Call it a special occasion place or fine dining. What I mean by either of those expressions is that it is too expensive to go there often. Oh, well. Il Terrazzo Carmine is on my short list of top tables in Seattle. They have been in business for almost 40 years because they are consistently good from the warm welcome to the appreciative good-bye.

My suggestion for living it up in style is to bypass the famous French Champagnes and look for a Loire Valley sparkler (cremant) or an Alta Langa Appellation Italian sparkler (spumante). I asked the server to recommend a very dry sparkler and pointed out my top dollar. As she should, she graciously referred me to a bottle that was a bit less. That’s good service. The extra brut Contratto blanc de blanc comes in a pretty bottle with the familiar female logo. The Contratto family started making sparkling wine in 1867. This 2012 bottle is classic method first fermented for 9 months in stainless steel and then 36 months in the bottle. This is my preferred treatment for chardonnay grapes. The floral aroma on the nose is pleasant. The tiny bubbles on the palate are savory rather than fruity. It tastes like an expensive bottle of wine. I’d buy it again.

In Chapter 6 of The Cooking Class in Budapest, Eva Russo invites Drew and Bernadette to join her and Laurence at Il Terrazzo Carmine. Eva is Italian American and this is her favorite Italian in Seattle. I had to research the venue for that chapter and it catapulted to my top table list. Returning was a treat. The Gnocchi Sorrentina melts in your mouth. It’s fleeting. The fresh tomato sauce is delicate with a hint of basil and parmesan. The challenge for Cioppino is all the seafood must be perfectly cooked, juicy and hot. Shrimp and squid turn into rubber if they are cooked even a minute too long. Every morsel of fish and shellfish was tender. Check off consistency again! My companion ordered the veal Ossobuco and shared a bite with me which melted in my mouth without chewing—like the gnocchi—and was smothered in a delicious sauce that I guess was composed of the veal stock the shank was braised in with wine, vegetables, and a splash of tomato sauce for color. It’s old fashioned and generous to provide a free celebratory dessert and the tiramisu proves they have a good dessert/pastry artist in the kitchen. We enjoyed an Amaro as is customary after an exquisite meal. They call Amaro a digestif, but I think it’s more about wanting to continue talking about the food, making the experience last a little longer.