“Caruso's Italian Café & Catering”
Lemon Squeeze (Summary)
Name: Caruso’s
Location: 5745 Inland Shores Way North, Keizer
Phone Number: (503) 393-8272
Type: Italian
Reservations required? Strongly recommended
Site: carusositaliancafe.com
Overall Rating: Three Lemon Twists (See rating scale at the end of the blog)
Summary: The place to go for fantastic Italian food in Salem, hands down.
Starting Off
Isn’t it amazing to walk into a restaurant and just know you’re at home? And, really, how often does that happen? Well, every time when you eat at Caruso’s! I had the pleasure of visiting Caruso’s recently and was very excited with my experience.
I walked right in to an “Italian villa” type foyer and was greeted by a friendly host who pulled up my reservation immediately. Upon being seated, within seconds of talking with the host, I was greeted by my server. She was friendly, a smile gracing her face.
I made the reservation for two a half people. My guest, who I’ll call “JB” brought his adorable 2 year old son “Little J.” This was done intentionally. While it is common to go to dinner with two or four people and sometimes larger groups, it is also occasionally necessary to bring the little one(s) to nicer restaurants from time to time. What a perfect chance to test how the restaurant handles children as VIP guests in their eatery. In this case, the booster seat was already in place and they brought the kids menu just as Little J was being seated.
The overall décor of Caruso’s is soothing and frankly, romantic. There are several small dining rooms with the tables angled in different directions so you only see a few people at a time. This creates an intimate environment where you can focus on the members of your party rather than those around you. It has the typical subtle Italian décor one would expect such as pillars, but is highlighted by candles adorning the table, mood lighting from the ceiling, and Saat Lake on the other side of the glass. It was a perfect setting to make me comfortable enough to focus on my conversation with JB and the amazing food that was about to be put in front of me.
Food
To start off my multi-course experience, I actually got a glass of wine. I ordered a glass of Shiraz, which is imported from Australia. It was recommended by our server because I wanted a sweet wine. I didn’t ask for a pairing wine for the meal as expected, primarily due to my personal tastes---I only enjoy sweet wines, so a pairing may not be the right choice for me. This wine did not have a lot of legs, but was sweet and wasn’t overpowering. It ended up complimenting the meal very well.
Once we received our beverages we got our house salads shortly thereafter. I got my salad dry, but since it had tasty croutons and freshly shredded cheese, it was enjoyable. JB enjoyed his salad and also ordered the soup of the day. We enjoyed these courses along with the amazing fresh-made bread. I could write for pages about this bread. Let’s just say this: It’s fresh, it’s yummy, you will love it.
We had asked earlier for Little J’s children’s spaghetti to be expedited since we all know what will distract the little ones---food! They quickly got the children’s meal out and this was only 15 minutes from order to table. Our meal took slightly longer at around 40 minutes from ordering time. This is expected on a busy Saturday night and with salads, ambiance, and great conversation it goes by quickly.
I ordered one of my personal favorite Italian dishes: Fettuccini Alfredo. This is my preferred mix of cheese, cream, and pasta but Caruso’s showed me how it should be done! It had freshly made in-house pasta, delicious cream sauce, and the perfect cheese combination. I will now have a difficult time eating this at any other restaurant.
JB ordered the special of the day. For the life of me I can’t remember the name. Isn’t that terrible? A FOOD blogger forgetting the name of the meal his guest ordered? Well, keep in mind I am here to focus on the customer service. That being said, I can still describe it. He ordered a chicken dish which was paired with mashed potatoes and a fresh medley of grilled veggies. JB described the chicken, which I enjoyed a bit of, as “delicious” and “exploding with aroma.” It was moist and was even rubbed with fresh herbs before being cooked. This is the kind of meal you’d get when you visited a family member or friends home whilst in Italy. Simple--yet perfect.
All around, the food was impressive and really made the menu shine with promise for other entrees too. I cannot wait to get back there. As you can tell, Caruso’s has earned the one eligible Lemon Twist for the food section of the evaluation.
Service
From the opening paragraph, you are already under the impression as the reader that we had a great experience when it comes to customer service. My expectations were that Caruso’s would be average to slightly above average when it came to taking care of their client. Boy was I wrong.
Our server took care of us the way your best friend would. You know, the person in your life you trust to take care of every little detail without asking you or without any effort? She blew me out of the water! When it comes to having a superb experience like this it comes down to the details.
Every time I looked up our server was available. When she turned to us while running back to the kitchen for another table she would ask “How is the wine? Is it what you were looking for?” She would also refill our waters without us asking, or having to push the glass to the side of the table. She was proactive with offering to box up any leftovers.
She went above and beyond making us feel comfortable having Little J there too. She accommodated our request for his expedited meal like I mentioned, and she also made quick comments to put JB’s mind at ease about the slight mess Little J was making, as young ones can do. She was on top of it. And as if that’s not enough, she was doing all of this with a smile on her face and an eagerness to serve.
I cannot express any more the “good feeling” that type of service gives clients. It’s what every other restaurant strives for, it’s what schools train for, it’s what I’m looking for when writing this blog. THANK GOODNESS I went to Caruso’s. Thank goodness. If my excitement wasn’t clear enough, I am proud to give this place on the lake the first ever two Lemon Twists for the Service Section of the evaluation.
Heading out
We got our checks and headed our separate ways. We were thanked for coming in and I was happy that we had given Caruso’s the chance we did. I was so happy that our server got an usually large tip. Wine by the glass ranges from $8-$9 per glass and meals range from $16+ with most entrées in the high $20 range. This is a little on the costly side for Salem, but there’s no skimping on the quality or service. You get what you pay for and what you get is a truly grand experience. Caruso’s gets three Lemon Twists and my strong recommendation for you to visit. Hey, why not for an upcoming holiday, birthday, or special occasion? Head over soon!
Your Customer Service Expert,
Nick
Do you have questions or comments? Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at the address in the profile section of the site.
Evaluation Scale/Rating:
0 Lemon Twists: Avoid the location
1 Lemon Twists: Go whilst drunk as you won’t want to remember your visit there
2 Lemon Twists: The location would be great to visit overall.
3 Lemon Twists: AMAZING location; highly recommended.
