ordered the Angel Hair Puttanesca ($12). The angel hair comes with capers, basil, and an extravagant amount of olives in a dark, tart tomato sauce. Rhea liked it but said it was not her favorite dish there. I thought it was pretty awful and would never order it.
What I did order, however, was an incredible Pesce Pistacchio ($20). Carmelina's allows you to choose your type of fish and how you would like it cooked, just like restaurants do with steak. They then bake it in a light garlic and pistachio crust, which I wish was thicker. Both Emily and I ordered the dish with salmon, and were both in culinary heaven for a solid 20 minutes. The crunch of the pistachio crust and the soft, pillow-like consistency of the salmon were a perfect combination. The salmon came with a most delicious sautéed zucchini "pappardelle." I'm not quite sure why they decided to call the zucchini "pappardelle" except for the fact that it's as thick as pappardelle pasta. Zucchini is thick and disc-shaped while pasta is limp and rectangular. Hmm. Anyway, it tasted magnificently and added a nice consistency to a forkful of crusted salmon. My salmon dish was also graced with three small pieces of potato. The kitchen might have wanted to make sure one Pesce Pistacchio with potatoes was not going to the same table as another Pesce Pistacchio without potatoes since Emily's dish had none.
Our waiter was pretty foolish about many things he said and did, including the several times we were told "I'll be right with you" although he never came. The biggest gaffe he made was interrupting our dessert decision-making process. Once you do that, it's all over. Seriously. It also made for a super awkward situation between us as diners and him as the interjecting waiter. Luckily, our dessert orders arrived promptly and as buttery, sugary and sinful as we wanted.
There were four desserts offered that night: Tiramisu, Chocolate Chip Cannoli, Crème Brûlée and Flourless Chocolate Torte. Among the five us, we ordered one of each. I was pretty proud of us, needless to say. Rhea and Mr. Ghosh shared the Crème Brûlée. It was a really good rendition of a traditional crème brûlée, dusted lightly with powdered sugar. My Tiramisu was massive, creamy, light and so much fun to eat. Dipping my spoon into it was like digging into a cloud. It was drizzled with chocolate sauce and served with a few strawberries. I would have liked it better with more strawberries. I know I say this every time I have Tiramisu, but Pasta E Basta's is still my favorite. Emily had the Cannoli which had an extremely thick, flaky crust and a smooth, ricotta cream and chocolate chip interior. She devoured it, only sparing a few bites. It was good, but I thought Samir's Flourless Chocolate Torte took the cake. Haha. Get it?
This torte was a killer. I'd say it's on par with Judie's Chocolate Decadence. And that's a bold statement. The torte was a dark chocolate concoction with a mousse-like consistency. It was the kind of dessert you take tiny forkfuls of just to make it last longer. The torte was drizzled with caramel sauce and served with whipped cream and strawberries. I was in heaven.
Carmelina's desserts rescued the overall meal from being just good to very good. Aside from a few letdowns, the meal was tasty and satisfying. I will certainly make an effort to return before graduation … even if only for another bite of the torte.
For a good time (at dinner) contact Leigh for her recommendations at lfrivlin@amherst.edu.