点评:Wow. Casa Mangiare has set a new standard for fine dining in College Station. We have been in College Station for 3 years, and there is a lot to love about it, however, the lack of fine dining establishments has been a disappointment. Sure, there are a couple of noteworthy places, but to be honest, nothing like this.
The building itself has terrific clean lines and a modern esthetic from the outside, including a great indoor/outdoor patio, but once you get inside it’s all classic elegance. There are two sections to the restaurant, the front area which is bright and lively, and the more formal dining room, which is moody and opulent. The mostly navy décor is not overdone – the word classic is exactly right – but that makes the 3 OTT chandeliers overhead perfect for the space. And while I am talking about space, the tables are positioned so there is very generous space between each. No eavesdropping on your neighbours here. The lighting is dim, but not too dim. Just perfect.
The staff are solicitous but not pretentious AT ALL. Yes ladies, your chair will be pulled out for you to be seated. Our waiter, Bryce, was also very knowledgeable about the food he was serving. A pet peeve of mine when eating Italian is asking about the carbonara and finding out there is cream in it. Bryce was very clear there was no cream, and that they also use guanciale to make it! I wish more restaurants spent the time teaching their staff about the food they are serving. I also appreciated that when he didn’t know the answer to a question, he didn’t hesitate to say “I am not sure, and I should know that. I will find out right away”. And he did.
At the end of the meal we had questions about certain digestifs, and the bartender came to our table and recommended a terrific grappa. Kudos also go to the bartender for mixing a perfect martini for me, to my exact requests. A martini is one of the simplest drinks in terms of ingredients, but the mixing and technique make all the difference, and you can taste it. We also used the services of the sommelier, and ended up with a bottle of wine that was within the budget we wanted to pay, was one of the best bottles we have had in a long time, and was a grape we had never even heard of before (Nerello Mascalese).
The food was as impressive as all other aspects. We started with Burrata with Truffle, and Grilled Octopus. The burrata was creamy and gorgeous and had just the perfect finishing of truffle – not overdone at all, which can often be the case. The octopus was grilled and served with buttery polenta. I had a veal chop Milanese and although breaded, the breading was fine, light and crispy, and the veal was juicy. My husband had a pasta cacio pepe – such a simple dish, so delicious, but difficult to execute well, which they did. We switched plates halfway through our meals so we both got to enjoy both entrees! I should have asked where they source their bread, maybe they make it inhouse? – but both the bread served before dinner and the grilled bruschetta that came with the burrata were terrific. We had little room for dessert, but shared two scoops of lemon and raspberry sorbet. Sorbets are our go to dessert after a big meal, and these did not disappoint. We will even venture to say they were the best sorbets we have had, next to the ones we make ourselves.
Atmosphere, staff, food, wine and cocktails – all of them top shelf. We had a truly exceptional dining experience. I am already planning a return trip. I imagine that until we leave BCS, we will be regular visitors.
Bravo Casa Mangiare. Bravo.
翻译:哇。 Casa Mangiare 为大学城的美食树立了新标准。我们在大学城已经三年了,这里有很多值得喜爱的地方,但是,缺乏精致的餐饮场所令人失望。当然,有几个值得注意的地方,但说实话,没有这样的地方。
该建筑本身具有非常简洁的线条和从外部看的现代美感,包括一个很棒的室内/室外露台,但一旦你进入里面,一切都是经典的优雅。餐厅分为两个部分,前面的区域明亮而热闹,而更正式的餐厅则喜怒无常且华丽。以海军蓝为主的装饰并不过分——“经典”这个词完全正确——但这使得头顶上的 3 个 OTT 枝形吊灯非常适合这个空间。当我谈论空间时,桌子的位置使每张桌子之间都有非常宽敞的空间。禁止在这里偷听邻居的声音。灯光昏暗,但也不算太暗。刚刚好。
工作人员很热心但一点也不自命不凡。是的,女士们,您的椅子将被拉出来供您坐下。我们的服务员布莱斯也非常了解他所提供的食物。吃意大利菜时,我最讨厌的事情就是询问意式干酪,却发现里面有奶油。布莱斯很清楚没有奶油,而且他们也用 guanciale 来做!我希望更多的餐厅花时间向员工传授他们所提供的食物。我也很欣赏当他不知道问题的答案时,他会毫不犹豫地说:“我不确定,但我应该知道。我马上就会知道”。他做到了。
用餐结束时,我们对某些消化酒有疑问,调酒师来到我们的餐桌旁,推荐了一杯很棒的格拉巴酒。还要感谢调酒师根据我的具体要求为我调制了一杯完美的马提尼酒。就成分而言,马提尼是最简单的饮料之一,但混合和技术却使一切变得不同,而且你可以品尝它。我们还使用了侍酒师的服务,最终得到了一瓶在我们想要支付的预算之内的葡萄酒,这是我们很长一段时间以来喝过的最好的葡萄酒之一,而且是我们从未听说过的葡萄之前的(Nerello Mascalese)。
食物和其他方面一样令人印象深刻。我们先吃了松露布拉塔奶酪和烤章鱼。布拉塔奶酪口感柔滑、华丽,搭配松露的完美收尾——一点也不夸张,而这种情况经常发生。章鱼经过烤制,配上黄油玉米粥。我吃了一份米兰小牛排,虽然裹了面包屑,但面包屑很细腻,清淡脆脆,小牛肉多汁。我丈夫点了意大利黑胡椒意大利面——一道简单的菜,美味可口,但很难做好,但他们做到了。我们在用餐过程中换了盘子,所以我们都可以享用两道主菜!我应该问他们从哪里采购面包,也许他们是自己做的? – 但晚餐前提供的面包和搭配布拉塔奶酪的烤意式烤面包都很棒。我们没有足够的空间吃甜点,但分享了两勺柠檬和覆盆子冰糕。冰糕是我们大餐后的甜点,这些并没有让人失望。我们甚至可以大胆地说,它们是我们吃过的最好的冰糕,仅次于我们自己制作的冰糕。
氛围、员工、食物、葡萄酒和鸡尾酒——所有这些都是顶级的。我们度过了一次真正非凡的用餐体验。我已经在计划回程了。我想在我们离开 BCS 之前,我们将是常客。
布拉沃卡萨曼贾雷。太棒了。