“It’s the mushroom people!” exclaimed our waiter, recognizing us.
I’m pretty sure we’ve been called worse, but rarely with such delight. Our waiter recalled seeing our mention of Ciccarelli’s on this page soon after we wrote it a few weeks ago, and apparently was pleased with what we’d written. Tonight, we would sample the regular dinner menu and perhaps make further comment.
After a nice chat with owner Ian Cicarelli and several slices of his delicious, crusty and salty bread, we settled down to the business of ordering. Not entirely famished, Mary chose an appetizer: Rosemary Prawn Kabobs, described as “jumbo prawns on a sprig of rosemary, sautéed in butter and garlic, and burned off with anisette.” I dithered, but eventually settled on “Chicken Normandy: chicken breast served in a creamy mushroom brandy sauce with caramelized apple slices.” We chose a moderately priced Australian Merlot to accompany our meals.
Ciccarelli's dishes please the eye
as well as the palate!
“How could either of those dishes not be wonderful?” I asked rhetorically as we waited for our dinners. I needn’t have had any concerns on that score. The dishes arrived promptly and were beautifully presented – so much so that I took the unusual step of making a quick dash to our car to fetch my camera for a quick photograph, which does not do them justice. Both were as delicious as they looked. The rosemary added a subtle difference in the flavor of the delicious prawns, and they were sufficiently rich to prompt Mary to pronounce that she was fully satisfied when they were gone. The chicken, which in truth was chosen primarily because of the presence of mushrooms in the ingredients, was simply delicious. The mushrooms were as nice as I expected, but the stars of this dish were the sauce and apples, both of which were just plain yummy.
Ciccarelli’s may be new to the restaurant scene, but if they can maintain the high standards they’ve shown on our two visits – imaginative menu choices, beautifully prepared – they have a long and prosperous future ahead of them!
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