Noshing Out – Three Generations of Italian in Hartford

The old, copper espresso press reflected, in golden tones, Grandpa Carbone as he regaled the attentive crowd in the warmly lit back room of the restaurant “Back when we started this place, we couldn’t call it ‘Carbone’s’ because any Italian sounding restaurant would be associated with the mafia!” About 30 Yelpers, Tweeters, Bloggers, and socialites laughed at the history of Carbone’s Restaurante. “We wanted to show people in Hartford that Italian food wasn’t only about pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. So every year, we would go to New York City and eat at the most revered Italian restaurants. We would try the dishes that were most popular there, lobster fra diavolo, zuppa de pesce, whatever. They said there is no way that the chefs would tell you how they make it. So my father (the first generation Carbone) would say that he was a health inspector and next thing you know, he was in the kitchen watching how the chefs would do this or that and he would bring those techniques and recipes back here.” The introductory speech was handed over to his son, Vinnie, dressed in a white coat as Chef Owner, to walk us through the sampling menu for the evening, a tasting of one of Hartford’s iconic establishments as part of a Yelp event series “CT Classics.”

The tasting was set with three stations, highlighting coastal, modern, and classic. At each, Vinnie highlighted the ingredients that had been sourced locally from a partner farm. The first station featured roasted potatoes from that farm in a variety of colors and sizes, all cut into thick wedges and roasted. The crunchy and brown outside gave way to a soft, puffy center. Paired with this was octopus, covered in Spanish paprika and charred black, giving the diner a double taste of smoke. Lastly at that station was a shrimp ceviche. Lemon and lime were used to “cook” the thickly cut, white fleshed shellfish. Purple onion, tomato, and green pepper added a vegetative crunch along with a bright color pallet to the dish.

The modern station gave the diner a selection between two versions of fried chicken, not a typical Italian staple. The honey chicken was crispy on the outside, the batter crunching off and the inside steaming as you bit in. Local honey was drizzled on top with bundled sprigs of rosemary. Alternative to honey was spicy, a bright orange sauce covering the chicken in addition to the aforementioned batter. Heat crept up on me as the vegetative, “green” flavor from the partner farm peppers came through on the sauce.

Lastly, the fresh pasta station was manned by Vinnie himself. The summer oriented dish highlighted the fresh tomatoes, sitting dark red in his mis en place. Built in a sauté pan coated with yellowish green olive oil, Vinnie tossed tubular pasta, raw and roasted garlic, grated pecorino cheese, both sun dried and fresh tomatoes. Over the heat, the tomatoes broke down, bringing  out the classic pasta sauce aroma you associate with Italian grandmothers. Vinnie plated the pasta with house made meatballs. I inquired as to what kind(s) of meat he used. “We take the ends from the pork loin and mix them with ground beef, pecorino romano, some spices, and yesterday’s Italian bread soaked in milk, just like grandma used to do.”

Flashes and clicks were seen and heard over the dull roar of the evening, as attendees (including myself) took photographic evidence of their dining pleasure. I made some new friends, each of us waxing poetic over Hartfordian gems like Carbone’s. Keep watch for more posts about CT Classics and thank you Carbone’s for a delicious evening.