After my first meal at this nationally celebrated fine-dining restaurant, I left determined to…read morereturn as often as possible during my time in Highlands, North Carolina. My second visit only deepened that conviction.
Once again, I found a seat at the bar, this time in the capable hands of Fernando. Knowledgeable, engaging, and effortlessly personable, he made the evening feel less like formal service and more like being welcomed back by an old friend.
The meal began with Paoletti's house-made sourdough rolls: cloud-soft within, delicately crisp at the surface, and served alongside black-olive tapenade and herb butter. With them, I ordered a glass of the cellar-special 2022 Barolo to carry me through the first two courses.
I had arrived with firm plans: the basil-garlic butter escargot I had been dreaming about since my last visit, followed by the cannelloni. Then Fernando recited the evening's specials and mentioned elk ravioli--house-made pasta filled with elk and ricotta, set in a tomato demi-glace. Plans changed immediately.
The trio of elk-and-ricotta ravioli was a delight. The pasta had that taut, satisfying al dente bite that announces it was made by hand, while the demi-glace was deep, savory, and impossible to leave behind. It begged to be gathered up with another piece of sourdough. If decorum had allowed it, I might have polished the plate clean.
Next came the escargot, a dish against which I have a particularly exacting standard. My uncle has owned a French restaurant for as long as I can remember, and some of my earliest culinary memories involve this classic preparation. As a French-trained chef, I also know how quickly escargot can turn rubbery when mishandled. At Paoletti, the kitchen shows admirable restraint and precision. Rather than offering the slightest hint of bounce, each snail nearly dissolves on the tongue beneath a glossy basil-garlic butter, with slender slices of mushroom adding an earthy counterpoint to every bite. The seasoned breadcrumbs softened into the sauce--and really, who has ever objected to breadcrumbs steeped in butter? Certainly not this food lover.
For the grand finale, Michael selected a 2016 Brunello di Montalcino that made the cannelloni sing. He shared stories about his path to Ristorante Paoletti and about his young daughter's remarkable palate and knowledge of food. His pride was unmistakable, as was his gift for making a guest feel at ease. He remains one of the most personable and perceptive guides to food-and-wine pairing I have encountered. The cannelloni itself was unlike any I had tasted: instead of the traditional broad pasta tubes, a delicate crepe enfolded ground veal, ricotta, and spinach. It was a daring substitution, and it paid off beautifully. Baked beneath béchamel and Bolognese ragù, the dish was rich yet composed, each element amplifying the next. Superb.
It is easy to understand why Ristorante Paoletti has earned such ardent praise. Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Highlands, it delivers the ambition and polish of a destination restaurant without the stiffness that so often accompanies fine dining. The cooking is assured, the hospitality genuine, and the experience memorable from the first warm roll to the final sip of Brunello. I intend to return as often as opportunity allows. Molto bene, Paoletti.
