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Ah, family style restaurants,
the scourge of discerning chefs everywhere. Generally family style
means little or no taste, crunchy pasta and sauces that are just this
side of Ragú. Not so with Carmine's, which serves up pastas, parmigianas
and scaloppinis piping hot and overflowing the plate. This giant Theater
District location has the look and feel of a bustling European something-or-other,
with crowds of patrons jamming the doorway, and servers doing pirouettes
with large trays of food and drinks. This isn't a place for quiet
conversation or a casual dinner--this is a place to bring your Aunt
Irma who laughs like an asthmatic hyena and your Uncle Ted who once
finished first in the Greater Milwaukee belching contest. Throw in
their insanely bratty twins, Ted Jr. and Terri, and your grandmother
Eunice with her broken hearing aid and you have the average party
on any given night. Luckily they'll all leave stuffed and satisfied,
especially after wolfing down the Titanic desert that needs to be
seen to be believed. Aside from decibel level and hard to get reservations,
there really isn't that much difference between Carmine's and other
city family style places like Tony's
and Trattoria
Sambuca, but it supplies just that little extra atmosphere that
puts it over the top. Depending on how many people you have in your
party (and how close to vomiting you want to come), you may be able
to get out of this place for under $25-$30 a person. [MF]
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