Rebecca T.
Yelp
Casanova is an institution is Carmel-by-the-Sea, with its French-Italian cuisine and Michelin-recommended status. We had a 5pm reservation and were seated promptly; within half an hour, all the other tables were taken, probably by other reservations-- definitely recommend reserving in advance!
Service was nice, but not overly friendly; our server was helpful in recommending plates to us, though. We started with the gnocchi Casanova, a popular choice: it was served au gratin, with plenty of cheese and cream. The gnocchi itself tasted homemade (made from spinach?) and extremely soft, but too mushy for my taste; I would've liked to have had more of a bite to the dish.
I opted for the seafood linguine, which was served on a large, wok-like plate. Presentation was lovely, but the linguine was bland and the seafood (mussels, clams, prawns) weren't anything to write home about. It's a shame, as it cost $55 and it wasn't worth it.
I also had a taste of my partner's and her mom's plates-- ricotta ravioli and sole meunière, respectively-- and they were a lot better than my dish, although they didn't blow me away (the sole meunière was solid, though).
What was worth it, however, was the chocolate mousse for dessert: light and airy, yet rich in chocolate flavor, the mousse was honestly the highlight of the meal. We also got a rice pudding (riz au lait), which was decent. But man, I would just go back for that chocolate mousse-- it was heavenly!
Overall, I think the dishes at Casanova were just-okay, bar that delicious chocolate mousse. The food just didn't stand out for me and didn't quite justify the hefty price tag. But for the European-esque experience of dining in a historic tavern, it's not bad!