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Carne & Cucina

The Central Coast’s finest join forces.

The Rangers Valley dry-aged rib eye with condiments at Carne & Cucina.
The Rangers Valley dry-aged rib eye with condiments at Carne & Cucina. supplied

14.5/20

Italian$$

Carne. That’d be the cabinet on the right, flush with Saratoga meats, ranging from grass-fed beef through to black pudding.

The Cucina? Come nightfall, Nicola Coccia steps into the kitchen while his wife Alexandra works the floor, tracking between tables brimming with locals who know they’re on to something just a little special. You can feel it from the moment a house Dirty Tini, cold and briny, lands alongside snacks and antipasti.

Whipped taramasalata, perhaps, capped with salmon roe and served with piadini for spreading. Or elegant wagyu carpaccio, ’nduja adding heat, warrigal greens freshness. Surprising? Not if you’ve been to Osteria il Coccia, the couple’s hatted (now-closed) Ettalong restaurant.

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Still, the depth in the ragu, the sheen on the casarecce and the edge in the peperonata underscoring yellowfin tuna are still striking, while a wine list offering a few special occasion bottles is perfectly serviceable.

And that’s all before you get to the steaks.

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Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/goodfood/nsw-good-food-guide/carne-and-cucina-20241001-p5keyt.html