Carlucci’s Grill

This establishment in Yardley, Pa., features large portions of authentic Italian specialties made with fresh ingredients, all excellent values at moderate prices.

By: James D’Esterre

   The wait for my dessert as closing time approached on a Wednesday-night visit to Carlucci’s Grill was paired with a singing waiter tidying his station after the nightly bustle.
   He sang "O Solo Mio" to the background music in prize-winning karaoke form. This wasn’t planned entertainment, similar to some Italian operatic trattorias, rather, an unbound outgoing nature that pervaded the wait staff at this Yardley restaurant. Those preferring invisible service may find this style overbearing, but I found it charming during two recent weeknight visits.
   It appears the staff is encouraged to share who they are, hoping to learn something about you in return. Stay away if you are in an illicit love affair, for your tryst will surely be uncovered before the main course arrives.
   The Capuano family’s restaurant success started when Carlo Capuano purchased a take-out restaurant in 1986 at the Edgewood Village Shopping Center in Yardley. The Villa Rosa continues to serve varieties of pizza, subs, steaks, soups, pastas, seafood and poultry. A more upscale venture, Carlucci’s Grill, opened in 1997 at the Southfield Shopping Center in West Windsor, N.J., with the Yardley location born a year later. The family business now includes Carlo’s sons — Frank, Giuliano, Vincenzo and Anillo.
   The ambiance is relaxed and informal; brightly lit and welcoming to families. The large space is made more intimate by using walls to carve separate dining areas. Dark wood is used throughout the restaurant for wall structures, window venetian blinds, moldings and tables with ladder-back chairs. Large gray tiles span the area below chair rail molding, while light beige walls serve as a background for art. Interior-lit stained glass windows depict Italian travel scenes, and there are two colorful, wood-framed oil seascapes, plus an immense Venetian gondola mini-tile mosaic covering almost an entire wall
   Paul Harduk is head chef and general manager. He helped launch Lamberti’s (probably the Delaware Valley’s largest Italian restaurant chain) 15 years ago and worked as executive chef for the former Philadelphia Hilton Hotel.
   In addition to an extensive list of more than 30 entrées, 18 appetizers, soups and salads, and 10 wood-fired pizza varieties, Mr. Harduk strives to offer at least 18 entrées and six appetizers to accompany each season. Prices for the permanent menu are moderate, and the portions are large: seafood and meat entrées, $11.95 to $19.95; pasta dishes, $9.95 to $14.95; appetizers and salads, $4.25 to $7.95; and pizzas, $6.50 to $8.95. All entrées and pasta dishes include a choice between house salad and soup. The luncheon menu is very similar to dinner, just with less-filling portion sizes.
   Patrons are presented with a plate of Italian bread squares ladled with red marinara sauce, as opposed to the traditional dry bread with oil or butter. This red gravy was very good, and if I return, I will request it accompany a pasta dish. Peperone ripiéno ($6.95), a creative seasonal appetizer, came with an interesting description. Roasted peppers are rolled around an asparagus spear with Ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, then breaded and fried. I liked this dish, but the breading was heavy, overwhelming the mixture of flavors inside.
   An assortment of fresh mixed greens with tomato and cucumber, equal in size to most competitors’ house salads, was the perfect plate partner to the two fried pepper portions. Another seasonal appetizer, Trio Misto ($8.95), found a pair of half-dollar-sized crab cakes, two crab-stuffed grilled squid tubes and a few clams casino shells surrounding a ramekin of lemon butter dipping sauce. The clams rated five stars, perfectly tender in a thin pool of broth and a minced mixture of bacon, red pepper and onion. The squid was grilled nicely, but the crab cakes and stuffing mixture were mediocre. I would have preferred melted butter or tartar sauce to the dipping sauce provided.
   A large, piping hot bowl of pasta e fagioli soup with pasta rings, white beans, carrots, onion and celery needed some zip, but was the largest portion I have ever been served included in an entrée price. Fresh greens made for good house salads. Of the dressings I sampled, the balsamic vinegar had better flavor than the homemade creamy garlic.
   A main course of veal rollatini ($16.95) was composed of four veal scallops rolled around spinach, sliced prosciutto and Fontina cheese, breaded and fried, served aside linguini tossed in a lemon butter, garlic and white wine sauce with sliced mushrooms. The veal was tender and flavorful, but the spinach was the only other distinguishable flavor. The prosciutto and Fontina were lost somewhere thanks to the crispy breading. The appropriately al dente pasta in a wine sauce was a meal in itself, and after a few tasty twirls, hung around for ride home.
   Angus New York strip steak with Gorgonzola-cognac sauce ($17.95) was ordered medium rare but arrived well done, topped with smooth brown sauce and a colorful, crisp assortment of carrots, yellow squash, zucchini and orange peppers. Mashed potatoes were tasty and homemade, but lacking moisture.
   Carlucci’s Grill provides large portions of Italian specialties made with fresh ingredients, all excellent values at this moderately priced restaurant. The extensive menu makes consistency more difficult, and most items I sampled were a tad bland. Additional salt and pepper worked wonders.
   Desserts are imported from Italy. Key lime cheesecake ($4.95) was small and smooth with subtle lime flavor similar to some lemon-flavored cheesecakes. It hit the spot with a good cup of cappuccino. Imported Italian hazelnut ice cream ($3.95) was unquestionably the most enjoyable dish during my two nights of dining. Without the aid of a metal ice cream dish, my last spoonful was just as cold on the tongue as my first. Now that’s a perfect ending to any meal.
For directions to Carlucci’s Grill, click here.