Carmine's On Penn

My husband and I went out on a Saturday date. Evan was our server, he was great. Very helpful, super friendly and explained everything on the menu as it is normally family style. We loved that. Everything we ordered were delicious. No music but it was fine. The only person I thought were a little snooty to us was this guy that served our salad. I was asking him a question about one of the things on our charcuterie plate but the way he answered me seemed like I should have already known. Other than that, we had a great time. We will be back

We went here for a day with about 7 of us. We first started out with the ceaser and pear salad. Both of these were great and it would be hard to pick only one. For our main we ordered the carbonara, gnocchi special which was a spicy vodka sauce, chicken parm, and the Ragu funghi. All were very good. I'd say our favorite was the gnocchi and our least was the funghi. Our server was excellent and personable. I would def venture back out here for another occasion.

We made a reservation through Open Table since it was a bigger group of us. We arrived a little early and were able to get seated. I've been to the McGregor Square one so it was fun to try a different location. We got to sit out in the patio. We ordered the bolognese, seafood al diavola, and the baked penne. There was 5 of us and we still had leftover pasta! The baked penne is very good and cheesy. The seafood pasta had a good kick to the sauce. The group are all the bolognese - lots of meat in the sauce (like chunks). After, we did get dessert. I tried the cheesecake - the seasonal on for the night was a peach one. And then there was a gelato cookie. That was my fave of the two. The cookie was soft enough and chocolate sauce all over the plate!!I liked this one just as much as McGregor square. The pasta is good. The family style is the part that's a little tough when there's several different taste/diets which is what made us over order.

Came to Carmine's for Denver restaurant week because the friends we came with had heard great things. We all walked away with the same feel, it was fine but not authentic Italian and felts a bit like a Maggiano's (large portions, and not authentic).You had the option to order off the regular menu or partake in the restaurant week menu but the whole table had to do the same - that was a bit disappointing. So we all did the restaurant week menu. The deal was $45 for salad, bruschetta app, entree and a dessert. We had 3 couples. When the bruschetta came it was one two plates that we were all to share. Then the salad came and only two arrived (they definitely skimped on this because we should have received two Caesar's and one house salad) instead we got one of each and they wee the same size, no extra for the couple that also ordered a Caesar. Then the entrees came. Naturally when at an Italian restaurant we got pasta dishes. The portions were huge but the quality was just ok, definitely not fresh pasta. The one couple ordered linguine (as it was an option to select Thule of pasta you wanted) but got spaghetti. I would expect an Italian restaurant to know the difference. The deserts are delicious and rich. Overall, not with the price for lack of quality. There are better Italian rest in the city to experience.

Ross and I dined at Carmine's on Penn & had a fabulous Italian meal - la cena era deliziosa! Carmine's on Penn boasted a wonderful staff and equally good food to boot. We arrived at Carmine's on Penn and were seated in the dining room adjacent to the bar. The aesthetic of the restaurant was warm & relaxed with family sized portion Italian fare & a lively bar. General Manager, Jessica took great care of us. She was lovely and gave us a great background on the restaurant and menu items we should try. Our servers Shae & Aaron were attentive and quick with service.Shae started me off with a White Wine - the Argiolas Costamolino, Vermentino 2021, Sardegna. The Costamolino had flavor notes of ripe stone fruit & citrus. The wine's lemony acidity paired well with the vegetables in the bruschetta & Caesar salad.Jessica brought us garlic bread that was made fresh in house. The beautiful bread knots were warm, fluffy and filled with fresh garlic, butter, and olive oil taste.For Appetizers we had the Bruschetta made with fresh mozzarella, baked crostini and tomato bruschetta mix. The Bruschetta was bursting with fresh flavor. The bruschetta mix had a beautiful balance of mellow acidity and subtle garlic taste. The baked crostini was made in house and I loved that it had some flexibility to it - it wasn't messy and crumbly like standard crostini is.For Salad we had the Community Caesar made with romaine lettuce, housemade croutons, parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing. This Caesar was amazing - the romaine lettuce was perfectly coated in thick, tangy Caesar dressing and each bite had parmesan cheese in it.For Ravioli we had the Vodka Ravioli made with three cheese ravioli in a vodka cream sauce topped with arugula and garlic oil. The Vodka Ravioli was a lusciously melty dish. The vodka sauce was bright in color and flavor from the tomatoes, vodka and crushed red pepper. It was creamy on the tongue while the pasta had soft chew and a warm cheesy center.For House Specials we had the Beef Short Ribs made with a pound of chianti-braised beef short ribs, creamy gorgonzola polenta, roasted carrots and cider vinegar poached kale with a chianti reduction. "These are the best short ribs I've ever had" Ross exclaimed after taking his first bite. The short ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. We didn't even need a knife to cut the juicy meat; it fell right apart under our forks. The ribs topped dreamy polenta that made for velvety bites against the steaming meat.Shae paired the Ravioli and Short Ribs with a Red Wine - the Cantele, Primitivo 2019, Salento. The Cantele had flavor notes of plum and sour cherry. It was an excellent pair for the rich vodka sauce of the ravioli and juicy red meat of the short ribs.For Dessert we had the Carmine's Tiramisu made with fresh baked lady finger cake, dunked in coffee, topped with rich mascarpone cream sauce and drizzled with chocolate. This Tiramisu was sinfully delicious and I couldn't get enough of the rich mascarpone cream sauce and chocolate drizzle that topped it. The pastry quality mascarpone cream was so silky and generously coated each bite of fluffy lady finger cake.

I have been dining here for nearly two decades and it just always incredible! It is very intimate and cozy but noise level is usually quite manageable, unless you have a loud group who is quite unaware sit at a large table near you but that is not a reflection of the restaurant! You will never leave hungry as all portions are served family style, even the portion for "2". A friend and I shared the carbonara ands the short ribs , which come on a creamy Gorgonzola polenta. We are like it was our last meal and we were wrong because we both took home enough for another whole meal!! Mango's!The service is impeccable and definitely a team caring for you. They still bring the food out and send it from a big player into individual portions in such a beautiful presentation! I won't be a stranger for so long this time, and look forward to trying the location down at McGregor square!

In response to your answer- this is your restaurant and you are required to pay your employees- the customer pays for your food and tips the server! It's Not our Responsibility to pay for your Kitchen help! I don't know any other business that expects the customer to pay the salary of that said business employees ! I'm very sorry you see it that way - I grew up in Denver and have never come across this Practice before and if I do I'll won't frequent that business for that same reason!

REVIEW AND PSA:Review:We have been eating at CoP for, well, decades and have always had a wonderful experience.So, when my sister and brother-in-law asked to meet for a holiday dinner, we immediately thought of CoP since they'd never been there. The experience was very DISAPPOINTING, to say the least. Our server seemed to either be very distracted or lacking any in depth of knowledge on the menu or how their process worked. When my wife had a question about the salads, before she could ask the Q entirely, he said "you can't just order the salad without ordering your entire meal". Ok, but that wasn't the Q.When we were close to finishing our meal, my wife said we wanted to order one of the dishes, which are family style, and have it split into 2 meals to take home for the next day. Our server responded "we can't do that" and when questioned as to why, he said I will have to check with the kitchen because that's never been done before." REALLY?!? So no one has ever ordered take out from CoP before! Hmmmm....Each of us had a salad, but two people didn't get any of the pears (which was the highlight of the salad) ONE plate of pasta each and a total of six drinks. Three of us had coffee and the server brought the creamer in a large hot coffee mug and said "don't worry, the mug is hot but the cream is cold". ??PSA:As we were having a general conversation, my brother -in-law pointed to the little placard in the center of the table which read "a 22% service charge will be added to all bills. Tips are appreciated, but not expected."We generally leave a 20% - 25% tip, depending on the overall experience. As stated previously, the service was about as bad as we've ever experienced, so it would have not been 20%; therefore, leaving an additional tip, even 15%, would have equated to a 37% gratuity overall.This forced service charge brought our bill for the dinner described above to $284!! Trust me, we understand the cost of everything is skyrocketing out of control and the management and owners of restaurants in general need to understand that for many of us, going out to dinner is no longer a Nice-to-have, but a luxury because, guess what, we work hard and everything is expensive for us too!If I am forced to pay a special service charge, please make it worth while. We WILL NOT GO BACK TO CoP and certainly won't embarrass ourselves by recommending them either. When you take into consideration the overall experience and tie it to the cost, the Olive Garden is a really good deal!!

I tried to call in an order for pick up and they refused to honor half portion orders which are clearly stated on their menu. They say that if I walked in, made the order in person, and then stood there for twenty minutes while the order was being prepared than they would honor their half portion menu. This may be the stupidest and most inconvenient policy I have heard to date.The food isn't even that good, and if ordering is this idiotic then for sure a pass for me going forward.

The food, service and ambiance here were all average.The restaurant needs updating. We won't return because there are many other restaurants that are equal or better.