Park Central and Carmine's?
 

Friend is planning a theater weekend in November for a group of about 15 people to see Wicked and Avenue Q. She is thinking of booking us in Park Central hotel and having pre-theater dinner (before seeing Wicked) reservations at Carmine's. Have seen OK and bad reviews of both Park Central hotel and Carmine's. Would love honest assessment of both for a group of 15 people, as well as less expensive alternatives (unfortunately can't get group reservations to Le Beaujolais for dinner; am thinking perhaps Millenium Hilton $206, Avalon $176 or San Carlos $199 as alternatives). Thanks!

I ate at Carmine's over Easter. I thought it was fabulous. The Carmine's salad is out of this world. Also, I believe that they take group reservations. Since everything served here is family style, this is the perfect place for a group. We stayed at the New York Hilton (Rockefeller Plaza) and had a very good experience. Great location. It appeared that they were accomodating many large groups. I would call them directly and see if they will give you a better rate. We used priceline and paid $135.

Do not recommend Carmine's. It is known for the quantity of its food - rather than the quality. Very basic "red sauce" Italian in enormous portions - lacking any sort of sophistication. (sort of 1/2 step up from Olive Garden style fast food). Much better for a pack of college kids on a tight budget than for adults with any sort of palate.

There are lots of much better choices. Check out Zagats and menupages.com - or list your preference - is Italian the goal? - and people can help.

Carmines is fun for a large crowd and the food is okay but Becco is much much better for the money.

The three pasta special at Becco is one of the best deals near Times Square and very good.

Whenever I've eaten at Carmine's, I thought the food was good. Granted it's not gourmet, but I have never had a "bad" meal there. I also agree that it's a great place for a large group.

I have always enjoyed Carmine's for a large group. No, it's not terribly sophisticated cuisine, but it's decent, basic, red-sauce Italian. I think the calamari is quite good.

I would hesitate to schedule a pre-theatre dinner there, though. Although they take reservations for large groups, there can still be a long wait. You might not make the curtain.

nytraveler, out of curiousity, why would you suggest Zagats or menupages.com for better food?

Zagats is obsolete by the time it comes out and is good for addresses and phone numbers and menupages.com is so generic.

BTW, menupages.com gave Carmine's 4 stars out of five.

I thought Carmine's good was very good. If it is where your friend wants to go, why not just go with it?

Carmines isn't top notch dining, but it is fun with a large group and I have never had a bad meal there. If you love garlic, get their baked clams!

Their plain pasta/sauce meals are fairly drab, but they have some good fish and meat entrees.

I wouldn't pick Carmine's for a dinner site for 15 people, especially for a pre-theater meal. It's noisy and crowded and not a place for a large group to easily interact. And, as a previous poster noted, you're not guaranteed a specific time even with reservations.
I also agree with a previous poster that Becco would be a wiser choice.
However, I don't agree with GoTravel about Zagat's being obsolete by the time it comes out. While there might be some slight variations overall, it's still the most reliable dining guide for NYC.

Thanks for all of the replies. Friend who is organizing the theater weekend is now thinking of the French restaurant Le Rivage because of the postings of long waits and noise. Thoughts?

Agree that Zagat's is not out of date when it appears - will not be up to date with the very very latest for trendoids - but is usually reliable. Meupages is really good not for ratings but for specifics on what is place offers - I find this can often be a better guide than "ratings".

For heaven's sake, why do people worry that theater district restaurants won't get them out in time for the curtain? They are pros at getting you out on time--it's their bread and butter. And as long as these restaurants are turning out hundreds of dinners on 1-1.5 hrs., don't expect the same level of quality as you would get from one of the true temples of fine dining. Save that for an evening when you can linger and really appreciate what you get for the walletful of dough you're spending. On the other hand, to survive in that competitive environment, you have to have pretty decent food. I think Carmine's has delicious food, and is a fun, noisy environment, ideal for a large group. I am just as discriminating a diner as most of the readers here, and I am not kidding about "delicious". Can't imagine you would be disappointed with Carmine's, which is also very competitive on price. They reserve for larger groups; smaller parties should just get there early and somehow they'll manage to seat you. Becco is one of a couple dozen of theater district Italians which somehow gets mentioned a lot; it's fine, but remember they are in the volume-and-value business.

Lois, are you saying:
1. That Carmine's is not in the "volume-and-value business"?
2. That Carmine's is better than Becco?
3. That you cannot have fine pre-theater dining experience in the theater district?

I'd go with Becco for two reasons:
1. We like it. And they're quite accommodating if you tell them you have to make a theater time.
2. I've never eaten at Carmine's but every time I walked by, there was a line outside. That could present a problem with making your play time. And, honestly, my attitude is that life is too short and the choices are so sufficient that there's no reason to wait in line, especially for the decent but not spectacular food at Carmine's.

In your shoes, I'd be far more concerned with the hotel choice than one restaurant that you will spend, at most, 2 hrs.

If you're talking about 7 or more rooms, I'd try to negotiate a good price from a nicer hotel like the Michelangelo, the Sofitel, or the Blakely which is near the Park Central. To "sweeten the pot" for the hotel to give you a great room rate, you might tell them (and consider) the group dinner in the hotel's own rest. Both the Michelangelo and the Sofitel have restos (no personal experience but Zagat says they're both good). Not sure if the Blakely has a resto. but there are certainly plenty on their street including La Bonne Soup which is good.

If you want one of the bigger TS chain hotels, people have been touting the Renaissance on another thread today. The Avalon gets great tripadvisor reviews but not ideal location IMO. For a theater weekend, the San Carlos is also not ideal. You might not want to be on the east side. Can't speak to the Hilton.

Listen to HowardR.

Carmine's is fun with a large group, and they now take reservations for parties of 6 or more.

We wandered into Meson Sevilla, right across from Becco, one evening pre-theater. The food was very good, very reasonable (I think at prix fixe at around $22 - 27) and they got us out in plenty of time. Becco is ok, but Lattanzi (right next door) is far better.

I agree with Leona that Lattanzi is better that Becco(and so in Orso on the same street). But, they also are both much more expensive than Becco. And, since the poster's original question was about Carmine's, I assumed that price was a consideration!