Casanova — Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Having dined here 4-5 times since restaurants reopened in 2021 I unfortunately have to give one of my favorite carmel by the sea mainstays an adjusted review since even my most recent experience was lacking in comparison to the multitude of visits I’ve been fortunate to enjoy over the last 10 years (because, gnocchi)

Alright, so first off service was mainly great as usual, they definitely have a well-trained service staff and knowledgeable sommelier. We got a $100 bottle of italian wine this last visit that was delicious. Only service bummer was once our server forgot to fire our entree’s and kept a few of her tables waiting for their meals for quite a hot minute she stopped showing up at the table and the rest of the evening was taken care of by the food runners, bussers & hostess to drop the check & run the card. Not sure if she was crazy busy or embarrassed but either way, typically best to start and end your table’s service….but cest la vie.

I have adjusted the star rating for this carmel classic - the menu is flat, it has had the nearly all same items for 2+ years now as if a chef came, gave them recipes and left and now they’re stuck with a limited bag of tricks. Actually, my fiancé forgot we had both agreed months ago during our last visit to wait much longer before returning BECAUSE the menu hadn’t changed for so long & for awhile they hardly had specials. At first this was understandable as I realize how so many restaurants were stunted by the pandemic & many kept menus small and basic to make back on margins etc. However nearly 2-2 1/2 years since operating again & with those prices, you guys can do better…

So anyways, we got the gnocchi as usual and it came timely and delicious as ever. For entree’s we ordered the beef cannelloni & I got the halibut special that had a seasonal mushroom sauté and beurre blanc sauce eager to try something new. I know they pre-prepare the cannelloni so after the table next to us got sat about 10 mins behind us, Received & ate their appetizers and received and ate their entrees all before we got our entree’s it was pretty obvious a mistake was made either by server or by kitchen. Eventually it came out and yikes - I wish I took a photo but know I am not one to over exaggerate nor do I like giving lower star reviews but for this I had to. Halibut was cooked fine but it was simply a filet with a sad soggy bundle of Forest mushrooms over cooked and a broken beurre blanc sauce all separated across my plate. For a $35 entree that was pretty weak sauce (literally eek) I am a huge dessert person and their desserts have remained the same 3 - chocolate torte, rice pudding and like a basque cheesecake? Either way at this point I’ve had them all and they’re meh :( I wish I could say they were super delish, but they don’t SUCK but they also don’t WOW. They are missing components to balance them as well, for example the chocolate needs a tart component or creamy to help the palette but (at least the times I’ve been served them) there isn’t anything.

One star down for food quality/variety & Another star down for value.

For the cost of these dishes the sides are either semi-poorly executed or non-existent. The tiny sad pile of overcooked mushrooms that came with my halibut special left me still hungry (which would’ve been fine if the dessert options were better haha) and the cannelloni is extremely rich (delicious) but again, needs to be balance with maybe a side addition of an acidic dressed frisée salad or SOMETHING to cut the richness. Little additions like this would make the meal experience better and truly don’t cost a restaurant a ton more. In the recent past we’ve had the duck, sole, and I believe the steak dish once. Some have been okay, one came with a cube of dry polenta. All to say I hope this constructive criticism is taken well because I love Casanova’s and I hate to be disappointed in it after so many years of loving it.

I won’t be returning for awhile, hopefully they can match what is coming from the kitchen to the luster of the cozy unique...

I've been here 3 times. Each time the expierence is about the same. 3 stars. Pros

1. Cute setting, looks small from the outside but it's actually really big with lots of little rooms and even a downstairs.
2. Food is fresh

Cons The food isn't that memorable. Recently I has osso bucco that was very tender and just lightly flavored which was really good. What kept it from great is that it wasn't hot. I think it wasn't reheated fully.

(The gnocchi appetizer is delicious and may be the only memorable dish I've had out of my 3 visits.)

Salad is drenched in dressing (it has been this way all 3 times we've been, we always forget it'll be like that until it arrives). The parm on it is delicious if you can taste it without dressing.

Scallops were just ok. They were cooked perfectly but the avocado mousse was not a good combo with the scallops, strawberries and the trout eggs. I felt like the flavors clashed.

It is known for being a romantic restaurant but that highly depends on where you sit. If say only a small amount of tables would be romantic, the rest are either in a busy walkway and/or in the loud, and draftier larger rooms. Its cute but not romantic.

They put tip amounts on the bill if you want to pay 20% 25% or 30% tip which is really obnoxious! Who pays 30% tip, especially for just an okay experience.

The staff is nice of course, but they're so busy and not always on it as they should be. Took a couple times to order our drinks, didn't supply a drink menu, then I had asked for a lime in my drink and it was forgotten the second round. Not big deal but who tips 20%+ for that?

Then a different person than our server came to close out our bill, as I was looking at it she came over and gave me a new receipt and said it had the bottle of water on it, it was forgotten on the first receipt she gave me. It was awkward and felt rushed. And if you forget a $6 bottle of water that is way overpriced anyways just let it go.

All in all, I'm not impressed.

7D, Tree House and Anton & Michel are all better food/date night options each with their own...

Let me preface what I'm about to say with "We love dogs!" BUT... We were celebrating a birthday, and looking forward to a nice meal in Carmel. We arrived on time for a reservation this evening. There were several parties in the outside seating area, all of which seemed to have large dogs accompanying them for dinner. A scuffle broke out between three of the animals; people began pulling their animals apart to avoid a bristled mess. Not a very pleasant entrance for such a touted restaurant. It didn't end there...We entered the building to be met with a woman who barley acknowledged us. She was busy talking to another patron about, you guessed it, his dog. We patiently waited, she fluttered off while another young woman asked if she could help. Yes, thank you. We told her the reservation time, and she seemed genuinely dazed, then said, "You'll need to wait for Christian, she'll seat you." We stepped back awkwardly while a large party of 15 arrived. They sat them while we waited. Funny, another couple came in and this same young woman asked if she could help them. They advised of a reservation, she then responded, "You'll need to wait for Christian." Not quite sure what her roll was in this establishment, but clearly she should not be asking if she could be of any help. The flutterer came back mumbling at the no-help gal "...and we need to take care of Lexor, his dog..." We did eventually get seated in a couple of uncomfortable wicker chairs and stared at each other. We decided $30 for a ravioli dinner at this restaurant just wasn't worth it. We shrugged, got up and began walking the canine gauntlet. What a hoot. It was PC comical. So many other restaurants that will engage their patrons upon arrival, seat them quickly, and at the very least, treat them better than the dogs. Here's a helpful hint: designate a corner of the restaurant AWAY from your main entrance for dogs, and hint #2: remember, it's the human animal that...