I visited Caruso's yesterday for lunch with a friend. Given that my friend lives in Chestertown, MD, and I'm currently staying at my parents' place in Newark, DE, Middletown seemed like a convenient midway point to meet. Neither of us knows the dining scene in Middletown very well, so I used my trusty Yelp app to find a restaurant open at 11:30am on Mondays. Caruso's fit the bill, so I suggested it and my friend agreed to meet me there.
Upon arrival, I was greeted and invited to seat myself by a guy who I assume was either the owner or shift manager. I was then approached by a woman who handed me a menu and asked me to order at the counter when I was ready. My friend showed up a few minutes later, and I gave her the menu to look over and told her that we'd need to order at the counter. Once she'd decided what to order, we ordered and paid at the counter as requested.
To try to offset the voracious eating that I've been doing over the holidays, I went with the bacoli salad ($9.95), which consisted of romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and black olives dressed with olive oil. My friend went with the chicken sandwich ($5.95) and a side of onion rings ($4.95). My order was brought to the table within 5 min., but my friend's took at least 5 min. longer, presumably because it required cooking in addition to assembly. This was slightly awkward for me, given that, on one hand, I was hungry, but on the other, I didn't want to start eating before her order was fulfilled, given that it would seem rather rude.
Although my salad was large and aesthetically pleasing, it was extremely simplistic and bland in flavor. At least 85% of it was lettuce, the tomatoes were unripe (I should have known better than to order something with fresh tomatoes in the winter in DE, but still...), and the dressing was only olive oil with no vinegar. I tried one olive and it seemed like the canned/jarred variety--although I can't say for sure given that I generally dislike olives--so I didn't eat any more. The fresh mozz was the only redeeming aspect of the salad that provided any flavor. As such, the ingredients and composition of this salad failed to justify its price.
I didn't try either of the items that my friend ordered, but suffice it to say that I was unimpressed by the bacoli salad. If I lived in the area, I might be willing to give Caruso's another chance and order something different, like the pizza or pastas. As it were, I think I'll suggest somewhere different if my friend and I meet in Middletown again. read more