If you’ve ever vacationed in Monterey, California, you’ve probably stuffed yourself silly on the delicious seafood. Crab, lobster, shrimp, prawns, halibut, scallops….you name it and you can get it in Monterey, usually done to perfection. There are all kinds of great seafood restaurants, fancy, casual and everything in between. So you might be surprised that I’m going to recommend that when you are in the Monterey area, you ought to make dinner plans at Caruso’s, a traditional Italian restaurant, that doesn’t necessarily specialize in seafood.
Caruso’s has been in Monterey for over half a century, but it doesn’t feel old or stuffy. The tables are small and close together, but it feels open and light. Our waiter was a master at shifting items on our table so the small space never felt confining.
It was difficult to choose a dish from Caruso’s menu, because everything sounded good. My husband and I finally settled on the meat and spinach ravioli with marinara sauce for me and chicken parmesan for him, with a starter of fried calamari.
First came a trip to the salad bar, which was refreshing because I have come to expect salad bars in most restaurants to offer the same bag-o-salad fare, but the greens were fresh and the additions, although limited in number, all looked good. No wilted mushrooms and canned corn here. I loaded up on the garbanzo beans, olives and house dressing. The bread, waiting for us upon our return from the salad bar was crusty and obviously fresh-baked. I could have made a meal with my salad and that bread and been satisfied.
The calamari came, and at first I passed. My husband always orders the calamari, but I don’t usually find it worth the calories when it isn’t done properly. He convinced me to try it, though, and I was in for a pleasant surprise. The calamari was firm but not overdone, and the breading was light and not greasy. I’ve never had better.
Needless to say, the rest of the meal was terrific. My ravioli was excellent and the marinara, although a little on the sweet side, was not too heavy and tasted garden-fresh. The chicken parmesan was excellent as well, but the best part of my husband’s meal was the vegetable pasta dish that came on the side. Lightly sautéed vegetables, including white mushrooms done just right, mixed with tri-color pasta in a light sauce was the perfect accompaniment to the heavier chicken parmesan.
I’ve gushed enough. Lest you think I gush easily, I don’t. I’m difficult to please when it comes to restaurants. So consider Caruso’s, even if it’s seafood your after. The lady at the table next to me had some delicious looking prawns atop her pasta alfredo. She left three of them there. If I wasn’t so stuffed, I might have asked her for one. Or three.