Monday, June 7. Carmelo's Light Lunch. The Marys were up for lunch, and Carmelo's enticed them most. We were upset by what we found there, even though it was typical for a Monday in summer in Mandeville. At half-past noon, we were the only ones in the place for the first half-hour. Meanwhile, down the walk, in the same building, the stridently mediocre Bistro Byronz had a healthy traffic.
Mary Leigh had an explanation for this. "What do you expect? It's Mandeville!" I had no other explanation to offer.
Neither our waiter nor Carmelo himself were too worked up about the paradox. Instead, the raved about fish--there they were, whole trout and redfish in the glass-front refrigerator case. Carmelo sent a small order of manicotti for the three of us to share. Manicotti is a dish I love, even though it's so simple that I'm mildly ashamed of myself. It's authentic Italian macaroni and cheese, but with much better pasta, cheese, and sauce than the American kind. The pasta is a sheet, rolled up around a stuffing of ricotta and romano cheese, and underlined by a fresh-tasting, chunky red sauce. Then run under the broiler to melt to slice of provolone on top of that.
Also on the table was an order of garlic bread. When it came out, we knew we'd never had it here before. It was like what you'd get in Italy if you asked for garlic bread, where the concept is unheard of except when tourists bring it up. Slices of fresh garlic on olive-oil-moistened ciabatta bread--not what the thoroughly Americanized Marys had in mind. I couldn't figure out why they hadn't ordered their usual favorite, the tomato-basil bruschetta, but I kept that to myself. They want no advice from me.
My side of the table had an insalata Caprese--fresh-milk mozzarella, thick slices of tomato (Creole, said Carmelo), and fresh basil. Just what I wanted, but maybe a bit too big given what else was on the menu.
The girls--both more concerned about staying trim than enjoying themselves--had only entrees. Mary Ann's was broiled salmon with some harmless vegetables. Mary Leigh asked for rigatoni bolognese. She found that, like the garlic, bread, it was different from what she had in mind. It looked like bolognese to me--but the way they do it in Bologna, not in Metairie. (Or Mandeville.)
I was pleased by my main. The order was for veal Marsala, but the waiter insisted on checking to see if any eggplant were already cooked, in which case he would recommend adding it and some prosciutto to the veal to make veal Sorrentino. Do it, I said, thinking of the differences between Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast and the one on Airline Highway. The dish was surmounted by the biggest sage leaf I ever saw--picked from the garden the restaurant planted for herbs in the back. The back? Of a strip mall?
This was too big a meal, and certainly an appetite killer for the rest of the day. Just as well. It left me free to just dive back into the workpile in my office. I didn't finish it. I didn't clean up my office, either. My world of disarray continues.
Ristorante Carmelo. Mandeville: 1901 US Hwy 190 . 985-624-4844. Northern Italian.
