I usually pay $8, but yeah, it's overpriced! The Vodka is my favorite.

There are 100s of Italian restaurants in NYC that are better than Carmine's. I think Il Mulino is the highest rated in Zagat's, but I've never eaten there. It's also hard to get into, but not impossible. There are also the clebrity chef places, such as Babbo, Felidia, also highly rated. Then there are 'local', neighborhood places that are all over town, and some very good.

Bspielman - you hit the nail on the head. Honestly, Rao's is mediocre at the very best. You can find *inifintely* better Italian restaurants in NYC that offer fantastic food, great ambiance and wonderful service. If you'd like suggestions and give us a price range, we'll inundate you with great ideas.

I'm curious why the comments that their canned sauce is good, when people seem to say the sauce and the food in the restaurant is so bad? Why don't they just open a jar of their own sauce if it's so good?

Why don't they just open a jar of their own sauce if it's so good?

Too epsnsive.

I have to disagree about the food in the restaurant. It's not what you'd get in my family's part of Italy or from my kitchen, but very good for a "red sauce" style. You don't order from a menu, you just tell the maitre'd what you may feel like having (like "we feel like some veal tonight") and he tells the table what to order, and the food just emerges from the kitchen.

To get a table, you have to be invited/offered the table by the person it is assigned to. Every table is assigned and the table owners are expected to fill the table every night, either themselves or by their friends/associates. I believe you can just show up to eat at the bar, though I've never done this and don't know what the process is for scoring those seats.

I've eaten at Rao's several times - a good friend of mine - a character in his own right - made the reservations - he'd call me and tell me he had reservations for such and such a date. The deal with him was - he brings the wine - you treat him to the dinner. He brought the cheapest wine and he was proud that he was Rao's only customer who brought his own wine. Frankie - the maitre d' would sit down at the table with you and sort of have a conference about ordering (no printed menu - of course). Sometimes he would say - you are ordering too much. The food was red sauce Italian - not bad - but nothing special. It's the place and the customers you go for. Sat next to Senator D'Amato once - he with his girl friend and his hands all over her.

EEEEWWWWW!

About 10 years ago I walked into Rao's before dinner hour and spoke to a guy at the bar. I asked him how I could get a reservation. This was around November. The guy told me to call them in April when they would open up the books for the following 6 months. I forgot about it and never called. But now I know that I could have called until I was the proverbial blue in the face and I still would not have gotten a table!

There are much nicer spots that you could take your girlfriend. I bet she might be impressed with Babbo.