Carmines--new place at Forbes and King in Riverside

[David]

Carmines is open! Let's discuss.

I tried to call in an order around 8:30 last night but they were already closing up. The sign on the corner of Forbes & Kings says their hours are 11am- close.

[PeeJayEss]

Carmines is open! Let's discuss.

I tried to call in an order around 8:30 last night but tthey were already closing up. The sign on the corner of Forbes & Kings says their hours are 11am- close.

I'll probably grab a couple slices or a calzone today for lunch. Will report back.

[Captain Zissou]

The specialty pizzas look awesome.  A naughty Pineapple Express or a Humble Hummus would hit the spot right now.  Yes, I know it's 9 in the morning.

[undergroundgourmet]

they HAD to close early on Sunday because they were overwhelmed with business and ran out of food

[Garden guy]

Ran out of food....i guess that's a good thing i guess....

[David]

I can only give a preliminary report as I only had pepperoni pizza and wings (I know, I’m so culinary diverse) but their ZAAAA wasn't bad. Wings were meaty, breaded, they had the basic sauces. Their calzones looked pretty amazing. The specialty pizzas will probably be what sells the place. They have a respectable selection of beer & wine and their menu's fairly expansive:

http://carminespiehouse.com/menu.html

Unlike the previous ventures that were opened in this location, they had a steady flow of customers in and out for the dinner rush. And it did appear they kept running out of certain ingredients because I saw a few supplies being delivered to the restaurant out of a worker's car. The wait staff is super friendly & attentive and this place in general seems like a better fit for that building than it's previous tenants.

I'm curious as to their hours on the weekend. With all the nightlife in the area and lack of places to eat late, it seems like they'd make a killing staying open until midnight or later.

[cline]

I got take-out from Carmines last night.  Ordered the Chicago style pizza.  It was quite tasty.  Had a couple of Sweetwater's while I waited.  I was there around 8:15 and the place was pretty packed.  The employees were very attentive.  When I walked in I was told that they are using a "temporary" menu right now until they can work all the kinks out.  It looked like the temporary menu had most of the typical stuff you could get off the regular menu (pizza, wings, subs, salads, etc.).  I will definitely be back.

[wsansewjs]

That got to sounds good! I want to go by Carmine's and try it out!

-Josh

[ben says]

How will this fly with the semi-proposed, semi-rumor, semi-conformed future tenant Mellow Mushroom?

[Captain Zissou]

Carmine's will just have to differentiate themselves from MM in some way.  Either go for faster, cheaper, easier or go for more gourmet pies with an emphasis on great service.  MM is notoriously slow due to their '25 min bake time', so if Carmine's can put out a pie in 10 min, fantastic. 

Sushi Cafe and Sake House both do solid business 3 blocks apart from each other because they have subtle differences.  When I want faster and cheaper, I hit up Sushi Cafe.  When I want to spend a few more bucks, I go to Sake House. 

Assuming Carmine's keeps putting out a quality product, I don't think they'll have any probelms competing with MM.  Also, there are those neighborhood elitist/local-obsessed people that will never try MM just because it's a chain. 

[ben says]

Carmine's will just have to differentiate themselves from MM in some way.  Either go for faster, cheaper, easier or go for more gourmet pies with an emphasis on great service.  MM is notoriously slow due to their '25 min bake time', so if Carmine's can put out a pie in 10 min, fantastic. 

Sushi Cafe and Sake House both do solid business 3 blocks apart from each other because they have subtle differences.  When I want faster and cheaper, I hit up Sushi Cafe.  When I want to spend a few more bucks, I go to Sake House. 

Assuming Carmine's keeps putting out a quality product, I don't think they'll have any probelms competing with MM.  Also, there are those neighborhood elitist/local-obsessed people that will never try MM just because it's a chain. 

Amen. Couldn't agree more

[PeeJayEss]

Also, there are those neighborhood elitist/local-obsessed people that will never try MM just because it's a chain. 

I feel like you're judging me. The local small business to large horrible corporation scale is a continuum, and MM (being cool, good, and not that big) falls more towards "Mom and Pop's" than "Walmart."

[Captain Zissou]

Also, there are those neighborhood elitist/local-obsessed people that will never try MM just because it's a chain. 

I feel like you're judging me. The local small business to large horrible corporation scale is a continuum, and MM (being cool, good, and not that big) falls more towards "Mom and Pop's" than "Walmart."

I am judging you. You have terrible taste in food.  There is life beyond Burrito Gallery...... joking, sort of.

[Captain Zissou]

I ate there last night and it was DELICIOUS.  I had the Pineapple Express (naughty version) and it was great.  It's pretty much a Hawaiian, but with the addition of coconut, banana peppers, and some other great stuff.  The beer selection is pretty great too.

The place was packed when I got there around 9:15, but the crowd had dissipated by the time I left around 11.

[PeeJayEss]

delicioso!

Got a fried calzone - dubbed "Jersey Shore" - because I'm a health nut. Stuffed with a whole lotta ricotta. It was great. The specialty pizzas also look pretty fantastic. Their "thin" crust is really just New York style, so don't expect the Domino's cardboard-type slices. Good beer selection as well. Bold City on tap, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Intuition soon enough. Wait staff was friendly and helpful (including with beer recommendations).

Also, one waitress paused for a moment as she was delivering food to another table to show us the lasagna and eggplant parm. They both looked phenomenal, and it was really a kind of cruel tease.