THE ROMANCE OF CASANOVA RESTAURANT

Casanova is “hands down” our favorite restaurant in Carmel.

The ambiance is warm and inviting. Although fairly large, the owners have divided the spaces into distinct small areas with different “personalities”.  The photo above shows the front door and dining patio. This spot is especially pleasant on a warm summer evening. Overhead heaters ensure your comfort.

Inside the front door is a large school table laden with examples of their wonderful deserts.

Tear yourself away and choose to dine in one of the intimate front dining rooms

or ask for the interior patio – our personal favorite.  A huge tree grows from the center of the room and a table is built around it. There is a fountain to add a little “music” and the loose awning covers overhead allow an occasional bird to fly through and peck at our feet for crumbs.  It is often chilly in Carmel so we ask the waiters to turn on the overhead heaters to keep cozy.

Now lets talk food . The food is simple, perfectly cooked and seasoned and presented so beautifully that I almost hated to ruin its perfection by eating it.  Our waiters have always been attentive and well-informed. And if you like wine……!

The staff will even take you on a tour of the underground wine cellar if you ask.

I always have tea after our meal . It is served so beautifully that it is a production. The tea is Casanova’s own blend.  I am sorry I don’t have a photo to show of the presentation and will try to get one next time we go there.

If you are on a budget, as we are, I suggest lunch. It is delicious and affordable.  If price is not an object, go for dinner .

The restaurant has a very interesting history.

It was once a tiny house, the worse for wear, just past the Shell station  and was owned  by Aunt Fairy Bird, a small black woman who had lived there for over 50 years.Her house, situated as it was in downtown Carmel, was in truth, a shack, but it was coveted by nearby landowners. She lived there alone for many years.

When she died at nearly 90, her house and a lot were the object of spirited bidding in an estate sale. We learned that she had once been the cook for Charlie Chaplin, that her husband Tom had been a popular handyman in Carmel, and that she was a handy-lady for several Carmel Families.

For more about this charming spot visit    http://www.casanovarestaurant.com/

I am sorry that I still can not figure our how to get my links working.

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