Carmela's: Great Italian Food In San Marcos

I had almost forgotten about this little gem in San Marcos, when Richard and Laura suggested we dine there recently.  I had eaten there only once before, about five years ago, and why I never went back, I'll never know.  The food is delicious, especially the fish dishes and homemade pasta.

Carmela's is off the main drag of San Marcos, tucked away in the back of a shopping center.  It's been making fine food for lunch and dinner for the past 17 years.  The food is Abruzzi cuisine, a cross between Northern style (lighter) and Southern style (heavier).  They specialize in a variety of dishes for all palettes.  Zoran Lakovic, born in Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) comes from a family of restaurant entrepreneurs, while Carmela DiVentura was born in Abruzzi, Italy.  Her family has opened four well known restaurants in New Jersey. Here's some of the delicious dishes we recently enjoyed, to whet your appetite.

All main courses come with soup, salad, and bread, so you already know Carmela's is good value.  Main courses range from lasagna for $19.50 to shrimp and scallop alfredo for $25.  That's for your complete meal.  The night we were there we began with a wonderful, thick, cream of celery soup, followed by a green salad with an excellent dressing.  My main course was Chilean Sea Bass in a caper and dried tomato sauce.  The fish was place on top of a nice serving of cappelletti.  The fish was tender and flaky.  I absolutely loved it.  Ron ordered the shrimp and chicken parmesan, enough for two people, so we'll eat the leftovers tonight.  There are several veal dishes on the menu, many chicken options, and lots of fish.

Appetizers and salads abound, although with soup and salad included in the price of the entrée, few people indulge.  They have bruschetta, mussels or clams in red or white sauce, insalata caprese, antipasto rustica, and Caesar salad.  I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  They have just about everything you could ever want.  Richard ordered the pear sorbet for dessert, again, enough for at least two.  It came in a large bowl, two big scoops, topped with whipped cream.

Service was friendly and prompt.  The restaurant is not noisy, which is another positive for me.  The only negative at all was the bread.  I found it to be tasteless, and I'm not sure whether this was just a bad batch of bread or if this is the regular bread.  I didn't ask, but will do so next time I'm there.  Yes, I won't wait five years to go back again.  It's a terrific place to take visitors that's not super expensive and the food is great.  Add this to your "To do" list of restaurants, if you haven't already discovered it.