Dining Review: Caruso’s Italian Kitchen serves up delicious, generous helpings
It seems that every restaurant you go to nowadays charges you for each item separately. Entree, salad, bread, sides — all a la carte. I’ve been nostalgic for the old days when going out for a fine meal meant getting all those things for one price. So I was thrilled to find a place that just opened where you get it all and you get lots of it.
PHOTOS: Italian dining in Tujunga
Caruso’s Italian Kitchen opened about six weeks ago in Tujunga. This is the second location for owner Johnny Caruso and his family. The first Caruso’s opened in 1972 in Sylmar and they’ve been serving happy customers since then. Their pizza became well-known in the neighborhood: giant pies made with fresh dough and toppings, hand-grated mozzarella and parmesan, and house-made sauces. In fact, a couple of years ago the Pizza a la Andro, named after Caruso’s son, was deemed the Daily News’ Best Pizza in L.A. Under $20.
The Caruso’s wanted to expand to a neighborhood that would appreciate their type of food. They had their eye on the space formerly occupied by Al Reed’s Restaurant in Tujunga so they purchased it and fixed it up, painting the interior walls taupe and adding warm lighting.
Last month they brought their pizzas to the new location along with all of their pastas and Italian specialties. This is old Italian classic comfort food, not nouvelle cuisine. Many items are covered in thick marinara and gooey cheese. The dishes come from all over Italy. There’s Florentine spinach and garlic, Southern Italian Calabrese flavors, Sicilian spices and Neapolitan cheeses.
Yelpers have balked over the prices but I think they’re fair. The portions are enormous and as I mentioned, the dinner price is all-inclusive. For $15.95, I got a huge plate with two large chicken breasts sauteed in a delicious white wine and garlic sauce, topped with spinach and baked with mozzarella. The Chicken a la Florentine came with a side of shells and marinara, though I could have chosen other pastas, sauce or veggies. The marinara was wonderful but the shells were not drained well enough, leaving a pool of water in the bottom of my plate.
But that’s not all! The chicken was preceded by a tasty salad big enough for two made of crispy Romaine, garbanzos and olives. And a basket of garlic bread. I certainly couldn’t eat it all and brought half of it home. I noticed many to-go cartons heading out the door that evening.
My husband took half of his home as well. The Eggplant a la Parmagiana ($17.25 as a dinner, $14.75 a la carte) was substantial and satisfying with its layer of mushrooms and mozzarella. I found it a little too heavy on the bread crumbs but he loved it, as did my son in the middle of the night — that’s what you get for not putting a lock on your leftovers.
I read some negative reviews about the service at Caruso’s but I found it to be friendly and efficient. Perhaps they had a rocky first month. Things are humming now and the place was packed on a Saturday night. Even the well-stocked bar was busy. They offer a few specialty cocktails including the Jalapeno Margarita ($10) which somehow went quite well with the Italian food. The house Chianti ($6.50) is pretty awful in my opinion, sweet and grapey. My only other complaint is the restaurant exterior. We were hesitant to go in. They’ve done a nice job on the inside but they need to give the outside a little TLC.
Tujungans rejoice! You’ve got a good new Italian eatery. Neighboring communities take note! Come to Caruso’s to satisfy your Italian comfort food cravings.
What: Caruso’s Italian Kitchen
Where: 10504 N. Mt. Gleason Ave., Tujunga
When: Daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Prices: Entrees $15.95 to $23.95 including garlic bread and salad
More info: (818) 273-4987
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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments and suggestions at LDupuy@aol.com.