While in San Juan Bautista over Christmas I got to spend a night out with James and Kate in Carmel. We kicked off our evening at the Caraccioli Cellars Tasting Room. Kate and I enjoyed a glass of their award winning Brut Rose. It was lovely, blend of not too sweet and not too dry. It was the perfect start to our meal to come!
Little Napoli is an Italian restaurant located in the heart of Downtown Carmel. James and kate like coming here so they wanted me to experience their little spot. We had late reservations but I was amazed at how packed the place was. I love a restaurant that serves late into the night. It was a quaint space, the lights were low and I felt like I was transported to somewhere in Italy.
When I saw that they had an appetizer special of Truffle Gnocchi I knew instantly that is what I wanted to start our meal off with. I ordered up the baked pillowy clouds of awesome intending to share but found myself pretty much polishing off the dish on my own. It would make an excellent entree order!
Hey guess what y'all?! I didn't order seafood for dinner! This has got to be a first in a long, long time. I saw the New Zealand Lamb Shank "Osso Buco"on the menu and decided that sounded great. My lamb shank was very tasty, totally tender and the perfect amount of food for me. It came with mashed potatoes and they were a tasty compliment to the rich sauce made from the braised lamb and vegetables.
Kate did something every little foodie loves... She ordered off a secret menu! She almost spoke in code with our waitress! So cool. Kate wanted: roasted chicken, no skin, with special pink sauce and potatoes. It was amazing. The potatoes that usually come with the dish are oven roasted however they did not have them on hand that day so mashed potatoes were substituted and they just kind of disintegrated into the sauce. I think pasta might have been a better substitution because that sauce was so good.
James ordered up the Chicken Parmigiana and it was jam packed with food. The "gravy" that the fried chicken was topped with was very good. The right amount of tang to sweet ratio. A healthy blanket of mozzarella was broiled on top. I switched plates with James at the tail end of our meals so I could sample his meal, and he could try mine. Bites of the chicken entree and tender house made pasta were delightful.
At this point we were almost uncomfortably full so we declined on dessert. Little Napoli was a great place for our little night out on the town. I enjoyed the ambiance, food and most of all the time i got to spend with my brother and Kate!
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