It’s time to dust off your Prada suits and silk Gucci frocks and ditch the leisurewear. Carne Mare, acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini’s glamorous new Italian chophouse located on Pier 17 at New York City's historic South Street Seaport, opened its doors last night. The eatery's long-awaited debut marks a significant milestone as the City that Never Sleeps wakes up from its pandemic slumber. "There's a general sense of celebration. People are going out and enjoying themselves. New York is very alive right now," says the Michelin-starred Carmellini, whose Noho Hospitality Group of restaurants includes hotspots Locanda Verde and Bar Primi.
With views of the glistening East River and the towering skylines of Manhattan and Brooklyn, this massive two-story restaurant designed by the internationally renowned architect Martin Brudnizki oozes 1970's chic, Italian style. The main floor dining room and the larger, formal dining space upstairs have plush caramel-colored Tuscan leather banquettes and Venetian mirrors encased within warm timber-covered walls. The ceramic-tiled, horseshoe-shaped bar with a visible wood-burning fire for colder days exudes an intimate ambiance. A grand spiral staircase leads upstairs, where the open kitchen is also located.
Carne Mare Spicy Lobster Spaghetti. Photo: Nicole Franzen
Soon drivers can drop off guests at the restaurant's front door, allowing for a glam entrance. If Carne Mare existed during the days of Studio 54, it's where Elsa Peretti, Liza Minnelli, and Halston would stop by before cruising uptown to the famed discothèque.
A nod to this era is the bartenders in white jackets and black ties mixing cocktails, including Negronis made with either Suntory Toki Japanese whiskey or mezcal under dimly lit brass lights. While wines from the Piedmont and Tuscan regions are the focus of the wine list, there is some acknowledgment to American and French wines.
Dishes designed with decadent ingredients are unlike anything else served around town. The menu fuses bold Italian cooking with modern twists on classic American steakhouse staples. "It's a little bit playful, approachable, and fun," says Carmellini. Brendan Scott is his chef de cuisine.
Andrew Carmellini. Photo: Nicholas Karlin
Diners hoping for chicken or veal parmesan, commonplace fare at Italian steakhouses in NYC, are out of luck. Instead, snacking plates of creamy homemade mozzarella sticks topped with a generous serving of caviar and Sorrentino Arancini with California uni underscore the culinary luxury at play here.
As one would expect, the menu's steak and chop section is a highlight, led by the Gorgonzola-Cured Wagyu Striploin. This unique blue cheese and beef combo took "a good couple of months" to execute flawlessly, Carmellini says. "It gets this wonderful dry-aged mushroomy, blue cheese flavor on the exterior steak, and the inside is super moist and delicious." Other notable selections are a slow-cooked Roast Prime Rib of Beef rubbed in porchetta spice and a Milanese Cowboy Veal Chop.
Carne Mare steak, sides, and sauces. Photo: Nicole Franzen
There are three pasta options, including The Don Lasagn' made with dry-aged beef and parmesan fonduta. Other standout specialties are a whole roast duck d'Ivan with mustard fruits inspired by Italy's Hosteria d'Ivan, one of Carmellini's favorite restaurants near Parma, and a salt-baked black sea bass wrapped in fig leaves.
Carne Mare doesn't solely cater to the palates of carnivore-loving diners. Vegetarians can order the smoke-roasted beet steak. The filet mignon doppelgänger is made with a whole, large beet that’s brined, dry-rubbed, smoked, roasted, and charred with rosemary and Japanese charcoal, then grilled and topped with a slab of goat cheese butter. It's the only steak on the menu that's grilled and carved tableside.
Currently, the restaurant is open Wednesdays through Sundays, but as word spreads, no doubt Carne Mare will expand its hours. In addition, outdoor dining on the patio is available.