Pizzazz from Italy

Food, fire, fun is the catchline of Carino’s Italian Grill — but it also serves additional dollops of ambient flair other than good grub

As you step into Carino’s Italian Grill, close to Deira City 
Centre, you are bound to 
be reminded of what a typical eating-house in the land of Bernardo Bertolucci and Roberto Baggio and Donatella Versace would be like. Even if you’ve never been to Italy. There’s just something so stereotypical — in the nicest way possible — about Italian pizzazz even when it comes to a restaurant: woody interiors, impromptu splashes of colours, bottles of condiments (olives holding pride of place), plated walls, framed photographs… Carino’s, too, is impossibly chic yet informal, and complements the concept of casual fine dining.

The chain has American ownership, but care has been taken to ensure that authenticity — flavours-wise and settings-wise — is not lost. American-ness, however, is reflected in the size of the servings which are overwhelming. If your appetite is ‘regular’ and you are too genteel to ask for doggie-bags, then you may end up feeling awfully guilty at the amount of wastage you have set off.

We started with the customary bread basket, excellently paired with homemade butter, dipped in olive oil and vinegar. You may be tempted to polish off the contents in the basket, but don’t. Not if you want to do justice to the whole meal, and not feel guilty about food wastage.

For appetizers (sort of a misnomer really, since by the time they were demolished, my dining partner and I were almost bursting at the seams), we were advised to try out their signature Sicilian Fire Sticks: a blend of beef sausages, chopped, grilled chicken, beef bacon, Roma tomatoes, jalapenos and a host of cheeses, all bundled up inside a sundried tomato-basil tortilla. Each stick is about 15-inches long, forbiddingly delicious and really filling. It’s best for a large group, it was explained to us, so everyone can break up the ‘stick’ into bite-sized portions. I asked for a portion of Baked Stuffed Mushrooms in my zeal to try vegetarian: mushrooms stuffed with cheese, spinach, red onions and freshly-chopped garlic, topped with lemon-basil sauce. Utterly droolworthy.

For the mains, I opted for the Spicy Shrimp and Chicken Pasta — penne in cayenne pepper and romano cream sauce, while my companion settled for the Chicken Fettucine. “Delicious,” she mumbled, shovelling a goodly portion into her mouth, “but it’s doused in cheese and the portion is… HUGE.”

I couldn’t agree more with her stringent quality review as well as her sizing up observation.

For desserts, we decided to split a ‘chocolate Tiramisu’, a promotional item doing the rounds that evening. The taste of coffee was beaten down somewhat by a chocolate blend, and although it was an interesting deviation, personally, I’d stick to the regular one.

The live cooking station was getting all livened for the rest of the evening when we left, and the heady smell of freshly-fired pizza was 
all over. I realised I definitely need to bite into a slice of Italy the next time I am 
at Carino’s.

sushmita@khaleejtimes.com

In seven words: 
A culinary trip to Italy, 
sans passport

What we liked: 
Informal ambience, chic decor, good food

What we didn’t like: The portions were too overwhelming

Restaurant best for: A cosy evening out, or a lunch break with genial colleagues

Cost for 2: Dh150-200

Did you know: Savoiardi, the finger-sized sponge cakes used in the Tiramisu, is known as ladyfingers in the US

Contact: Carino’s Italian Grill, Ground Floor, 
Zeenah Building, 
Port Saeed, Deira 
04-2957080

• Food and Dining