Carmine’s Waste Side Story
“This is a traditional New York Italian family restaurant” said our Pacific Island looking waiter pointing at a huge canoe full of pasta being delivered to the next table. A random walk around the pleasant residential areas of the upper west side had allowed us to use the antiquated predecessor to www.stumbleupon.com to find an eaterie.
So we ordered deep fried zucchini to share followed by Chicken Contadina, again to share.
A bottle of Dolcetto d’Alba came with an ice bucket without a big fuss, to take it down from incumbent 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) – WART in America coming soon? Earthy beetroot yet light and fruity, it warranted the chilling on a hot NYC afternoon.
The zucchini arrived by Brinksmat van and was served to the table by fork lift truck.. We barely made a dent in this Mount Rushmore sized “appetiser”. As it happened it would have been nicer without the parmesan but that was not the reason for being unable to finish.
The chicken, and sausage, and peppers, and onions, and tarragon, and potatoes and so on and so on I could describe in terms of flavour, but it is easier to describe in kilograms, or metric tonnes.
Even in this land of excess, where clothes are sized XL, XXL, XXXL, and FM (think about it) this sets a new all-American record for blatant waste. I didn’t dare order an espresso in case it was served in a wine cooler.
The check came to $95.81 plus service which you could argue to be the best value meal since the five loaves and two fishes incident, and would have fed almost as many.
But only come here if you are a party of six and then order one dish to share. It will seem like great value, and the food is ok. If you like fussy dinky little portions (that a lone human being could consume in less than 24 hours) and preserving the world’s food reserves, steer your SUV well clear and head for downtown Manhattan.
Carmines, 2450 Broadway (at 91st) New York.
T: +1 212 362 2200
W: www.carminesnyc.com
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September 8th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
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September 9th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Just think of the whole African region you might have fed with the leftovers…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/08/food-waste
September 11th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Holy Macaroni Batman,
If you’re still in New York and haven’t been already, might I recommend Pearl Oyster Bar, in the Village on Cornelia Street. No reservations and the line’s often long. But you can leave your name and grab cocktails elsewhere then come back. On my last visit sat next to Sandra Bullock at the bar… so well worth the wait! And the seafood is fantastic.
http://www.pearloysterbar.com/
September 12th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Wine Splodge – thanks for the tip – got it on the last day of my stay and now back in UK so will pencil in Pearl Oyster for my next visit, esp if there is a chance of sharing a beer with a Bullock.
October 1st, 2009 at 3:09 am
when i went to carmine’s, i loved it. the service was fantastic, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was amazing, it was just an all around good experience. they do serve a lot of food but everyone there is so friendly, i actually had people pass leftover salad that they couldn’t finish from the next table (the salad was delicious btw). usually, i take the leftovers home because it saves me from cooking the next day. but i have no complaints whatsoever, that place is awesome