Da Carlo in Milan

When we first visited Milan it was only for an evening, so after rushing to the Duomo for limited sightseeing, we found a neighborhood trattoria on the far side of the train station from our hotel. The next time we found ourselves in Milan, that wonderful trattoria had been replaced by a Chinese restaurant. On subsequent trips we never found another good neighborhood restaurant until we stumbled upon Da Carlo. If you face the front of Stazione Centrale and walk down the left side of it passed the tunnel, look across the street; you'll find this wonderful oasis in the desert of neglected buildings and throw-away people. Like a flower growing through concrete, this restaurant is surprising and you have to love it for its tenacity to survive in a less than optimal environment.

As soon as we sat down, we were greeted with a small bruschetta made with tomatoes and what looked like a Spanish white anchovy. It looks like the amuse bouche has arrived in Italy, as this definitely whetted our appetites for dinner. Regardless, we ordered a mixed salumi plate to further whet our appetites. No matter how many times we order this antipasti, it always comes with something different on the plate. There must be a million ways to cure pork in Italy.

Not recalling what this was called on the menu, doesn't make it any less flavorful. Most always, when you order cozze (mussels) in Italy, it amounts to a good choice, this one being a combination of clams and mussels with tomato and garlic . As you might imagine, the broth was delicious as it was sopped up with the bread, that was thoughtfully placed in the dish. Maybe the chef wanted to encourage us to use it for that purpose, we were after all tourists.

Ah yes, Spaghetti Bolognese again. But it looked so good and smelled so wonderful I was sorry I hadn't ordered it myself. Instead I selected a contorni of spinach, squeezed so thoroughly of water, that it was too dry to eat, so I anointed it with olive oil, like a good Italian. That did the trick, but it was no pasta.

The spinach was the best option as a side dish for my veal cutlet with porcini sauce. The reason we travel to Italy so often in October is that it is the optimum time to find fresh porcini and truffles on restaurant menus. Da Carlo does a very good job with using them in combination with the veal. The mushrooms are fragrant and abundant, the meat fork tender, so what more could I ask for?

If you try this restaurant, I'll bet this waiter recognizes you. He recognized us on our very first visit, then again 2 years later. I'm still laughing about it, but even though it may be just his way of greeting all customers, it feels welcoming and sincere. His service is meticulous and we look forward to seeing him again. Perhaps the 3rd time will be the charm and we really will be familiar to him, enough for me to remember his name.

Sorry, no address at this time, but follow my directions and you'll see it.