Fodor's Expert Review Carmen

Here's the kind of undeniably friendly, downright cute hole-in-the-wall that keeps the neighborhood real. With seating for 30, Carmen keeps its capacity crowds happy with glasses of wine and tiny dishes of roasted red pepper and olives at the up-front bar. At tables, meanwhile, diners tuck into comforting specials like homemade pappardelle with creamy mushroom ragu and braised short ribs with Parmesan polenta. Desserts and coffee, however, aren't served.