Word has it that food at the legendary family-style Carmines is meant for sharing. While waiting for my friends to arrive at the original uptown location, I 
perused the dining room as it was my first time there. My eyes fixated on a couple with a platter of pasta so big, it almost didn’t fit the small table. To say that the portions of Carmine’s Italian foods are gargantuan is an understatement.
I was a guest along with a group of my friends to celebrate my completing year-long daily exercise goal. What better than a visit to Carmines to 
commemorate an activity goal? I had earned a calorie spurge.
We started with sausage-bread stuffed button mushrooms ($16.95 for 9) and a tender layered eggplant parmigiana the size of a full meatloaf. The latter was the dish I had most wanted to sample and it didn’t disappoint. It reminded me that uncomplicated Southern Italian cooking — you know that type — with lots of red sauce and garlic never goes out of style. I tried to finish a slice of it, but having seen visions of what was to come, I restrained myself. I also skipped the bread basket. No need to waste calories there. 
With five at the table, we opted for the Sunday four-pasta special of gnocchi in pesto, vegetable lasagna, manicotti and fusilli Bolognese. We originally thought that we’d select three entrees for five people. Wrong!
Each entree is meant for two to six or more people. Consider the Lobster Fra Diavolo (market price the night we went $38.95) with linguine. That abundant dish could 
have easily fed eight with leftovers, especially after apps. That contained 4 pounds of lobster, more than 8 jumbo shrimp, 8 clams, 8 mussels and 10 cups of spicy tomato sauce mixed with 2 pounds of cooked linguine tipping the scales at over 20 pounds.
I can’t believe that after filling our bellies with that sumptuous dish that we actually ordered and nibbled a couple desserts. We chose two of the smaller ones — the tartufo, vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate ($8.50) and the fresh layers of whipped cream and strawberries 
shortcake, sprinkled with chopped pistachio nuts ($15).
We — along with almost everyone else who dined — walked out carrying leftovers. Ours was almost too heavy to lift — or I would have walked back downtown to work off a smidgen of the yummy calories consumed.
– bonnie
BonnieBOTB
Follow @BonnieBOTB
Carmine’s
Upper West Side
2450 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
(212) 362-2200
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