Carmela's Bistro & Wine Bar

Exactly what we needed to cap off our anniversary date. It was mellow, the desserts were tremendous and the wine was good (for my novice palate) for the price. Each dessert would have been enough for us to share, but we wanted to try both so we took half of each home. If I had a small complaint, the music was just a smidge too loud. Also, I'm not a wine person, in general, so the list was a bit overwhelming and the waitress didn't seem to know enough to recommend something that would pair well with dessert. But that's partially on me for not knowing more...

Shared parking lot eith a couple of other places. We were seated immediately. The place was busy. They tended to us immediately we ordered a bottle or pinot gringio. It took awhile to come. Possibly because they were very busy. We heard that they had a patty of 16 and a lot of stuff was pushed back We then ordered calamari as appetisers.Batter was delicious but I felt that the calamari pieces were very small in lots of batter. It was fresh and tasted good. Then we ordered our mains. My husband and my mom in law both ordered Oscar's favourite- this came with asparagus, steak and a crabcake. I ordered a duck comfit which came with roasted brussel sprouts, spinach and gnocchi. Our food took pretty long to come. But we had decent conversation at our table and we didn't really notice it.My mom on law ordered medium and she thought her steak was perfect. My hubby ordered medium rare but thought his steak was just ok, still a little bit overcooked for him. He didn't care for his crabcake. There was pepper mixed in there and the smell was pretty strong for him and I. My duck confit was absolutely delicious. It came with two duck thighs instead of one. The brussel sprouts were a little overdone. I'm a brussel sprout crazed person. I didn't mind but would have preferred it crunchy instead of mushy.Our nice server convinced us of dessert- and we ordered better than sex chocolate cake to share.It came beautifully presented in a wine glass and garnished with a strawberry. It's pretty good. But would have been better if the chocolate cake was warm. All in all, it was a decent night. Thank you for a good time.

Came here for my anniversary dinner and got some apps and the fig and pig pizza as well as the chicken fried steakThe pizza dough was so thick on the pizza I couldn't really enjoy it and the chicken fried steak was only okay. As for the service it took a long time for food to come out and a while for us to get our check too. For the price, I expected better quality and experience

Enjoyed a nice dinner with my wife and mother. My mother and I had the Oscar's favorite and my wife had the duck confit. We started with the fried callimari. And finished with the BTS cake. The food was pretty good, next time I'll vote for a different dessert. The dining room provided a nice classy atmosphere and our waitress was very pleasant. Issues, my steak was a little over cooked and my wife said her Brussel sprouts where over cooked.

Tried for brunch, was excited to try but sadly wasn't super impressed. I got the steakhouse omelette and added jalapeño. It was okay, definitely a nice amount of steak included but overall the omelet was kinda bland/dry. It was missing something. I've definitely had better. There's nothing special about the breakfast potatoes. Friends got classic Benedict and the breakfast sunrise pizza, which honestly that one may have been the best, it was a pretty sizable pizza for $15. I think the price of most other entrees is a bit much for the amount of food you get. Drinks were okay, I got a mimosa and Paris Cosmo. Our server was nice but perhaps new and definitely struggled with a few things, mixed up some stuff on our tabs, wasn't super familiar with the drink menu, asked how my friend wanted her eggs for the Benedict (poached is standard for that). The ambiance is cool, and perhaps this is a better place to just get wine/drinks than food.

Carmela's bills itself as a wine bar and bistro. They do a nice job on the bistro piece of their title. They need some work on the wine bar. We joined them with friends on a Saturday night. Their main dining room, as with all their rooms, is cozy, but comfortable. I could have done without the excessive Halloween decorations throughout the entire restaurant, hanging from the ceilings and adorning the walls. This is a dining bistro, not an elementary school classroom. I'm OK with a little decor change to celebrate a season, but Carmela's overdid it on Halloween.Our server Matt, greeted us promptly. He was fairly confident and informed on the menu. We started with ordering a bottle of Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir for $80, after striking out on availability of our first two selections - Ferrari Carano Pinot Noir and Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir (both on the menu but not in stock). So let's start there. For a wine bar, I think Carmela's could do a much better job on how they inform you of their wines, manage their inventory, and present their wines. Prior to the dinner I searched their website for a menu of available wines. They don't publish it. So I called them and asked if they could email me a list of their wines. No go. So when I got there I began perusing their extensive printed wine menu. And as stated above, I struck out on my first two selections. But with each one I had to wait for them to see if they could find the bottle, only to have them return to the table and tell me it was not available. Finally after the third try, they found a bottle I wanted in stock. In the age of technology, I'm quite certain there are apps or systems that allow you to monitor what's in your cellar. I know people who have these systems in their homes. Carmela's needs to make the effort to better serve their patrons by knowing their available inventory, publishing it on their website, or at least being able to share it with diners. Now let's get to serving. Matt brought the bottle to our table, he didn't present the bottle for approval, but I was OK with that because at this point I just wanted some wine. After opening he didn't do a customary pour for approval. He just filled all of the four glasses with a strong pour, set the bottle down, and left. He did leave the cork. Later when we ordered our next bottle, a Francis Ford Coppola Directors Cut Cabernet, I asked him to just open it and bring us the glasses for it later when we were done with our Pinot Noir. Matt didn't listen, he showed up a few seconds later with four more glasses and crowded our table with them. He then proceeded to pour the Cabernet, even though all of us were still enjoying the Pinot Noir. He didn't ask who preferred a glass of the Cabernet, which would have been nice. I for one was not going to have a second glass.Let's move on to dinner. We started with a loaf of their sourdough bread, fresh and hot with a great crust. Served with a two different flavored butter spreads and an EVOO dip. Excellent. We added side salads and these were also very good and nicely plated. Dinners were the Juliette Chicken, the Pesto Salmon, the Chicken Tortellini pasta, and the Bistro pasta. All four of us rated the food as very good and it was attractively plated and served. I had the Juliette Chicken, a panko crusted breast topped with a delicious Parmesan cream sauce and served with Mashed Potatoes and sautéed Green Beans. My potatoes were just warm, and could have been hotter. But overall the dish was very good.So here's the rating - it's a three-star. It easily could have been four-star or higher if the wine bar part of Carmela's was taken more seriously. Carmela's is a great bistro! It's a wine bar only in name. If they up that part of their game they could move into a legendary category in Lincoln, Nebraska dining. When people spend anywhere from $50-150 on a bottle of wine in something that calls itself a "wine bar" they expect a higher quality experience.

Disappointing meal tonight, while our service was good, the food was mediocre at best; the charcuterie board was plain and nothing spectacular, club crackers and Triskets; a few cheeses, fig jam, Dijon mustard etc all available at Hy-Vee!! our steaks were overly seared, to the point where a good portion of the steak was inedible; ordered a mid-rare filet and it came with a burnt sear, mid-rare to rare...crab cakes were fairly plain and lacked flavor. What was to be a special occasion really was an expensive disappointing meal. Carmela's continues to be old and uninspired cooking.

I've been here a few times now. Service is friendly and atmosphere is comfortable. I highly recommend the filet Oscar and the ahi tuna appetizer.

This is my second time attempting to go here and I'm glad it worked out! The first time I arrived after the lunchtime closing. We were greeted by a less than welcoming server, but fortunately, she wasn't ours and was just in a toot to get off her shift. It's unfortunate that staff like this don't understand they're a business' brand ambassador. We own small businesses and aren't going to knock the business for her rudeness. Our server, Emmy, was beyond wonderful and sweet and accommodating! The wine list was very nice (we're in the wine business and know a good list!) with a great array of choices! My husband got the tasting and it was served in a fun frame with the glasses nestled on it that drew attention from other tables. Excellent show of product! I enjoyed a nice French Rosé, a giant and delish "side" beet salad, and a ham/gruyere croissant. A little taste of France in the heartland! He had the burger & truffle fries and liked it. The fries were a bit stronger truffle flavored than he prefers, but not too overwhelming. Even though it was closing time , Em still brought the dessert menu and talked us into a decadent chocolate deal in a wine glass. Plenty to take home even!It's a great place. Definitely check it out if you like wine. One strike for the cranky welcome. One strike for a faint scent of "Fabuloso." (I'm extremely sensitive to this cleaning agent and it shouldn't be used at a wine bar. My suggestion!) But I'm still going with 5 stars for overall coolness!

We were actually waiting for a table elsewhere and came over here and so glad we did! We just had wine (they had my fav MollyDooker!) and the Foccacia Bread Service and that was amazing! We will be back! The character is intimate and comfortable and we enjoyed it so much!