Carmine

Slow simmered bolognese that will blow your mind.

“It's a whole piece of short rib on top.  It’s fall off the bone.  Everybody loves it.”

A big plate of parm people just can’t get enough of.

”It's very hearty, but finishable. You just leave feeling like you got value.”

Overflowing fruitti di mare chock full of fresh seafood.

“You will have absolutely no problem polishing off a full blown order of it because it's that good.”

With Italian done simply but sensationally, you’ll find so many reasons to dine at Carmine.

Set in this dimly lit spot on bustling State Street in downtown Newburyport, Carmine is the brainchild of long time chef/owner Gianluca Onofri, who brings his passion for Italian cuisine to the North Shore.  

“Growing up, every Sunday we'd be, you know, at my grandparents house, and the food then was super simple.   We use top quality ingredients. You have to do that. You want to layer all your flavors. You want to use good cheese. You want to use good tomatoes.  Everything's Ultra fresh.    We use really good extra virgin olive oil. A real pecorino on everything. We don't skimp on anything.  Everything is top notch.”

The rustic space is cozy with exposed brick, dim lighting, and a bar made for dining, bringing a downtown dining vibe to the suburbs that’s far more affordable.

“The vibe is definitely like a North End vibe  You come in, you get a nice warm ambiance. It's a rustic meets like hipsterish. But also the traditional crowd will have a really good and comfortable time here.”

The Carmine menu is lined with time tested recipes with Luca’s modern take.  

And with a name like “EXPLODING” LITTLE NECKS, you think you’d need to duck for cover- but is this a dish that comes with a warning label?

“No, the exploding clams. Means, like you take a cold pan, you put extra virgin olive oil in it, cold clams cover, and the pressure and the heat that develops ends up popping the clams open. So they explode in the pan, and then all the juice comes out and from that you create your sauce and they're just finished with a trace of tomato, garlic and parsley, a little bit of spice.   Great flavor in that.”

You’ll also find Carmine’s mouth watering meatballs flavor packed- because they’re packed with asiago cheese.  

“I figured, instead of having a regular meatball. You throw a little bit of that Asiago in there. It's a little sharper, a little bit more flavorful.  I got people coming in here all the time telling me they're the best meatballs they ever had.”

There’s the cheesy eggplant parm, in a tangy tomato sauce served right in the skillet straight from the oven.

“The eggplant parm is lightly battered, roasted and tossed in a savory and sweet plum tomato sauce with fontina Parmigiano Reggiano, and Thai basil.  We serve in a pan.

It's the number one thing on the menu.”

And then there’s the aromatic garlic shrimp; a downright delicious dish you’ll smell coming.  

“The garlic shrimp is lots of garlic.  It's a lemony white wine full layered flavor and that's on top of a cristino with the butter sauce on top.  Real simple, real easy, real good. You could smell it all the way up State Street.”

Since it’s all freshly made, a pasta dish seems almost mandatory…

There’s Pillowy Maine Lobster Ravioli topped with fresh tiger shrimp and plump scallops in a vodka cream sauce and the so-called ‘Crazy’ Alfredo- a dish originated at Gianluca’s uncle’s iconic North End restaurant, Carmelina.

“It's chicken, sausage, roasted peppers, in…a very spicy Alfredo sauce with fettuccine. 

19’00 It sounds really off the wall, but it's such a full flavor dish, and it's really, really delicious.” 

Lovers of seafood will find the Fruitti di Mare overly generous.

“Fruitti di Marie isvclams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and it's a white wine, pomodoro sauce with spaghetti.  It's just steamy. It's refreshing and the pasta is just nested in the middle of the bowl, and all the shellfish is just covering the plate. It's just a huge plate. The perfect bite is salty, creamy, sweet, savory.  Sometimes you get, like, a loose plum tomato in there and it's almost refreshing digging through all that cream. You gotta try this dish. It’s really good”

Carnivores are king at Carmine, with options like their slow simmered Bolognese. Topped with angus short rib, this tagliatelle comes smothered in a meaty sauce and finished with an ample dollop of creamy ricotta.

“Most people come in here and say it’s the best Bolognese they’ve ever had.”

And then there’s the Steak Gorgonzola- a special, so special- you’ll find it on the menu a few times a week- every week.  

“We take a prime steak.  We sear it, we roast it, we hit it with a little bit of a Gorgonzola Dolce pureed with sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic. And it's over a real simple potato onion and hash.  And we finish it with some peas, just to make it healthy.”

And with big plates of fresh Italian done right, you’ll want to hop in your car and drive to Carmine.