"The mystery? How this fantastic ristorante ends up as 14 of 74 in Carovigno! Not a chance. I have not yet eaten at Dissapore or Gia Sotto l ' Arco, 1 and 4, respectively, but I have no reason to doubt that both deserve their high ratings. Likewise, I have eaten at 2 Chechele, and while I like it very much, neither the food nor the ambiance measures up to Casale Ferrovia. 7 Masseria N 'zeta struck me as better material for 74 than 7. But enough of that; I am here to talk about Casale Ferrovia, easily one of the top 3 spots in Carovigno. There appear to be two dining rooms, one perhaps more formal and the other light, airy and casual. I dined in the latter. (I also heard that they offer rooms. I see a few really negative reviews among the raves here, and I have to assume that the restaurant may have struggled on occasion during the worst of COVID, perhaps suffering staffing problems which may have led to some of the service problems described. I was there for a packed lunch on Pasquetta, and indeed, expected that service may not be at its peak on a holiday, but I experienced no problems. The restaurant is run by a husband/and/wife team, he in the front of the house, she in the kitchen. He and the rest of the staff were friendly and efficient. The attractive casual dining room captures the feel of this area of Puglia perfectly, and outside there is a pool, trees and flowers. I am told that dining outside when the season permits is fantastic. The chef is, well, a genius! Some would call her cooking traditional Pugliese, but as wonderful as traditional Pugliese can be, her style completely transcends it. She uses local seasonal ingredients to great advantage, of course, but they are but a launching pad for intensely creative cuisine. A few dishes on this visit looked to introduce a smoky element, but without actually presenting a smoked dish. My secondo was ricciola (amberjack in a pistachio crust with a few paper-thin bites of smoked scamorza in the sauce. The scamorza added interest, but neither cheese nor smoked flavors. It takes a serious palate to deliver subtle highlights like those without masking in any way the delicious flavor of the fish. My starter was three antipasti: a beet mousse in a lightly sweetened almond pasty cup, a zucchini quiche of sorts (although quiche sells that melt-in-the-mouth tidbit short and a small bowl of pickled baby vegetables. I also had bites of a brilliant, perfectly executed baby asparagus risotto garnished with crispy pancetta, a boneless, slow-cooked veal secondo known as biancostato and an egg yolk with crema di caciocavallo and a variety of spices and elements that made for a complexity that heightened the enjoyment of the rich egg-and-cheese flavor. Finally, I had an alleged red fruit semifreddo that was so much more than any semifreddo aspired to be. The crunch of the semifreddo could be found in bits scattered around the luscious, dense currant, strawberry and raspberry mousse? gelato?, along with pools of unsweetened currant, strawberry and raspberry sauce...one of the best desserts that I have had in years! If that were not enough, Casale Ferrovia sports the finest and longest list of Pugliese wines, with all of the top names well represented, and as mentioned elsewhere, several different superb, warm housemade breads. If I recall correctly, our check came to 126€, with a 30€ bottle of wine. One can find excellent and less expensive meals in Puglia, but I suggest that meals of the quality and creativity exhibited at Casale Ferrovia are few and far between. I will be back. Often."
