GUSTO
| Friday September 28, 2007
By Janice Okun, News Restaurant Reviewer
Real Italian
- Carmelo’s offers
an authentic dining experience
(Out of 4)
This
is a cozy little restaurant in the center of Lewiston where,
now that the Artpark summer season is over and all the tourists
are out of the way, everyone seems to know everyone else.
The beamed ceiling is low in both the bar room and adjoining
dining room, the lighting is pleasant, and there's a contented
buzz of happy customers all around.
And, it may not surprise you to learn, the menu is as Italian
as it can be.
It's authentic Italian, actually. It was a surprise to find
the Tuscan soup Ribollita ($6) listed - there aren't too
many restaurants around here that offer this concoction,
which is supposed to be so thick that a spoon can stand
in it unassisted. (The base is stale bread, after all) We
could not wait to order it. Sure enough, it was authentic
enough in texture, though not quite as full flavored as
we would have liked.
Much better as a starter was the Foccacia ($7.50) - a real
winner. Thin crusted and adorned with gorgonzola, loads
of caramelized onions and a bit of crushed thyme, we simply
could not stop eating it. One foccacia can serve as an appetizer
for a table of not-too-peckish four.
Even the salad here had unusual touches. The house salad,
a mixture of greens, was topped with strands of grated carrot
- fair enough. But something else acted as garnish along
with the carrot. What could it be? Yes indeed. It was .
. . grated turnip - a nice surprise.
Classic Bolognese ($21) was just that, the real thing. Wide
pappardelli was covered with a well-seasoned, thick topping
of veal, pork and pancetta - not drowning in watery tomato
sauce, please note. And I'll also give an A-plus to the
Prosciutto-wrapped Filet Mignon ($36) with its zingy blue
cheese coating. The meat came along with sage pesto, fried
gnocchi and the melange Carmelo calls Summer Vegetable Ratatouille.
Other main dishes include a Shellfish Risotto Milanese (with
andouille, $28), Day Boat Scallops Gorgonzola ($26) and
Baked Haddock stuffed with capers ($17).
Even the desserts were interesting. OK, so the Risotto Pudding
with Nutella and White Chocolate was disappointing, not
so much for the chocolate but the pudding itself. It really
was made from risotto - the arborio-type rice had been slowly
cooked with liquid added to it, making it heavier and lumpier
than the rice pudding most of us are used to. And, I can't
really believe as a certified Nutella lover I'm saying this,
but the chocolate/hazelnut spread didn't seem to fit very
well. It seemed to jar.
And then there was the Blue Cheese-stuffed Bosc Pear. The
fruit was definitely al dente, so a, knife and fork were
necessary. But, on the other hand, the Thyme Honey accompaniment
was very, very nice 
