No. 28 Carmine
Photo: Cititour.com
Contact Info:
Address: 28 Carmine Street
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10014
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 462-9653
Food Info:
Cuisine:
Italian
Cititour Review:
New Yorkers know how to make the most out of small spaces, and that's certainly true of Salvatore Olivella, the chef at No. 28 Carmine. Olivella, a native Italian who honed his pizza-making skills at Pie and L'Asso, does all the cooking for this weeks-old spot standing in front of the restaurant's brick oven, surrounded by a few customers sitting on niftily-designed bar stools. (You can also stand outside and watch the show.) Most of the eating, however, goes in the adjacent 35-seat dining room; a somewhat too brightly lit space full of rustic-feeling tables and chairs. Like the décor, the menu is relatively simple. For example, there are only three salads listed; but you should hope the house will be offering its special, a delicious mélange of arugula, gorgonzola, walnuts and pear in a heady balsamic vinaigrette. There are also only five pastas to choose from -- all homemade and prepared in that brick oven. I can promise that the veal-and-parmesan stuffed cannelloni will make you rethink any negative ideas you've held (often rightly so) of this often-mishandled dish. The parsley-flecked filling is beyond tasty, the pasta is ultra-fresh, and the light topping of tomato sauce and mozzarella is just perfect. Now comes the hard part -- ordering the pizza. Your first decision is whether you prefer the Neapolitan style, a round pizza available in a 12" size, or the Roman style, an ultra-thin, oblong pie that comes in 18" (big enough for two) or 29" sizes. Your next decision is which topping(s) you prefer -- the house has over a dozen combinations. Fortunately, you can mix and match if you select the Roman style, as we did. The San Daniele offers excellent prosciutto, arugula and parmesan atop the excellent crust, while the Bufalino D.O.C. consists only of crust, a smattering of fresh tomato sauce, and slabs of superb, uncooked buffalo mozzarella. Adding an even more special touch, the pizzas are topped with extra virgin olive oil straight from Italy. The pizza theme even continues with Olivella's signature dessert, a paper cone stuffed to the gills with sugar-coated mini-zeppole topped with chocolate sauce. Finishing it would be criminal; but so is leaving some over.
Review By: Brian Scott Lipton
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