Holiday Season Dinner

Thursday, December 4, 2025 | Carlino’s

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Our Holiday Season Dinner at Carlino was a glittering and elegant celebration of the festive season, held in the warmth of our own beautifully appointed private room adorned with seasonal touches. The setting struck just the right balance between sophistication and holiday cheer, creating an inviting atmosphere for an evening of fine dining, convivial conversation, and shared celebration. With its intimate ambiance and polished service, Carlino’s provided the perfect backdrop for a memorable gathering to close out the year in style.

Chef Brian Fowke prepared a custom menu inspired by the distinctive cuisine of northern Italy, beginning with a refined selection of passed-around appetizers that delighted guests from the outset. The Wild B.C. Spot-Prawn Tartare on a crispy polenta chip with compressed cucumber and micro dill offered a fresh and elegant opening bite, while the Burrata di Andria with roasted winter squash, house-made grissini, and sage brown-butter crumb brought creamy richness and seasonal warmth. The Foraged Hedgehog Mushroom Arancini with truffle aioli added a deeply savoury note, all complemented beautifully by DeBernard Prosecco, whose lively sparkle set a celebratory tone for the evening.

The seated dinner continued with a luxurious Hand-Rolled Tagliolini featuring butter-poached Dungeness crab, Meyer lemon zest, shrimp bisque emulsion, and chive matchsticks, paired with Vulcanico Falanghina. The main course of Mt. Lehman Duck Breast, glazed with juniper berry and served with caramelized baby carrots, hazelnut brown-butter spätzle, and rutabaga butter, was both comforting and exquisitely composed, elevated by a 2007 Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba Barolo. To conclude, guests enjoyed a beautifully layered dessert of Vin Santo-soaked orchard pear, Friulian hazelnuts, roasted hazelnut praline, cocoa nib brittle, and fig-Brunello compote gelato, accompanied by Carlino’s Amaro digestif. It was a festive and deeply satisfying evening, rich in flavour, warmth, and holiday spirit.