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I love it when I come across a veg-friendly restaurant by pure chance. When we were in Carmel (Northern California) this past weekend, we randomly ended up going to Cantinetta Luca. While preparing to ask the usual dietary questions, I was delighted to find that our waiter named Heart (yes, "heart", like the organ that keeps us alive) already knew which dishes had eggs and which didn't. Not only that, but he pointed out items on the menu that were seemingly vegetarian but not really. For instance, the salad dressing in their Baby Romaine salad contained sardines and their gnocchi had chicken broth.
Their serving bread (given to you with a dipping sauce when you sit down), crostini, pizza dough, and panini bread were all eggless. Their heirloom tomato soup was vegan. We had the soup along with the following:
Burrata Cheese, Frescobaldi Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Crostini (appetizer)
Margherita Pizza - San Marzano Tomato, Mozzarella Cheese and Basil
And for desert Heart figured out that if I got the nutella panini without the ice cream, it would meet my dietary requirements. I usually never eat dessert at a restaurant because it is rare that something is eggless. Something new that I learned from Heart was that gelato can contain eggs, something which I was completely unaware of.
Needless to say we had a great night and I highly recommend you eat at this restaurant if you are ever in Carmel. And I recommend you ask for Heart as your server if possible.
click here for more information on Cantinetta Luca
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Cantinetta Luca
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2 comments:
great blog..it's always refreshing to get a waitperson who knows the menu and (often hidden) ingredients. I found out that three favorite salads at local restaurants contained raw(?) egg yolks, anchovies, egg whites!! On previous visits, all three restaurants told me their dressings were vegan. I was finally set staight by staff that either had, or knew someone with food allergies/preferences-AND were knowledgable about the menu. Thanks!
Thanks gin! That's the worst when they claim that something is vegetarian and vegan and it isn't. Like I mentioned before, in the UK their Vegetarian Society inspects foods and restaurants, wish we could have that here!
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