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Uncle Orson's Restaurant Guide
Caminetto (Italian)
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ocated in a beautifully restored old mansion on the Rambla in Mataro (about twenty or thirty minutes' drive from Barcelona), Caminetto is a memorable mixture of delicately flavored sauces, exquisite ambience, and gracious but relaxed service.
Kristine and I were introduced to Caminetto at the end of HispaCon '97 by Miquel Barcelo and his wife Teresa and their son Miquel (III), their good friends Toni and Carmen, and our marvelous interpreter and new friend Susan. Even if we did not already owe all of them a great debt of gratitude for so many kindnesses before and during the convention, we would harbor good memories of them because they are forever associated with one of our favorite dinners of all time.
After a brief look at the beautiful tilework and other features of the ground floor of the house, and a peek at the gorgeous gardens in back, we sat down to dine in a private room at the front of the house. Our waiter was a man of effortless charm, who had found a perfect middle ground between stuffy formality and egregious glad-handing that North-American restaurants so rarely find.
The simple Catalan names on the menu don't prepare you for the quality of the meal you are about to eat. For one thing, the salad of "tomaquet, buffala i orenga" doesn't prepare you for the best insalata caprese I've ever had - and I've had excellent ones in Provence and Los Angeles! The buffalo mozzarella was so fresh and moist that it gave new meaning to the word "fresh," and the tomatos were flavorfully sprinkled with oregano; cut up the single basil leaf so you can have just a bit of that flavor in as many bites as possible.
Kristine was not feeling up to anything extraordinary, but even the simple spaghetti with tomato sauce she ordered was delicious. I ordered the ravioli de salmo i quatre formatge (ravioli with salmon and four cheeses), and with or without the healthy dose of grated cheese I added, the flavors are rich but not overpowering. Every other meal I saw seemed as delicious as my own - particularly the unpretentious breaded fried cheese that Toni and Miquel (pere) ordered - Kristine was wishing she could come back just to taste that entree.
Miquel (fils) ordered a tomato-and-cheese appetizer pizza on a cracker-thin crust, and Susan's more elaborate entree pizza was just as promising. I only wish we had more time in Spain to return again and again and try everything! An added attraction is that the restaurant is an easy walk from the heart of the Rambla of Mataro and is just as close to wide, sandy Mediterranean beach. Dare I say that this is Italian food better than any that I've had so far in Italy?
Caminetto
Cami Ral, 407
08304 Mataro, Spain
telephone 796-1428