Caserta Vecchia
221 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 624-7549
A girlfriend and I met up in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn for dinner and a movie the other night. Carroll Gardens is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Brooklyn: small, friendly, and filled with an abundance of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. (That said, I have to admit that sometimes I get a little sick of it – one cute and/or chichi restaurant or bar after another can start to feel generic rather than appealing – but then again, the many choices mean you can always find something you like.) My friend took me to one of her favorite Italian restaurants, Caserta Vecchia. It’s a cozy little place that serves rustic Italian pastas and pizzas, and strikes me as one of the more authentic Italian restaurants in a neighborhood that is historically Italian.
Since spring has recently descended on New York, we sat in the garden – well, more like an enclosed patio than a garden – which was very pleasant. Our waitress let us know about their special for the evening: homemade pasta with a choice of sauce plus a glass of house wine for $15. That is the dinner I should have opted for in view of my budget, but I was craving something a tad more interesting, so I ended up ordering Spaghetti Carbonara and a glass of Merlot. After some deliberation, my friend ordered what she claims she always does: Pizza Campagnola and a glass of Pinot Grigio.
My spaghetti was a shining example of why I often gravitate towards Italian: total comfort food. It was simple but hearty, served in a modest but sufficient quantity. The sauce was thick, creamy, and cheesy, and there was a generous amount of bacon scattered throughout. My friend’s pizza was also very basic: a light tomato and mozzarella base covered with a huge pile of arugula, prosciutto, and shaved parmesan. (She asked for the cherry tomatoes to be left off for reasons that I simply cannot understand.) The crust was thin and chewy, and it absorbed all the good flavors coming from above. Our glasses of wine were nothing remarkable, but they weren’t expensive, either.
One waitress was particularly charming – after someone else brought our entrées, she stopped by the table to ask us, in a calm but concerned voice, “Ladies, please – enjoy your meal!” Unfortunately, the service became a little spotty as the evening went on and the restaurant became busier. We had to flag a waiter down for another glass of wine, and then again to remind him about that glass of wine. But the general tone of friendliness in the staff made up for any feelings of abandonment. We skipped coffee and dessert, much to our waiter’s disappointment, since we were trying to make a movie (Forgetting Sarah Marshall – entertaining enough for $6.50 which is what Cobble Hill Cinemas charges on Tuesdays and Thursdays). I think it’s safe to say that Caserta Vecchia is now one of my favorites in Carroll Gardens.
