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Caruso's Italian Cafe & Catering Reviews, Awards & Testimonials
Charming Caruso’s serves fresh Italian The upscale dinner house in Keizer offers Northern Italian cuisine. Caruso’s Italian Cafe BY CAROL MCALICE CURRIE, Statesman Journal NAME: Caruso’s Italian Cafe STYLE AND PRICE: Fresh Northern Italian-inspired fare. Entree prices range from $10.50 for several of the pasta dishes to $18.95 for a prime cut of New York strip steak served with a cracked peppercorn, Dijon mustard and caramelized brandy sauce. The restaurant also features Caruso’s Table, a fixed price, multi-course meal prepared by the chef and featuring antipasti, hot appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. The selection for this special varies nightly and runs $25 to $30 a person with a two-person minimum. FIRST IMPRESSION: Keizer now has an upscale dinner house. Small but unconfined dining space with soft, adequate lighting and muted, minimalist decor. ATTIRE: Casual; jacket and tie aren’t required. AMBIANCE: Linen tablecloths and napkins. Full place settings, no paper placemats. THE MENU: Nice selection of appetizers and entrees with an emphasis on Italian, but enough of a selection to please even the most finicky, non-ethnic eaters among us. On our recent visit, we sampled the Antipasto, $6.75, which featured a Spartan but authentic selection of cold marinated vegetables and cured meats, including prosciutto, and Italian cheeses. The marinade was well-spiced, hinting of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil, but it was never overpowering. We also enjoyed one of the pasta dishes, which Caruso’s scales down to appetizer size for $6.95. We tried the Tortellini alla Parmagiana, little pasta pillows with a pork or beef filling and tossed in cream, butter and surprise, Parmesan Reggiano cheese. I revel in the best cheese the town of Parma has to offer, and I’m delighted whenever I find the imported formaggio served locally. Our entrees were accompanied by either soup or salad, and both were pretty standard. The house salad dressing was a wonderfully light oil and vinegar drizzle, and the soup, modeled after the Greek’s avgolemono, was lemon and chicken broth-based. We split the entree menu pretty evenly this night. I tried a favorite of mine, Vitello Saltimbocca, $12.50. The portion of veal was adequate and it was authentic down to the two sage leaves tucked under the Fontina cheese and prosciutto ham atop the medallions. It was deglazed in a slightly puckery sherry and Madeira wine sauce and served with a side of fettuccine Alfredo and the house vegetable. The Alfredo was wonderfully simple and true to it’s origin, but the signature veggie was worth writing about. It’s a braised spinach made decadently rich and sinful with melted cheese and pine nuts. Other guests tried the Pork Loin Chop, $16.50; the New York Steak with Porcini Mushroom Sauce, $16.50; the Pollo Tuscano, chicken breast marinated in olive oil, garlic and Rosemary, $13.50; the Pollo alla Milanese, Parmesan-encrusted chicken, $13.95; and the Italian-American standard Fettuccine Alfredo, $10.50. There were few complaints along the way. The subtly marinated pork loin serving was very generous and the meat cooked well but not overdone. It was fork tender and complemented by wonderful garlic mashed potatoes. Many dinner houses are making garlic mashers a staple, but too often they’re drowning in cream and butter. Caruso’s style was gentle, just lots of roasted garlic and a little thinner. The Tuscano sauce was simple but that’s what the regional fare should be. The emphasis is on herbs, and the flavor was delicious. The Milanese chicken had an unusually thick cheese crust. Not your typical dusting of flour and breadcrumbs, but real cheese possibly fried on the exterior to protect the interior. The New York Steak was too generous a portion to be profitable. Everyone at the table tried a bite, and there was plenty left over. SERVICE: Friendly, attentive, but not smothering. Proprietors Jerry and Angie Phipps have created a warm, inviting cafe with considerable charm. PAYMENT: Caruso’s accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and local checks. With so many great restaurants, Oregon makes your mouth water AN ITALIAN JEWEL: Caruso's, an intimate Italian trattoria in Keizer, is destined, I predict, to be right up with Oregon's best. The new restaurant, owned by Jerry and Angie Phipps, is set back from the main thoroughfare at 4907 North River Road in this town next to Salem. A neat front garden welcomes diners; inside, the warmth of the greeting is matched only by the aromas from Jerry's well-used oven. A half-dozen pasta dishes are featured, ranging from various types of ravioli to imported pasta tubes tossed with sauteed Italian bacon and onions in a smooth cream sauce with parmesan cheese. Ummmm. How about thin imported pasta with smoked salmon, cream and butter to start? Your choice of entrees could be a New York strip steak (flamed in a caramelized brandy sauce), sauteed jumbo prawns topped with bread crumbs (a really delicious dish), marinated breast of chicken on a bed of fettuccine alfredo or veal in a parmesan crust. A specially priced ($25 to $30 per person) multicourse feast, including antipasto, a hot appetizer, salad, entree and dessert is a great value. Finish a memorable meal with a slice of double fudge cake and zabaglione. What a way to go! RESTAURANT REVIEW
The venue is an attractive older home with a stone patio in front. Wooden screens and curtains divide the main dining room into intimate alcoves. Additional seating is available upstairs. The ambiance is inviting. Guy Buffet prints adorn the walls, and the decor includes mesmerizing faux-flame sconces and ivy-draped mirrors. Tables have shaded candle-lamps and sport black over-cloths. The menu is a multi-page affair -- and it was difficult to assimilate the options quickly. I noted similarities to dishes at Alessandro's 120; Caruso's Web site, however, provided the explanation -- chef-owner Jerry Phipps trained under Alessandro Fasani (Alessandro's then chef-owner) and was chef at Alessandro's Park Plaza Restaurant and at the Portland Alessandro's (among other restaurants). The menu's divisions are Italian translations of Starters (six choices, $8 to $9), Pasta (10 alternatives, $13 to $15), Veal & Chicken (three styles of each, $17 to $22), Meat (two steaks; one lamb, $23 to $25), Seafood (fish, shellfish, Bouillabaisse, $15 to $23) and a page of "Additions." The night's specials were Smoked Salmon Ravioli and Escargots in Mushroom Caps. The wine list had a strong selection of reasonably priced Italian wines designated by region. We ordered a glass of the featured red, a delightful Barbera d'Alba ($8). The food was a wonderful surprise. On the surface, the menu seemed to be standard Northern Italian fare, but the descriptions led us to expect creative interpretations. Items had intriguing sauces or were tweaked in original ways. For example, the Seafood Cocktail is tossed in an orange-brandy dressing with olives and slivered almonds ($9). To begin our meal, we ordered Torte di Granchia (crab cakes to the rest of the world, $9) and an appetizer portion of Linguine alla Vongole in redsauce (pasta with fresh clams, $8). Both were excellent. The crab cakes had a crisp exterior and a meltingly soft interior. They were nicely presented on a bed of capellini, surrounded by roasted red pepper sauce. As sometimes happens with roasted red peppers, there was a slight metallic aftertaste, but this mostly disappeared when the sauce was eaten with a bite of crab cake. I have consumed numerous plates of Linguine alla Vongole in my time and would rank Caruso's version among the best of them. A generous portion of clams graced our half-order, but it was the lusty red sauce that stole the show. With chunks of tomato and garlic, chopped herbs and a hint of heat from what I assume were chili flakes, it was extraordinarily flavorful. Pasta-wise, the server said that only the ravioli and "perhaps the tortellini" are made in-house and commented, "As long as it's the best, we take it from all over." Entrees come with soup or salad, warm bread and a lovely toasted garlic and herb oil. Portland French Bakery makes the bread, which was quite good. We ordered the evening's soup -- Creamy Tomato-Artichoke -- and a house salad. The soup exemplified how well uncomplicated ingredients can work together. Take an old-fashioned cream of tomato soup, plunk down pieces of tender artichoke hearts in it, and you have a homey winner. The salad reminded me of those in Europe -- red and green lettuces with creamy balsamic vinaigrette topped with shreds of Parmesan. It also was satisfying in its simplicity. Proportions were on target, and the dressing had a savory kick. I ordered the Pollo alla Caruso ($17). A plump breast of chicken was sauteed in a marvelous sauce that included fresh porcini mushrooms, shallots, Madeira and cream. Accompaniments were garlic mashed potatoes and a square of spinach frittata. Aside from needing salt, each component was splendidly complementary to the others and offered welcome textural contrasts. The chicken was moist and delicious; fried garlic slices mingled with the potatoes; and the frittata was a soothing blend of spinach and eggs. My dining companion opted for the Osso Bucco ($22), which arrived with a gorgeous saffron risotto. The veal shank was beautifully tender, and since veal tends to be bland, the sharp, somewhat medicinal taste of the saffron provided a needed flavor nudge. Desserts ran $4 to $6; they are made in-house except for the ice cream. We chose Creme Brulee and the Hazelnut Truffle Torte alla Zabiglione in a Hazelnut Crust. Other possibilities included Tiramisu, cheesecake and marinated cherries over ice cream. Liqueurs and coffee drinks also were available, but disappointingly, no espresso. Up until this point, service had been exemplary and prompt -- for whatever reason, it took 20 minutes between placing our dessert order and its appearance. The server apologized profusely but was as mystified as we were. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry. It has been many years since I experienced "flames" at a restaurant, and thus was startled to see the crème brulee ablaze as it was borne aloft to the table -- a fun retro event. The fire gave the sugar topping a distinctive bitter-caramel twist that we liked. The custard beneath was softer than normal -- pleasant, but not world-class. The dense hazelnut-chocolate torte supplied a fabulous combination of tastes. I am not a particular fan of zabiglione (a frothy egg-based, wine sauce), but Caruso's rendition made me a believer. It was heavenly. Centered on a dollop of the sauce, the torte was decoratively swirled with chocolate sauce and dusted with finely chopped chocolate and hazelnuts -- definitely worth the calories! (Now, if they only had espresso ...) The evening at Caruso's was most pleasurable. The bustle of a full restaurant generated a positive energy that enhanced our experience. Food quality was high, portions were substantial, presentation was striking and chef Phipps' interpretation of Northern Italian cuisine was outstanding. Diane Reynolds is a freelance restaurant critic for the Statesman Journal. She is an accomplished home cook, adventurous diner, considers recipe books to be pleasure reading and savors food-related puns. Reynolds dines unannounced, and meals are paid for by the Statesman Journal. |
Walking into Caruso's Italian Café on a Saturday night, I was impressed with the convivial atmosphere. Almost every table was filled, and lively conversations were in progress.