Carmine Club Cafe

CLOSED. A quick read of the 5-​star reviews of this place indicate to me why this place didn’t last even 6 months.

I’ll be honest, I was expecting more. My hopes were sky high after hearing my girlfriend (and Unilocal) hype this place.
We got reservations for Valentine’s day and we were super excited. Sure, the food was very delicious, but I’m not sure it worth the price (110 $ with taxes for two and no wine). I found the ambiance a bit lackluster (and the bass was blasting too hard on the Kanye).
Perhaps (probably) I’m not used to paying high prices for fancy food, but I wouldn’t come back.
I can see how people like this place, but it’s not for everyone.

In the words of Led Zeppelin, «Ramble On»…
Finally got around to trying this place since they opened in Nov… and boy, they did not disappoint whatsoever. I’m a native resident of the West Village that has seen the waves of restaurants that have opened and closed throughout the years… and I welcome the Carmine Club Café with open arms. I especially am keen on restaurants with great food that is convenient/​in close proximity to me as I have a tendency to go back… often… if I like their food.
Today is the 2^nd week of brunch service and I was the first customer for their Saturday service. It was empty, naturally, as it was before 1PM and not enough people are aware that they have brunch service a/​o March. Its a gorgeous day so they opened their front windows into the sidewalk, curious pedestrians ogled as I enjoyed my food.
I love the space, it had a neo-​rustic feel, but not overly so. The exposed brick very much made it a part of the Village and I love the quirky Tiffany-​style bar lamp with fringes. Davis, the host, is a doll of a man, he was very attentive and knowledgeable.
The music shuffle they have piping out of their speakers was awesome and fun: ’90’s greatest hits from all genres (read: C&Cs «A Deeper Love», Hootie’s «Hold My Hand», Coolio’s «Slippety Slide», Mr. Big, «To be with you» and R. Kelly’s «Bump ‘n Grind LOL) I grew up in the ’90’s, the music selection put a smile on my face :)
On to the food! (mind you, my choices were not necessarily brunch-​centric, I just eat whatever I am in the mood for whenever. They do have eggs/​frittata/​pancakes on the menu) In this case I had 4, perfectly portioned courses leaving me happy and content for the rest of the day
Greens & Herbs burnt orange vinaigrette, smoked ricotta, almonds, mostocotto: I love the beautiful big pile of fresh greens that came out, it was perfectly chill and crisp. The salad was well balanced with an interplay of sweetness from the mostocotto, acidic bitterness from the vinaigrette (and the salad was not drowning in it!) and there were slices of fresh oranges/​tangerines as well, lending a citrus sweetness, the creaminess of the shaved ricotta and the crunch of almonds. The interesting element in the salad are the unchopped italian flat parsley leaves where you get periodic bursts of herbal freshness in several bites
Wedding veal meatballs, guinea hen, red cockerel, romaine, pecorino: What a beautiful and hearty soup! A good friend’s mother from Trieste, Italy used to make a similar soup for us after school… and dare I say that it came close, if not equally as good and comforting! She mostly made a meatless soup so the addition of the perfectly seared meatballs and the moist guinea hen was a bonus. It was a meal-​worthy soup, but it was not «meal-​sized», its a bowl portion meant to be part of a multiple-​course meal. the pasta was al dente and the broth was not salted heavily, where you could taste the layers of herbs it was brewed with. This is as far away from Progresso’s salted water-​in-​a-​can as you can get!
Spaghetti guanciale, scallion, pecorino: this is their version of pasta carbonara. It was delicious, salty and creamy with a dash of cracked pepper. The guanciale’s crunchy bits were just to die for. I do believe the yolk they topped it with was from a duck egg. The pasta was perfect and al dente… Sinful.
Last, but not least, DESSERT! Admittedly, they only had 2 desserts, I believe they will be expanding the selection at some point. What I did have was amazing though… a duo of semifreddo (milk custard layered on a sugar cookie beneath) with chocolate lemon sauce and the spicy chocolate mousse (i believe it was spiced with ancho chile)… A beautifully flavored and textured dessert that was not overbearing or cloying, despite the richness of the dark chocolate elements, which the semifreddo tempered very well.
I ordered regular american coffee and was pleasantly surprised that they make it to order, in a french coffee press with Stumptown Roaster’s coffee!!! I am a huge coffee fanatic and this was like «icing on the cake» to further the food allegory. It was a full-​bodied, medium roast with a smooth finish.
My only regret about this review is that I neither had a phone nor a camera to take pics! Ugh! I do see the soup, the semifreddo and the lamp pictured in the restaurant profile though…
All in all… Carmine Club Café, I hope you are here to stay!

Had a wonderful first experience at Carmine Club last night. The staff was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. All of their recommendations were amazing from the first glass of sparkling wine we had to our main dish. I went with two of my girl friends and we started with the marinated olives, seasonal salad, and grilled octopus. The flavors in each of the dishes were excellent and I would definitely recommend each of them. For our main course we shared the whole branzino, the brussel sprouts, and spaghetti squash. The fish was cooked perfectly and they filleted it for us as well. There are many other creative and interesting dishes on the menu so if you are looking for a unique, palate pleasing meal this place will deliver!
The atmosphere is very warm and inviting with a bar in the middle and the kitchen is open so you can watch the cooks in action. There is also a larger room downstairs that would be great for private parties. It is such a great addition to the west village and I am looking forward to going back!

One of the most memorable and delicious dinners I’ve had in New York in ages. The menu descriptions don’t do justice to the food. The chef is like a perfumer of blending flavors. He has truly mastered the art. Every dish, especially the duck, had a series of tastebud delights. We loved the mussels, the grilled octopus, the duck with vanilla-​infused turnip purée and marinated cherries was to die for. Even the simple roast chicken was outstanding. The sommelier was also excellent. Finally, the space is charming and cozy. Definitely go while you can still get a reservation fairly easily!

Shh, I’m gonna tell you a secret but you have to promise not to tell anyone else!
Come a little bit closer… I don’t bite. Okay so the secret is that Carmine Club Café is sooooo delicious. But you can’t tell anyone okay? Cuz then it’ll be packed and full and I won’t be able to wander in whenever I feel like it.
Oh and I’m telling you my lil secret becasue I like you! So, if you wanna check it out ALONE I’m sure, cuz I know you can keep a secret and won’t tell you friends, you have to try the fried sweetbreads, duck breast and quail because they are mindblowingly good, like, orgasmic.
So remember, shhh!

I came in with a group and we had a great time! I love that the bar wraps around and it’s easy to socialize. I’m not a foodie, but a couple of the guys in the group are and we ordered a few small dishes and had a little tasting session. Everything was delicious– the stinky cheese tasted like a farm and was AMAZING! My favorite was the oxtail. I’ve been back a couple more times for drinks (the staff is cute and there’s usually dudes). One of my village faves!

Cute new place in the neighborhood. Really pretty space and would go back for dinner.

Had lunch with three others. «Toasts» were good and had the duck egg salad with apples which was tasty. Portions are small: toast and a salad made a meal. Food was well prepared and better than your average lunch. I’d certainly go again. They were out of the bluefish sticks and pork burger. They both sounded good. Not sure it deserves the five stars of the other reviews, bit I’d give it a solid four for a Carmine lunch spot.

It’s a been a while since I’ve found a place I wanted to rave about, but this is definitely it! I feel lucky to have caught it in it’s purest form… the way the I think the owner would have wanted it to be… before it gets crowded and scene-​y (because it will one day… it’s that good!) We sat downstairs near the wine cellar. The server started us off with some fresh mulled wine that tasted like Christmas, perfect to warm us up from the cold outside. We had the grilled octopus and mussels to start and both were great. The octopus was tender but not chewy and served with a citrusy chutney type sauce. The mussels were in a tomato based broth and so good that my mom had to ask for more bread to soak up the broth! We then had the skirt steak, the duck breast, and the sea bass. Just like the mussels, it was clean plates all around at the end of dinner. The dishes weren’t overly complex or pretentious but very thoughtful… you could just tell someone cared about the dish he was sending out. We ended dinner with both the desserts on the menu — the semifreddo and the honey apple cake. I’ve never had either and it was just a lot of fun tasting new things and enjoying every bite of it. It was perfect to try both a fruit based and a chocolate based dessert. Finally, I just picked a pinot noir from Sonoma that I wasn’t familiar with but it was just fine for the meal. Thursday night was perfect downstairs for a quiet dinner with good conversation. Upstairs near the bar and open kitchen was a bit more rowdy, so it’s got both depending on what you’re in the mood for. I’m excited about this place and will definitely be going back.

I LOVE this place. INCREDIBLE FOOD! There were four of us and we shared a bunch of small plates. Everyhting was excellent. I’m not a cheese person, but their cheeses were amazing. Everything was very fresh and unique — you can tell the chef is a rising star. The atmosphere is very cool, nice mellow vibe… they played awesome music. Added bonus: Prosecco on TAP! Highly recommend.

A wonderful addition to West Village.
Great atmosphere and even better food and wine!
The special of the night (sea bass) was so good that we kept asking them to add to the menu.
I’ll have to try the fried sweetbreads next time :)