Located in Noho on Thompson Street is Carbone, another venue by Major Food group. Carbone has that old school American-Italian theme, black-and-white tile floor, leather booth, dark blueish-teal walls, overly large menu, tuxedos wearing servers, all made me felt that I’m in a restaurant the “Godfather” dines in. Music was a little loud and so was the crowd. On this Wednesday night, I noticed that majority clientele were white mid-age males. And oddly, over half of the tables were occupied by male only parties. Strange… I think… Then the bread basket came along, and I forgot everything else. 3 kinds of bread to pick on, soft sesame roll, pizza crust like thick bread stick, and butterly garlic toast, all of them were just spectacular! More beard please!!
We ordered the Scampi alla scampi. It turned out to be the most expensive 4 halved and butterflied shrimp I have ever ordered, but it truly were the best shrimp scampi ever. The garlic and butter smell and tasted so good, we wanted to lick the plate. More bread please! From the “Macaroni” menu, we had the Spicy Rigatoni Volka, it was rich and a bit spicy on the first bite, but then you got hook on it and keep wanting more. Our waiter suggested for us to have the meatballs (off the menu). It turns out to be absolutely extraordinary, one of the best meatballs I’ve had, Meaty, soft, melt-in-your-mouth, and full of favor. If you come here, other than the fantastic veal parm, you gotta have the meatballs. Now, the terrific $50 veal parm. It is as big as an eight inches pizza. Was is worth it? Oh, HELL YES!
(Oct, 2014)
Category: <span>recommended</span>
At Yakitori Totto, they took the Japanese street fare to the next level. Using premium grade chicken, made to order, grilling it skewer by skewer, crisped and charred outside, succulent within. Although Yakitori means grilled chicken, but at Totto, the menu go beyond chicken. Pork loin, smelt, shrimp, shishito peppers, and lamb chop are a few of the popular items. If you are heading to Totto, go early, some of the specials like Hiza Nankotsu and Ton Toro are in limited quantity, often sold out before 8pm. (Aug, 2014)
