Carmine’s is a family style restaurant offering exceptional value to its guests through the many dishes of Southern Italian cuisine. Restaurateur Artie Cutler crafted the Carmine’s concept with a singular vision; bringing his guests “wow-factor” sized portions and making any meal feel like an Italian American wedding feast. Platters of homestyle antipasto, pasta, decadent seafood or meat entrees, and of course homemade desserts are all staples at Carmine’s, meant for sharing amongst friends and family. When great food and wine are supported by friendly and knowledgeable service, the results are magic – “we want every day to feel like a Sunday afternoon at Grandma’s!”
A Special Edition of The Food & Booze Show was broadcast live from Carmine’s NYC with special on site guests Kathleen DeCosmo and Susan Serra on the ground chatting with Executive Chef Glenn Rolnick.
GLENN ROLNICK is the Director of Culinary Operations of Alicart Restaurant Group, a position he’s held for ten years. He has appeared on Good Morning America and QVC and has written for Time, New York Times, Gourmet, The New Yorker and Food Arts.
While we were preparing our tastebuds for the onslaught of Carmine’s heaven, we were schooled in Carmine’s history by Executive Chef and Author Glenn Rolnick.
25 years open soon for NYC’s 91st location!
20 years at Carmine’s Times Square (1.24 million customers yearly).
Carmine’s locations are Tropicana Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, NJ, Times Square NYC, Upper West Side 91st NYC, Atlantis Resort, Bahamas, Washington DC and The Forum Shops at Caesars Las Vegas.
The Washington DC location has 25,000 sq feet, 9 private dining rooms, 700 seats, and a secret service entrance.
Las Vegas location has 28000 sq feet 750 seats, 6 private dining space including a private balcony over looking the strip.
1 year for Las Vegas and listed in Top Ten Restaurant Vegas- USA Today : 10 BEST HOMESTYLE IN LAS VEGAS, NV.
The 28,000-square-foot restaurant, designed by Bill Johnson of Johnson Studios, features the trademark touches that grace all Carmine’s locations – high ceilings, antique chandeliers and warm, homey colors. Walls are lined with black and white photographs depicting the Southern Italian families whose culinary traditions inspired the restaurant’s timeless menu. There are 75 Chandeliers, 6 portraits and 7500 pictures in Carmine’s Las Vegas.
Trivia for Carmine’s Las Vegas First Year:
2400 people ate gluten free pasta
69,994 actual meatballs 125,000 meats
1,200 titanics or 12,000 softball scoops ice cream
14,869 lbs garlic
9,915 chicken parm
121,099 little neck clams
22,654 lbs. romano cheese
25,362 gal of marinara sauce
80,000 whole lemons
28,000 chicken breast
4,200 fresh basil
7,400 fried calamari or 15,000 pounds
We were treated to several dishes on the menu that were familiar to me as a regular guest and a few that I have never tasted before.
Did you know these dishes are menu choices at Carmine’s?
Caesar Salad
Romaine lettuce tossed with garlic and anchovy caesar dressing and toasted croutons. (gluten-free available.)
Chicken Scarpariello (Wings)
Cut chicken on the bone pan fried and tossed in buttery lemon rosemary sauce. (Gluten-free.)
Porterhouse Steak
Porterhouse Contadina A 42-ounce steak beautifully sliced off the bone, a pound of Italian sweet sausage and huge piles of roasted potatoes and sautéed red and green peppers.
Ragu (Assorted Meats)
A mixture of shredded beef, meatballs, pork braciole, and Italian sausage slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
The Titanic
●Flourless Chocolate Torte
●3 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
●2 Scoops of Chocolate Ice Cream
●Fresh Whipped Cream
●Sliced Strawberries and Bananas
●Pineapple Roasted with Cinnamon
●Chocolate Syrup
●Chopped Hazelnuts
●4 Ferraro Hazelnut Chocolate Swirls for the Smoke Stacks
We also learned from Glenn Rolnick that he has a cookbook being released this year:
Publication date: November 4, 2014
$29.99, hardcover
Carmine’s Celebrates
Classic Italian Recipes for Everyday Feasts
Following their successful Carmine’s Family-Style Cookbook, Carmine’s Celebrates is perfect for big, abundant family-and-friend gatherings: weekly feasts, Sunday dinners, and holiday celebrations
Carmine’s is founded on the twin concepts of deliciousness and abbondanza. In their wildly popular Times Square flagship location and their other restaurants in New York City, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Washington, DC, and Paradise Island, Bahamas, the tables are filled with giant platters of pasta, steaks, chicken, vegetables and more. And every single diner has a smile on his face. Now that concept comes home from the masters. Italian food is the nation’s most popular food both in restaurants and in home kitchens. In Carmine’s Celebrates, home cooks will learn how to make more than one hundred dishes in happy-making quantities. Nothing is difficult to make, serve or store. Each dish uses grocery store ingredients and extracts the best flavor from them so anyone can be an amazing cook. There is a special emphasis on “everyday” holidays, such as weekend family dinners, and also on traditional holiday food for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dishes include:
—Crostini with Cannellini Bean Dip
—Sea Scallops Wrapped in Pancetta
—Mussels Fra Diavolo
—Spaghetti Carbonara
—Beefsteak Fiorentina
—Chicken Cacciatore
Carmine’s Celebrates: Classic Italian Recipes for Everyday Feasts can be found here for pre-order.
You are Invited to view the Special Edition of The Food & Booze Show Here
Mia Voss & Chef Dennis Littley introduce you to restaurants, bon mots and drinkies from around the globe! Join them!
#foodnbooze
#BatCrapCrazy #GetYourLearnOn #AskChefDennis
#CarminesNYC #SMDay #SmDayHOA
Photo Credit: Anthony DeCosmo #52from52 @adecosmo2
Katie Shea Design 