Caro is lighting up the northeast side of town
Driving down Main at Ottawa, you can’t miss Caro.
The name looms large atop the front of the building and, as we walked up to the restaurant, the windows allowed us a sneak peak into the kitchen, which looked warm and inviting on a blustery day.
Caro is another gust of modernity and sign of gentrification on Ottawa Street, and after we got our hair back in order and took off our coats, we were seated smack in the middle of the room, in front of an attractive wooden bar surrounded by tall white chairs that stood out from the red tile behind the bar, gleaming like shiny brick.
There are no reservations at Caro. We went mid-week and got there a little on the early side but the restaurant was already filling up. The bar had a pair of people and more than half of the tables were occupied.
Speaking of the bar, our server bustled back there soon after he’d taken our order. The drinks menu was split into “bold & bitter” and “fresh & fruity.” Hoping it was not an indicator of my personality, I opted for the former and got an Isola, a scotch cocktail with a dollop of sweet from Oloroso sherry. A tingle of bitters lay beneath and averna, an herby, citrusy liqueur, gave it a seductive je ne sais quoi.
My companions got two versions of a negroni: the Boulevardier, made with rye and a hint of orange, and, though it was listed under fresh & fruity, the “Great Mistake” was essentially a bubbly Negroni made with prosecco. Both enjoyable — a drink for any mood.
For those who prefer beer, there were the locals (Beau’s, Clifford’s and Mill St.) and Peroni. Italy was also well represented on the wine list (no locals). This leads us to the food menu, Italian as well, with pastas, pizzas and appetizers.
Our friend said, “We’re just going to order a bunch of stuff and share it.”
“That’s the best way to do it,” replied our server.
He (and all of the other servers) had styled dark brown hair, a close trimmed beard and a black hipster T-shirt. All were friendly and hospitable throughout the evening.
As the kitchen prepared our order, the sun came out, and it was bright coming through the windows so that we had to sit strategically, turning our table and changing seats, in order to avoid squinting into it. Some shades would not go amiss, with the longer days approaching. That being said, the corner location of the restaurant allowed for a cool semi-panoramic view of our urban surroundings.
Our first appetizer was artistically placed on the plate in a small cluster, off-centre. Bright fuchsia strands of pickled onion stood out among slices of bread, layered with porchetta and bookended with roasted Brussels sprouts. A nicely thought out plate. The porchetta was a bit dry, which was my only complaint of the dish, but the grainy mustard popped together with the pickle. Triangles of bread were chewy in a nice way and the sprouts deepened the dish.
The pickled pear salad was served as a half-moon this time, the greens livened up with spears of roasted carrot and diced, roasted squash. The pear had a sweet pickling and the almonds, with the dried fruit vinaigrette, unified the dish.
My favourite appetizer was the polenta fries. They came perfectly done, thick and crispy, in a pool of marinara sauce, with one dab of basil aioli and another of Gorgonzola dip. Heaven. The sauce tasted so fresh, and the dips added a hit of richness.
We chatted over the slightly loud music while we waited for our main courses. Lasagna came out in a tin casserole and had a wonderful comforting homecooked quality. The pizza (we ordered the herbivore) was less inspired. The toppings were fine and fresh but the squash purée used as the sauce didn’t really bring everything together and the crust was quite underdone.
The pasta was a plate of P’s: mushroom pappardelle (just a bit undercooked) with peas and
pecorino. There were plenty of mushrooms but the butter sauce had broken and was more on the oily side. Overall, with little fixes, the dish had potential.
The sun started setting and the place was packed as we ordered desserts. Homemade cannoli, a crunchy shell around a creamy filling, was a nice contrast to the smooth, house-made chocolate gelato. But the tiramisu was a bit of a head scratcher, more of a custard with tiramisu ingredients included. Still, it was pretty tasty.
I was happy to see Caro bringing a welcome spark to this end of Ottawa Street, and I’ll be back for those polenta fries.