Carbone | Major Food Group | New York Restaurant
Carbone is no doubt one of the hardest spots in the city to get a reservation for. This chic restaurant is owned by the Major Food Group and is an Italian-American restaurant created by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick. This restaurant pays homage to the great Italian-American cuisine of the mid-20th century in New York.
Chef Mario Carbone grew up in Queens and was always surrounded by Italian food. Having a passion for the Italian culinary traditions, Mario worked at local eateries in his spare time and even attended the Culinary Institute of America. After graduation, Mario worked at other establishments in New York City and continued to gain experience until he reconnected with his old friend, Rich Torrisi, from culinary school at a small restaurant called Cafe Boulud. Soon enough, this small Little Italy restaurant became widely popular, bringing in many locals, tourists, and regulars - one being Jeff Zalaznick who later on partnered up with both men to create Major Food Group.
Since Major Food Group was born, it has become widely successful with over 30 highly acclaimed restaurants around the world. Years ago I dined at one of these restaurants and was very excited to enjoy a meal at Carbone.
The menu at Carbone is very simple with about 20-25 items on the menu, but the food is always fresh, hot, and delicious. People rave about their signature dishes including their caesar salad, meatballs, and crispy calamari. Their spicy rigatoni was the perfect balance between spicy and creamy and their chicken parmesan melts in your mouth. Even if you’re full after the meal, you can’t pass on dessert. The carrot cake is delicious and the lady fingers and tiramisu keep= you wanting to have more and more. Major Food Group has been expanding their restaurants all over the world, but Carone in the West Village is the original and in my opinion, best one.
This restaurant is so popular, making it difficult to reserve a table unless you know someone or have a connection. People wait a very long time simply to make a reservation, but thankfully one of our friends is an investor for Major Food Group and was able to get us a reservation.
The atmosphere at Carbone is comfortable and the service was great. Between the manager and staff, diners will be well taken care of. The people there are well dressed and well mannered, making it one of the hottest restaurants in New York City. We loved our time at Carbone and would love to go back soon.
