After an exhausting day working in the field, my coworker (friend lol) and I decided that we wanted…read moreto treat ourselves to a fricken bomb dinner in a town that was nicer and more familiar than the podunk place we were staying for the week.
Insert Carelli's in Craig, Colorado.
We found street parking right out front, and walked in expecting the place to be small, quaint, and give off a very homey vibe. The front, which seemed to be sort of a quickie to go type of place to grab a slice of pizza for lunch definitely rang true to our assumptions, but we ventured into the rear of the restaurant to find what I can only describe as elegant and casual at the same time. Um... what? A nice, upscale place in a small mountain town of Colorado??? We were greeted and seated quickly, and found ourselves at a cozy little two top, ready to order drinks while we were perusing the large menu. I started with an IPA (unfortunately don't remember the name of said beverage), and my friend ordered a white sangria. We decided to try starting with their bruschetta, as well, while still deciding on our meals.
The drinks made their way to our table, and we were ready to order; I wanted to try their chicken piccata at the suggestion of my friend (I'd never had it before!), and she went with the classic spaghetti bolognese. We spent some time getting lost in conversation until our starter came out. It looked good! Definitely different than the bruschetta that we have both had in the past, but it was yummy! The plate was steaming hot, and the cheese was nicely melted over sliced tomatoes; the bread was a bit crusty on the edges, and soft and chewy on the inside. We continued talking while inhaling the appetizer, and it seemed like mere seconds had passed when the main course was set in front of us.
The dishes looked pretty good. My plate was super hot, and my friend said hers was too, which is always a plus; hot food is the best lol. Overall, we both enjoyed our meals; I think my chicken was slightly dry, and the sauce it came smothered in could have been more prominent, but the sauce was very flavorful for what it was. The spaghetti it came with was definitely warm and it tasted good, but it didn't absolutely blow me out of the water - it was just normal, run of the mill spaghetti! My friend said she liked her dish, but that it was missing some of the more "traditional" aspects of what she normally sees with bolognese.
I'd definitely come back if I were in town again!! The experience was super nice, the staff was friendly, and prices were reasonable.