A really good carbonara is elusive. Very few menu it, and very few of those few do it well. Count Palermo among those very few who do it well. A lot of Italian chef’s aim for the sweet and sunny side of the cuisine. I prefer the darker, stormier versions that emphasize the umami of portobellos and anchovies, or, in this case, pancetta and peas and smoked ham and eggs.
The Caesar salad and bread that came with was quite good as well. They are not shy about anchovy at Palermo, and that is a very good thing. Notice how the croutons are added to the side of the plate so you can add them or avoid them. A small touch, but a noticeable addition to service.
I know I often lead with layout and ambience, and Palermo does score highly on that scale as well, but carbonara is not an easy dish to execute, and often chefs (or chains) take disastrous shortcuts. Being egg based, this is a dish that has to be made to order, which is why so many restaurants avoid it altogether. People who can cook a dish to order are becoming more and more rare, and more and more expensive to hold onto. If you are open seven days, you really need three top tier line cooks to put some dishes on the menu, and many of your competitors want them as well. Which is one of the reasons, I suspect, that Palermo’s is closed Sunday and Monday of each week. The interior is pleasant, and the happy hour specials seem like a good reason to bail on the traffic in that area if you find yourself there during the evening commute. I’m definitely interested in trying more of what they serve, though it will be very hard to order anything but the excellent carbonara every time I go there.
