On the surface, Carmelo’s Ristorante Italiano, West Vancouver’s stalwart purveyor of B.C.-influenced Italian fare, may not immediately seem like a family restaurant.
Tables are set with crisp white linen, a chalkboard boasts refined specials of halibut and beef fillet, and there is an informed wine program with some lovely by-the-glass pours. However, based on a recent visit to Carmelo’s with The Boy, my soon-to-be-turning-eight-years-old son, I would suggest the restaurant fits the bill nicely.
I am a father of three. As such, I am intimately acquainted with the travails of dining out with kids. When my first was born, The Boy, I vowed I would never be “that parent.”
You know the one: the guy that lets his kids wreak havoc in a distinctly adult environment, destroying the ambiance of the place (as well as the carpet) and distracting other diners from their conversations about eating pizza whenever they want, playing mature-rated video games, and spending their paycheques on Pokemon cards (this is what my son imagines it’s like to be a grown-up).
Despite this, I refuse to be exclusively relegated to so-called “family restaurants.”
This category description is misleading because the restaurants to which it typically refers are not, in fact, intended for families, but rather for children alone.
What if I don’t want a clew of gummy worms for dessert or to be seated in a devoted wing of the restaurant where the floors are littered with a rainbow of broken crayons? Over time I have learned that true family restaurants are those that are amenable to a child diner, provided the comportment of said child is consistent with generally accepted restaurant behaviour; any place can adopt this attitude.
Carmelo’s is just such a place. Don’t expect a mountain of ice cream served in a comic book-inspired plastic tub at the end of the meal, but do expect a sophisticated (but at no point off-puttingly fussy or pretentious) meal that will help advance your kid’s palate and teach him or her that really good food rarely makes use of the descriptors mega, super, or bottomless.
The restaurant’s menu covers some broad ground. A traditional forno produces exceptional wood-fired, thin crust pizzas, of which there are 18 on the menu. There are a dozen pastas to choose from, ranging from basic Spaghetti Pomodoro to Seafood Cannelloni with Snow Crab, and a roster of appetizers and entrées that allows the kitchen, helmed by former Umberto’s chef Adam Shaughnessy, to flex its creative muscle.
Carmelo’s has been around for decades, but for the last 13 years it has been under the ownership of Peter Oates, a hospitality industry professional who worked in the restaurant as a server for two years before buying the place outright. Oates has cultivated a strong following of in-the-know patrons who appreciate his efforts to bring a high-end but fad-free Italian dining experience to West Vancouver for a fraction of the price of a similar experience downtown.
I spoke with the owner the day after my visit and he had this to say of chef Shaughnessy, who has led the kitchen at Carmelo’s for more than six years now: “Adam has an amazing critical eye. He can turn out 120 dishes in an evening, all of which will be identical in quality. I have watched him turn away up to 20% of the produce that arrives at our door if it doesn’t meet his standards.”
In my experience, restaurants that are operated by former service staff tend to maintain very high standards, putting the guest experience above self-promotion; yes, that delicate cloud of celeriac foam may look good in a magazine, but if your guests leave the restaurant and head straight to the nearest burger joint to satisfy their appetite, you may have missed the mark.
My son and I began our meal with a round of appetizers. First up were three large and tender veal and pork meatballs in a fresh and simple tomato sauce with shavings of Grana Padano cheese.
This classic dish, with its comforting and proven flavours, was an effective warm-up for The Boy’s palate as we segued into our second appetizer, a moist and fluffy Dungeness crab cake topped with a seared scallop with roasted red pepper aioli. The succulent, delicate seafood was nicely enhanced by an ornate ribbon of yellow beet and a small bouquet of micro greens. A glass of Chablis, with its steely, citrus and mineral notes, paired nicely.
For his main course The Boy tucked into an imposing wood-fired pepperoni pizza, of which I simply had to steal a couple of slices. The crust, with its characteristic hand-stretched asymmetry and extreme heat bubbling, was studded with wonderful golden bits of crispy Parmesan and featured large, thinly-sliced morsels of deeply flavoured, slightly spicy pepperoni.
My entrée was a fresh, brightly flavoured bowl of linguine tossed in simple garlic olive oil with asparagus, sundried tomato and a generous finish of earthy, creamy goat’s cheese. The dish was light but satisfying, an ideal summer meal that paired well with a subtle, fruit-forward glass of Pinot noir.
The Boy and I enjoyed the polish of Carmelo’s practiced, efficient service, and left the table decidedly sated. I look forward to a return in the fall when, according to Oates, the menu switches over to heartier, braised fare including Osso Bucco.
Our meal of two appetizers, two entrees, two glasses of wine and a soft drink came to $91 before gratuity.
Carmelo’s is located at 1448 Marine Dr. in West Vancouver. 604-922-4719. carmelos.ca
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
