Carlos' has gone through many chef changes over the years, but I've long given up second-guessing the Nietos' eye for talent. The list of chefs that have worked here includes Roland Liccioni, Gabriel Viti, Don Yamauchi, Jacky Pluton, Eric Aubriot and, most recently, Alan Wolf. A good example is the crab salad, lightly dressed to complement its pristine flavor, formed into a timbale bordered by microthin slices of organic cucumber. The crab is topped with a bit of beluga caviar and accompanied by an herbed salad with truffle vinaigrette. Winter Asian pear salad, including greens dressed in cranberry vinaigrette, spiced walnuts and Stilton cheese, is another artful composition.
Sweetbreads head the list of unforgettable entrees.
The crisply sauteed delicacies are matched to a roulade of sweetbread mousse, tomato ragout and grilled asparagus bound by savoy cabbage, placed over a darkly sweet smoked fig sauce. Smoked rutabaga puree adds savory notes to a pinwheel of sauteed salmon with leek gratin and a cabernet beurre rouge. Dessert is always an event at Carlos'. The indecisive may opt for the sampler, a collection of five desserts in miniature. Unfailingly sharp and personable service has always been a hallmark of the Carlos' dining experience, and it remains so.