THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407070208
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant Review
SOURCE: BY JEWEL BOND
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
ON A RECENT evening, some visiting relatives and my husband and I drove out of Kill Devil Hills headed for Corolla. We had made a 7:45 p.m. reservation at Nicoletta's Italian Cafe.
``We're in the Corolla Light Village Shops, on the right side of the road,'' we were told. ``Keep driving till you see the Corolla Lighthouse.''
Forty-nine minutes later, having become an unwilling member of the 20-mile-per-hour caravan club, we arrived a half hour late for our reservation. Our table had been given to on-time hungry diners. Forlornly, we would wait outside.
What a treat! A smiling hostess flipped a crisp white tablecloth across an outside table and offered refreshments for our wait. She said we could browse the shops and the staff would find us when our table was ready.
Impressed, my husband Bill asked her name. ``Fran Mancuso,'' she replied.
She is the owner of Nicoletta's. A former interior designer, prior to purchasing the cafe two years ago, Mancuso is a native of the Outer Banks. ``My grandfather was a ferryboat captain before the bridge was built and my mother waited tables at the Whalehead Club. I met my husband here,'' she said. ``Before buying the cafe, my husband and I would sometimes come in after work, have a glass of wine, listen to the music, and `chill out.' I want to keep that same atmosphere.''
And she has: Ol' Blue Eyes singing his classic renditions; the wafting aroma of garlic, Italian tomatoes and fresh spices, framed Sinatra photos, the designer-touch decor of wine racks, Italian pottery and a single red rose for each table.
Seated at 8:55 p.m., a crusty loaf of Italian bread arrived immediately as did a scarf-necked bottle of wine chilling in ice. Six appetizers featuring shrimp, scallops and crab were offered. The relatives ordered the sauteed shrimp and scallop fra diavlo, $7.50, which is an excellent combination of shrimp and scallops in a spicy-but-not-too-hot marinara sauce. I ordered the crab-stuffed mushrooms, $5.50. These tasty morsels are served in a butter, caper sauce and a hidden spice, fennel, maybe. Each appetizer dish served six sample bites.
Nicole, our waitress for the evening, was attentive and very helpful in our selection of entrees. An order of veal saltimbocca, $15.95, a veal cutlet, batter-coated with eggplant, spinach and proscuitto over angel hair pasta, won raves from all who sampled. Crab cake Napoli with cacciatore sauce over pasta, $14.95, seemed a bit sweet for our group. However, the crab cakes were delicious. A hearty meal for any hungry diner is the roasted sausage and peppers, sauteed in olive oil and garlic over pasta, $15.95. This is one dish you could probably share with a friend.
The seafood dil mare, $15.95, my choice, is a combination of shrimp, scallops and crab in a spicy marinara sauce over angel hair pasta and can only be described as ``marvelous.'' The shrimp in a ``Special of the Day'' was a little undercooked to the liking of one of our group, but the flavor and presentation of the dish itself more than compensated.
Desserts vary daily. We sampled three. After such huge portions of the entrees, we felt our dessert judgment to be severely impaired. We found them acceptable.
When we posed our only complaint, the undercooked shrimp, Mancuso said, ``Our chef, Kevin Layton, hand sautees every dish using strict guidelines for the amount of time he cooks the seafood. But, there are times when someone prefers to have theirs cooked a bit more and that's fine - we do the dish the way the customer wants it.
``The most important thing to me,'' says Mancuso, ``is a satisfied customer. I would never let them leave unhappy.''
We left happy. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Outer Banks native Fran Mancuso owns Nicoletta's Italian Cafe,
located in the Corolla Light Shops in Corolla.
NICOLETTA'S
Where: Highway 12, Corolla
Phone: 919-453-4004
Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. daily during season
Prices: Entrees (includes pastas, seafood and house specialties)
$9.50 to $18.95
Children's menu: Five items, $6.95
Reservations: Recommended
Smoking: Available
Beverages: Coffee, tea, domestic and imported beer and wine
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard
Take-out: Available
Accessibility: Dining area can accommodate wheelchairs
by CNB