FOR AN ORGANIC DINING EXPERIENCE, HEAD TO CAROLINA.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic A NO-FRILLS, 29-seat Italian eatery, the new Cafe Carolina in Encino is certainly a far cry from the former Beverly Hills posts at Il Fornaio and Prego for Carolina's chef-owner Giuseppe Dossi. Dossi's cafe, projecting an organic, natural direction, serves focaccia sandwiches made with organic flour, promises organic chicken, eggs, coffee and milk, and even fashions a tofu scramble and a mushroom sandwich for vegans. Proud that he's secured a Green Restaurant certification, supposedly the first in Los Angeles, an involvement that commits his cafe to environmentally responsible practices, Dossi isn't hesitant to mention that Green Party recall candidate Peter Miguel Camejo recently dined there with a small party of followers. Cafe Carolina, a Ventura Boulevard storefront eatery with bare-top tables and paper napkins, serves a limited menu of chef Dossi's tasty Italian food for breakfast Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays; for lunch daily except Mondays and for dinner Wednesdays through Sundays. The No. 1 dish? He cooks terrific gnocchi gnoc·chi pl.n. Dumplings made of flour, semolina, or potatoes, boiled or baked and served with grated cheese or a sauce. [Italian, pl. and gorgonzola ($10.50), with his own, handmade, soft, pillowy potato flour dumplings in a creamy, sharp, gorgonzola cheese sauce. I haven't tried his ravioli cremaschi ($12.50) with a stuffing of raisins, macaroons (amaretti), cheese and citron, served in a brown butter sauce with sage and rosemary, but he does a creditable job with fettuccine fet·tuc·ci·ne n. In both senses also called tagliatelle. 1. Pasta in narrow flat strips. 2. A dish made with such strips of pasta. [Italian, pl. tossed with crabmeat crab·meat n. The edible flesh of a crab. Noun 1. crabmeat - the edible flesh of any of various crabs crab crab cocktail - a cocktail of cold cooked crabmeat and a sauce , sweet red peppers and mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce ($12.50). Less impressive is his nondairy non·dair·y adj. Containing no milk or dairy products: nondairy coffee creamer. vegetarian recipe of squash and potato soup (cup $2.50, bowl $4.50) that actually comes up rather bland. But he makes up for it with a nifty, sweet and sour sweet and sour adj → agridulce cold fish appetizer called carpionato Veneto ($5.95) of filet of sole marinated in a red wine vinegar mixture with raisins, sweet onions and pine nuts. He serves it with soft polenta po·len·ta n. A thick mush made of cornmeal boiled in water or stock. [Italian, from Latin, crushed grain, barley meal.] Noun 1. as he does his Livornese-style hot entree of braised braise tr.v. braised, brais·ing, brais·es To cook (meat or vegetables) by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container. monkfish monkfish Any of 10–12 species (genus Squatina, family Squatinidae) of sharks having a flattened head and body, with winglike pectoral and pelvic fins that make them resemble rays. The tail bears two dorsal fins, and behind each eye is a prominent spiracle. ($15.50). As cool and refreshing as the marinated sole is, the monkfish is warm and comforting, with pieces of firm-fleshed, almost lobsterlike ``coda,'' or tail, sauced with a white wine and tomatoes liquid boosted with garlic, black olives and capers. In addition to the small mound of polenta with this gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. entree, Dossi sends out nicely executed, well-seasoned green beans. The green beans also arrive with his Italian rendition of the French duck a l'orange. Anatra all'arancio ($15.95) comes forth as two fair-size pieces of the half bird, roasted properly, with a non-cloying, orange juice-thin saucing plus sliced, reddish-orange-toned roasted yams and the green beans. Very satisfying. Also worth trying here: Dossi's salads, especially the organic spinach one ($6.95) caped with thin slices of salted ricotta ri·cot·ta n. 1. A soft Italian cheese that resembles cottage cheese. 2. A similar soft cheese made in the United States. and two of his desserts, a medal-worthy tiramisu tir·a·mi·su n. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. ($4.95) and a cooking magazine cover-photogenic offering of a triple chocolate mousse mini-mountain dubbed Il Vesuvio ($5.50). Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com CAFE CAROLINA Food: Three stars - Service: Two and one half stars Where: 17934 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Hours: Open for breakfast/brunch and lunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Sundays; for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Closed Mondays. Recommended items: Beet and spinach salads, gnocchi al gorgonzola, fettuccine al granchio (with crabmeat and mushrooms), carpionato Veneto (marinated filet of sole), anatra all'arancio (duck in orange sauce), coda alla Livornese (braised monkfish), tiramisu, Il Vesuvio (triple chocolate mousse). How much: Breakfast/brunch from $6 to $9.50, starters and sandwiches from $2.50 to $8, pastas and entrees from $7.50 to $16, desserts from $4.50 to $5.50. No alcohol. All major credit cards. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 881-8600. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Dossi family - clockwise from top left, Isabella and Giuseppe, Carolina, 7, and Thomas, 9, - shows off Cafe Carolina dishes including the triple chocolate mousse dubbed Il Vesuvio. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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