One Saturday afternoon, I was with a couple of friends and we ended up going out for dinner and we decided on Cariera’s Cucina Italiana.  We arrived just as they were opening the doors, which was a good thing as we did not have a reservation.  We were led to our table and then we started looking at the menu.  While we were looking at the menu, the owner/chef came by as he knew my two friends.  I asked him how was the Gnocchi, as this is a dish that I really liked.  He said let me make you a special side for each of you, where I will do the Gnocchi first in oil and garlic and then top it off with a Bolognese Sauce, which we all agreed sounded very tempting.

After the salad and fresh bread we were served our side plates of Gnocchi.  It was a wonderful preparation of this special pasta, and this Gnocchi was light, not the doughy lumps that one sometimes encounters from indifferent Italian restaurants.  We received a delightful dish just as we were promised.  Then came our three different entrée plates; Shrimp and Scallop Limon, Pollo Tosca and Filet Marsala.   Each dish while not fancy in presentation was prepared properly and we then shared each other’s dishes using side plates, so that we could savor the experience even better.

One of my friends said that we have to try the Malbec wine they have on the menu, because it is so full bodied.  The wine was just as described, it was a Gascon Malbec 2011 from Mendoza, Argentina.  It was a good classic bottle of Malbec with a lot of taste and spice, and yet it did not overpower any of the dishes.  Afterwards we enjoyed canolis and coffee, and finished a fine dinner and a good conversation.