I tried Carmines again, and of course. I sat their for about 20 minutes with no server, the bad part about it, was that I went to the cashier guy, and he said take a seat and someone will be with you.
People were walking in after me, and were getting service.
No Wifi. The food the last time was not memorable.
I am writing this post from Pizza Palace in San Marco, Carmines has made me like them alot better.
I'm sorry yall, I tried, I am not sure why I am 0 and 2 at Carmines.
That's sad... only time I've been to Carmine's, I couldn't get the service staff to leave me alone while I went through the menu. Granted, my dining buddies complained they "hated" the obnoxiously plain cheese pizza they ordered. I had the Hawaiian style one, spicy. Was delicious. And, they use actual buffalo mozz for caprese? That's cool... leave off all that balsamic and it's grand.
Pizza Palace will never satisfy my pizza cravings.
Hopefully this new Toscana Little Italy opening in Miramar will beat out The Loop and Pizza Palace.
Quote from: AntigoneStarr on August 18, 2011, 10:08:11 AM
That's sad... only time I've been to Carmine's, I couldn't get the service staff to leave me alone while I went through the menu. Granted, my dining buddies complained they "hated" the obnoxiously plain cheese pizza they ordered. I had the Hawaiian style one, spicy. Was delicious. And, they use actual buffalo mozz for caprese? That's cool... leave off all that balsamic and it's grand.
Pizza Palace will never satisfy my pizza cravings.
Hopefully this new Toscana Little Italy opening in Miramar will beat out The Loop and Pizza Palace.
I forgot to mention that Carmines had no Wifi either, so that also killed it for me. I assumed they had wifi. Pizza Palace does.
Yea Pizza Palace is nothing special, but I like the service, and the friendly atmosphere of it, more than the food actually.
I tried Carmine's a few weeks ago. It was good, but overall I'm going to stick with Tommy's Brick Oven Pizza on Southside Blvd. It's a bit of a hike from Springfield (really only 10 mins or so taking the Arlington Expressway), but I love Tommy's crust--thin and delicious (especially when it's crispy). Good, high quality toppings, too.
A pizza is a pizza is a pizza. (Sorry, Gertrude!)
I guess everyone's a little different, but I really like the Pizza Palace in 5-points. For the food and service.
Quote from: Dog Walker on August 18, 2011, 12:11:09 PM
A pizza is a pizza is a pizza. (Sorry, Gertrude!)
You've obviously never been to Josephs on North Main! ;D
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: Ocklawaha on August 18, 2011, 12:40:16 PM
Quote from: Dog Walker on August 18, 2011, 12:11:09 PM
A pizza is a pizza is a pizza. (Sorry, Gertrude!)
You've obviously never been to Josephs on North Main! ;D
OCKLAWAHA
Mmmmmmmmmm...Joseph's!
I grew up on Josephs. First pizza I ever had.
Quote from: Dog Walker on August 18, 2011, 12:11:09 PM
A pizza is a pizza is a pizza. (Sorry, Gertrude!)
No way!
I live in Avondale and Carmine's is the best new "dining establishment" we've had in a long time. I am including all the places I frequent in Riverside and St. Johns avenue. It's a local watering hole for goodness sakes, a la New Orleans or Chicago. The music is great, the beer selection is better than most restaurants in Jacksonville, and every server I've had has been experienced and know ledgable. The owner has come by my table, the handy man updated me on the current "improvements," and any number of friendly people came in and out each time.
I haven't mentioned the food, yet, because it speaks for itself - great - from pizza to wings.
If you're hating on Carmine's for Pizza Palace (or anywhere else), that's a bonus for all the people who love Carmine's and won't have to wait for a table!
I would say Tommy's is the best pizza place in town and Joseph's is great as well, but neither are less than a half mile from my house. Carmine's is great on a saturday when you need some food in your stomach to soak up last night's entertainment. It's also a great place to unwind after a hard work day. The place is welcoming, relaxed, and well run. The food won't win any awards, but it is very tasty for what it is and more than worth what they charge for it.
The San Marco Pizza Palace is overpriced, bland, slow, and unprofessional. 3 of the past 4 times I have been there I have watched the staff walk past my conspicuously placed table number, do a quick glance around the restaurant, and then take my food back to the kitchen. Do they think I paid them and just left?? Aren't they concerned?? What if I had been abducted?
There's really no comparison between Carmine's and Pizza Palace. Once Pele's open then I think we'll be able to put them head to head.
When at Carmine's, always ask the server if they are experimenting with new flavors for their wings. They like to taste test things before adding them to the menu. Wonderful!
Another reason to love Carmine's - the "small stuff."
They have the most cleverly written menu I've seen in Jax - props to the creator!
...and they have an outdoor "corn hole stadium" which adds to the appeal.
Now if they had a pedi-cab service to and from my house, we'd be golden. Text Carmine's, wait outside, rickshaw picks up, and so forth... We can only hope for such luxuries in Riverside.
ps - if you haven't already, try a Saturday afternoon Trolley Crawl from Margaret Street to St. Johns Ave.
Best pizza in Jax:
Tommys, Pompeii(coal oven) are my two favorites... any of the wood-fired places are great (Pele's, Taverna, Mezza Luna)... Librettos is pretty good NY style pizza(my family owned NY-style pizzerias, so I'm kind of snobby about it)... Neros on University used to be good, but I haven't been there for awhile... when they offer it, the duck confit pizza at Biscotti's is very good... and finally I like the Thai Dye pizza at Mellow Mushroom
Quote from: voice_of_reason on August 18, 2011, 02:33:55 PM
ps - if you haven't already, try a Saturday afternoon Trolley Crawl from Margaret Street to St. Johns Ave.
How about a Friday night pub crawl from San Marco to King Street??
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/pubcrawl (http://www.metrojacksonville.com/pubcrawl)
Quote from: voice_of_reason on August 18, 2011, 02:14:25 PM
I live in Avondale and Carmine's is the best new "dining establishment" we've had in a long time. I am including all the places I frequent in Riverside and St. Johns avenue. It's a local watering hole for goodness sakes, a la New Orleans or Chicago. The music is great, the beer selection is better than most restaurants in Jacksonville, and every server I've had has been experienced and know ledgable. The owner has come by my table, the handy man updated me on the current "improvements," and any number of friendly people came in and out each time.
I haven't mentioned the food, yet, because it speaks for itself - great - from pizza to wings.
If you're hating on Carmine's for Pizza Palace (or anywhere else), that's a bonus for all the people who love Carmine's and won't have to wait for a table!
I am not hating, I am just giving an opinion of my own experience. How is telling my experience hating?
As far as Pizza is concerened, in Jacksonville. Their is Picasso's and then every thing else.
Quote from: manasia on August 17, 2011, 09:53:34 PM
I tried Carmines again, and of course. I sat their for about 20 minutes with no server, the bad part about it, was that I went to the cashier guy, and he said take a seat and someone will be with you.
People were walking in after me, and were getting service.
No Wifi. The food the last time was not memorable.
I am writing this post from Pizza Palace in San Marco, Carmines has made me like them alot better.
I'm sorry yall, I tried, I am not sure why I am 0 and 2 at Carmines.
That Sucks. Sorry you had a bad experience there (Twice). I was there last night and it was great. Had the lobster mac and cheese. Sucks they blew their chances with you.
I tried Carmine's for the first time last weekend. Service was not very good but the pizza made up for it. Delicious - we'll definitely be back.
I really like Carmines- good vibe, good food, good prices. I will say that the service is VERY spotty. Sometimes it's great, more often there are issues- but usually when there are and if one of the owners is there they will stop by the table apologize and bring you a beer on the house. It has gotten better since they first opened, but the last time I was there it took almost 20 minutes to get a drink.
Papa Johns in Five Points is THEE best pizza in town, bar none. I don't know what the rest of you guys are talking about. Its simple really: Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa Johns. :P
QuoteTheir is Picasso's and then every thing else.
Their St Louis-style pie certainly comes close to breaking into my list
My best friends are carmines lovers, so they will be hauling me their soon enough. I will probably go again.
Next time I will take my beautiful girlfriend, and my service may be better LOL!
Just had a stromboli from tommys brick oven. One word..... NICE!
Quote from: PeeJayEss on August 19, 2011, 10:10:42 AM
Papa Johns in Five Points is THEE best pizza in town, bar none. I don't know what the rest of you guys are talking about. Its simple really: Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa Johns. :P
This post is a joke, right?
Manasia, maybe you could try a call in order next time? It'd be a shame to miss out on Carmine's food simply because of bad service.
Wow - this is a really good thread. I love pizza and I've gotten a lot of great ideas so thanks to all for offering up your favorite pizza places. I like Pizza Palace and Carmine's. I've never had bad service at Carmine's but it takes a while to make those Chicago-style pies so I always go there and expect to wait.
Since everyone is throwing suggestions around, I would like to put in a plug for the Margherita pizza at Taverna over in San Marco. They also have some fancier versions - I know there's a duck confit and I can't remember what else they have. But if I want to compare pizza joints, a good baseline is your basic cheese pie.
Quote from: Bewler on August 22, 2011, 12:07:12 PM
Manasia, maybe you could try a call in order next time? It'd be a shame to miss out on Carmine's food simply because of bad service.
Bewler I plan to go back with the Girlfriend when she flies in, my service will upgrade substantially. She is prettier to look at.
Quote from: Ajax on August 22, 2011, 03:23:00 PM
Wow - this is a really good thread. I love pizza and I've gotten a lot of great ideas so thanks to all for offering up your favorite pizza places. I like Pizza Palace and Carmine's. I've never had bad service at Carmine's but it takes a while to make those Chicago-style pies so I always go there and expect to wait.
Since everyone is throwing suggestions around, I would like to put in a plug for the Margherita pizza at Taverna over in San Marco. They also have some fancier versions - I know there's a duck confit and I can't remember what else they have. But if I want to compare pizza joints, a good baseline is your basic cheese pie.
You gotta try Tommys Brick Oven on Southside Blvd.... The real deal no joke.
Quote from: danno on August 22, 2011, 08:31:44 PM
Quote from: Ajax on August 22, 2011, 03:23:00 PM
Wow - this is a really good thread. I love pizza and I've gotten a lot of great ideas so thanks to all for offering up your favorite pizza places. I like Pizza Palace and Carmine's. I've never had bad service at Carmine's but it takes a while to make those Chicago-style pies so I always go there and expect to wait.
Since everyone is throwing suggestions around, I would like to put in a plug for the Margherita pizza at Taverna over in San Marco. They also have some fancier versions - I know there's a duck confit and I can't remember what else they have. But if I want to compare pizza joints, a good baseline is your basic cheese pie.
You gotta try Tommys Brick Oven on Southside Blvd.... The real deal no joke.
Thanks danno, I'll give them a try this week.
Quote from: manasia on August 22, 2011, 03:51:24 PM
Bewler I plan to go back with the Girlfriend when she flies in, my service will upgrade substantially. She is prettier to look at.
Also tell them you know Carmine Luppertazzi.
Quote from: Bewler on August 24, 2011, 02:36:58 PM
Quote from: manasia on August 22, 2011, 03:51:24 PM
Bewler I plan to go back with the Girlfriend when she flies in, my service will upgrade substantially. She is prettier to look at.
Also tell them you know Carmine Luppertazzi.
LMAO
Continuing my whirlwind brief afternoon with North Miami and after leaving our very short encounter with NM's city council representative Jim Love on an update that FIND projects are being identified and especially canoe and kayak launches for Dist.14 and any council district that cares can aplply we decided to eat at Carmines.
It was that time of day where your after lunch and before dinner. At least that was my case. No breakfast for me and I'm just thinking that I wish I was at a buffet. Still in my decision process and for me I order with that feeling that I'm out with the guys and get the NYC cheese steak sub. I get the sweet tea. I won't comment on NM's order but it looked awesome too.
A big pluss in my book was that the tea cup was always full and I always appreciate that. The sub was hot and the cheese, steak, onions, and all the ingrediants filled the plate and I used the fork quite a bit because the ingrediants would just overflow after bites. Thats a good problem to have.
There was a nice crowd in there given that interim time of day. Had the opportunity to meet Carmine who was very nice and I can say if I'm ever in that part of town I'd go back again.
Had Carmines for lunch today. I was alone this time I had some reading to do. I had no complaints about the service took my order let me read a long time and kept my soda filled. The food was great tried the jerk New York thin.
I eat at Carmines at least once a week and love them. It doesn't hurt that they are so close they are practically in my back yard. The service is usually excellent but there is one waitress who seems subpar (she forgets appetizers and salads on a regular basis). The owners are wonderful and I really love the New York thin pizzas. There have been times when the crust is thicker than I like, but the sauce makes up for it. They are definitely my favorite new addittion to the neighborhood. I especially love that they have served the local beers on tap from day one.
I love the place but i have already had some dishes that were not quit up to par...asked for chicken on my pasta and when i got home...it was soo sad...cupcake was even sadder...loved my meatball though...this is the third time something has been wrong...i guess i should say something?...i hate to complain but im tired of not getting what should be there...i'll give them another try because i know they are really busy and stuff happens but if it happens again...?
Quote from: Garden guy on October 08, 2011, 05:41:12 PM
I love the place but i have already had some dishes that were not quit up to par...asked for chicken on my pasta and when i got home...it was soo sad...cupcake was even sadder...loved my meatball though...this is the third time something has been wrong...i guess i should say something?...i hate to complain but im tired of not getting what should be there...i'll give them another try because i know they are really busy and stuff happens but if it happens again...?
Garden Guy you are not alone, several other people have had bad experiences with them. I am not sure what it is with the place, and why it is so hit and miss like that.
This is pretty funny- my wife took a class over on Baymeadows the other day and for lunch, she went to this place called Efe's Pizza & Grill. She had hummus and stuff but got a to go menu. I wish I had a scanner because their pizza menu is literally Carmine's pizza menu copied word for word, even the specials like the Jo'Burg or whatever it's called. I'm tempted to drop it off there and see what they have to say about it.
Quote from: thekillingwax on April 09, 2012, 07:44:32 AM
This is pretty funny- my wife took a class over on Baymeadows the other day and for lunch, she went to this place called Efe's Pizza & Grill. She had hummus and stuff but got a to go menu. I wish I had a scanner because their pizza menu is literally Carmine's pizza menu copied word for word, even the specials like the Jo'Burg or whatever it's called. I'm tempted to drop it off there and see what they have to say about it.
People still pull shit like that?
Yeah, it's nuts. Look at this: http://carminespiehouse.com/specialtypizza.html
Every single bit of that text, even the descriptions were retyped into their menus. On top of that, they copied the "special specials" pizza menu that's not online (things like the joburg and pope of greenwich village pies), so whoever did this has to have visited Carmine's at some point. The menu is still in my car and my wife drove to work today but I think they have a website but I can't find it at via google right now.
Are you guys going to show the menu to Carmine's? Welcome to unwanted litigation, Efe's...
Maybe there should be a thread dedicated to Pizza Wars.
Not too long ago, Joseph's Pizza (the original: Main St & Baymeadows) was in litigation with another Joseph's Pizza (Southpoint) over trademark infringement.
Luigi's..... fuh-get-uh-bot-it.
Quote
Depends on if Carmine's bothered to trademark or copyright the material.
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't believe that's necessarily true.
For the record, I love Carmine's. I've only eaten there about three times, but I was really impressed with the pizzas.
Back in the day, I liked Pizza Palace on King. Joe would make the best pepperoni pizzas for me - he knew how to get the pepperoni crispy.
I want to try the specialty pies at Carmine's, but I just love pepperoni pizzas too much to order anything else.
Quote from: stephendare on April 09, 2012, 10:23:04 AM
Quote from: Adam W on April 09, 2012, 10:05:29 AM
Quote
Depends on if Carmine's bothered to trademark or copyright the material.
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't believe that's necessarily true.
Cool. Perhaps you can google us up a few examples
Well, I believe it would come down to Carmine's being able to show it was their original work (and they were using it first) and that this other place copied it. But I wouldn't even know how to google that. Maybe one of the resident lawyers could weigh in on this...
Quote from: stephendare on April 09, 2012, 11:06:38 AM
Quote from: Adam W on April 09, 2012, 10:32:04 AM
Quote from: stephendare on April 09, 2012, 10:23:04 AM
Quote from: Adam W on April 09, 2012, 10:05:29 AM
Quote
Depends on if Carmine's bothered to trademark or copyright the material.
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't believe that's necessarily true.
Cool. Perhaps you can google us up a few examples
Well, I believe it would come down to Carmine's being able to show it was their original work (and they were using it first) and that this other place copied it. But I wouldn't even know how to google that. Maybe one of the resident lawyers could weigh in on this...
What would you sue them for? Like what charge?
Copyright infringement (or whatever the legal term is). Accoring to Wikipedia:
In all countries where the Berne Convention standards apply, copyright is automatic, and need not be obtained through official registration with any government office.
I believe the USA is a signatory.
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on April 09, 2012, 12:50:10 PM
Having a copyright is a condition precedent to any suit to enforce it, all the Berne convention really does is make copyrights issued in signatory countries enforceable in the U.S. without first having to be domesticated. Only reason I even know that is I have a case where the copyright holders are in Italy and Cyprus and their software is being stolen over here, I got kind of a crash course in it.
As far as this restaurant goes, if the menu is literally like a photocopy or something, then that would be one thing, but if it's just one restaurant offering the same dishes as another restaurant, then I dunno what you'd really do about that. No court is going to agree that only one guy is allowed to put bacon on a pizza, that's absurd. Regardless of whether they copyrighted the actual design of their menu, if some other restaurant serves a pepperoni pizza, or whatever, then WTF are really going to do about that? It's a sleazebag move, just not one that you can really do anything about.
Thanks for the clarification, Chris :D
I thought the issue here was the use of the same names, etc in addition to the ingredients. Your point about ingredients, though, makes a lot of sense.
We have a pizza place across the street from us that has pretty much ripped off the menu of a national pizza chain. I don't know if they've just not been found out yet, but they've managed to stay in business (and haven't renamed any of their pies).
Having a copyright is a condition precedent to any suit to enforce it, all the Berne convention really does is make copyrights issued in signatory countries enforceable in the U.S. and vice-versa without first having to be domesticated. Only reason I even know that is I had a case where the copyright holders are in Italy and Cyprus and their software is being stolen over here, I got kind of a crash course in it.
As far as this restaurant goes, if the menu is literally like a photocopy or something, then that would be one thing, but if it's just one restaurant offering the same dishes as another restaurant, then I dunno what you'd really do about that. No court is going to agree that only one guy is allowed to put bacon onto a pizza, that's absurd. Regardless of whether they protected the actual design of their menu, if some other restaurant serves a pepperoni pizza, or whatever the dish is, then WTF can you really do about that? Nothing.
It's a sleazebag move, sure, but not one that you can really do anything about. FWIW the history of chefs stealing from each other probably dates back to the day after the first restaurant opened up over in ancient babylon or wherever. The best was eating at the yacht club and being served bang bang shrimp straight off Stephen's old Boomtown menu. It's been part of the game as long as there have been restaurants.
Quote from: Adam W on April 09, 2012, 12:58:25 PM
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on April 09, 2012, 12:50:10 PM
Having a copyright is a condition precedent to any suit to enforce it, all the Berne convention really does is make copyrights issued in signatory countries enforceable in the U.S. without first having to be domesticated. Only reason I even know that is I have a case where the copyright holders are in Italy and Cyprus and their software is being stolen over here, I got kind of a crash course in it.
As far as this restaurant goes, if the menu is literally like a photocopy or something, then that would be one thing, but if it's just one restaurant offering the same dishes as another restaurant, then I dunno what you'd really do about that. No court is going to agree that only one guy is allowed to put bacon on a pizza, that's absurd. Regardless of whether they copyrighted the actual design of their menu, if some other restaurant serves a pepperoni pizza, or whatever, then WTF are really going to do about that? It's a sleazebag move, just not one that you can really do anything about.
Thanks for the clarification, Chris :D
I thought the issue here was the use of the same names, etc in addition to the ingredients. Your point about ingredients, though, makes a lot of sense.
We have a pizza place across the street from us that has pretty much ripped off the menu of a national pizza chain. I don't know if they've just not been found out yet, but they've managed to stay in business (and haven't renamed any of their pies).
If it's named something like the "Carmine's Extra Special Super Secret...blah blah blah" you could conceivably have an issue, but if it's just a list of food items like "Pepperoni Pizza....BLT Pizza....French Fries..." or whatever, then what are you going to do? Even if it were super-specific, you'd still have an impossible time doing anything about it. For example Carmine's has a "Badass BLT Pizza" let's say the other restaurant used that exact name, it's still just opinion speech, the word "badass" has been around forever, and if another chef thinks his BLT pizza is badass too then he's certainly entitled to express his opinion.
I'm no lawyer, but I know a good bit about this stuff through work. Basically, it might be possible to copyright the design of the menu, but you can't copyright the actual items on the menu, like lists of ingredients and toppings, names of dishes (no matter how creative), slogans etc. Things like that are specifically not copyrightable by federal law. Explanatory or descriptive text in the menu might be copyrightable, but it seems very unlikely anyone would bother to do that.
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ34.pdf
Additionally, it is possible to trademark names of dishes and slogans. Trademarks don't need to be registered in order to be defended ("TM" means it's an unregistered trademark), but if they're not, Carmine's would basically have to show that the infringer was trying to pass themselves off as Carmine's and/or that they'd lost business due to the confusion. I doubt it would be worth the restaurant's time and effort even to bother with this matter.
Quote from: stephendare on April 09, 2012, 09:54:46 AM
Quote from: ben says on April 09, 2012, 09:48:57 AM
Are you guys going to show the menu to Carmine's? Welcome to unwanted litigation, Efe's...
Depends on if Carmine's bothered to trademark or copyright the material.
Besides which there are a lot of assumptions going on here.
Does anyone know if efts has the same owners or creators as Carmine's?
And it might be true that fee was there first, and that Carmine's is the copy.
It's not reasonable to assume either way.
Efe's just opened a month or two ago and they have a pretty huge and crazy menu- most of it seems to be of the mediterranean variety. I really don't think the Carmine's people would open a place across town and not mention it to anyone. My wife said the food they had was actually really good- someone even had escargot but the copying of the pizza menu is pretty bad. With that said, they may have hired someone to put together their menu for them and they did this- the folks at Efe's may not even know about Carmine's. Not sure.
Don't wanna see lawyers involved but they really need to change it for their own sake because it makes them look bad.