My former roommate texted me yesterday to let me know that Joe’s in Ithaca was closing. I’d mentioned this restaurant in a previous post about family-style Italian restaurants. As it happened, Julian made reservations for an Italian restaurant in Pioneer Square prior to our symphony concert.
The restaurant was Il Terrazzo Carmine. This is definitely not of the family-style Italian genre. As a matter of fact, it was quite upscale. Outdoor dining with chandeliers is definitely not Joe’s. The restaurant is housed in a rather nondescript building on the border of Pioneer Square and the International District. We didn’t recognize the front entrance, but found the back way in from the terrace.
For an appetizer, we split an order of eggplant parmigiana. However, this was not the usual breaded, heavy version. The eggplant was silky, as if it were sliced on a mandoline and cooked very briefly. It was napped with fresh tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella. Julian had risotto with Dungeness crab and I had venison ravioli as mains. The ravioli was topped with a mushroom veal reduction that was umami city. The risotto wasn’t as soupy as some versions can be. We had no room for dessert, but no matter. It wasn’t inexpensive, but impressive. Service was excellent. Per Julian’s suggestion, I give it 3.5 meatballs on a 0-4 scale.
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