By KIM CAMPOSAUG. 10, 2017 2:04 PM
D’Carlos Restaurant, a longtime Ramona staple founded by Linda and the late Carl Carnevale, has added live music to its menu.
The Carnevales purchased the building at 1347 Main St. in 1976 and opened the doors to D’Carlos in 1977. Still owned by the Carnevale family, the restaurant has been operating under the guidance of Keith and Jody Carnevale for the past year or so. Keith is the youngest son of the Carl and Linda.
Keith and Jody have recently added live music to their delicious menu. By recently I mean Wednesday, Aug. 2. The vision is simple — to couple food and drink specials along with live music to add to the D’Carlos dining experience. As of now, the calendar for D’Carlos will look something like this: Live music Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Wine Wednesdays will offer plenty of specials — namely wine by the glass or bottle with a side of jazz to complement your selection. Turtle Rock Ridge was in the house for the kickoff, with plenty of our favorites on hand and a few new ones. One would think you can’t beat that in and of itself, or maybe you can: Enter the talented Ramona musician Jon Hasz.
The music kicked off at 7. Everyone was grooving to the tunes, enjoying the wine, and loving Jon song after song. He was scheduled to play from 7 to 9, but the words “encore, encore” just kept filling the air. He graciously obliged for another half hour or so. What a great way to kick off a very, very festive opening night.
Next up — Thirsty Thursdays: Cruise into D’Carlos where they will be offering specials on craft beers and appetizers along with, you guessed it — live music. Last week Charley’s Boys, a dueling acoustic guitar duo, kept the energy going with every tune. There is just something about live music that makes any meal, beverage, or outing that much more special. They nailed it.
On to Saturday night— Jon Campos & The Incurables took to the patio and wouldn’t have had it any other way. They are rock ’n’ roll to the core, with three Global Music Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2017 and a nomination for Best Music Video 2017 by San Diego Film Awards. They did not disappoint. Incidentally the nominated music video, “Tragic Tales and Lullabies,” was shot at Salerno Winery right here in Ramona. The same song is Global Music Award Winner for Best Alternative Rock Song. Jon Campos & The Incurables cannot wait to get back on that patio.
That leaves Mondays. The Canevales have a very unique idea here. They were not interested in a traditional open mic type night or a karaoke situation, but knew they wanted live music. While brainstorming the idea, the light bulb went off (I actually saw it right above Keith and Jody’s heads — no kidding, I was there). Mondays are dubbed Emerging Musicians Mondays. The concept is to give musicians a place to gain experience through stage time.
Emerging Musicians Mondays offers 20-minute sets, to give the musicians the feel of playing live in front of an audience. They request that prospective musicians send a sample of their work, nothing fancy. Feel free to take a video from your phone and send it. They are looking for your vibe, your sound, your style. The number of years you have been on this rock is of no bearing here.
If interested, send a sample of your work to D’Carlos Facebook page via messenger, and you just might end up on the patio on any given Monday. facebook.com/DCarlosRestaurant
On a final note, as I sat with Keith & Jody for this interview, as they began to speak the passion they carry for their family, their staff aka still family, their business, their community of Ramona, is second to none. When you have a third-generation cook, a bartender who has been with you for 22-plus years, people retiring after working for you for 30 years, and multiple staff members who can claim 10 to 15 years under their belts, you have to know you are doing something right.
