I received an e-mail blast from Carbone’s on Friday announcing the return of their once-famous “Seven Course Roman Dinner.” It was a mainstay at Carbone’s for years, when the Carl Carbone/Gaetano Carbone generation was at the helm… and now Vincent Carbone has decided to bring it back. I had promised Chef Noel Jones of Hartford’s Polytechnic ON20 a delivery of some marketing materials that day, so I decided to combine my visit to Chef Noel with a Roman Dinner at Carbone’s.
Boys-night-out in the Capital City is a rare treat; I called my best friend, Rick Donohue, to see if he wanted to go to Carbone’s, and luckily he was available. Rick’s wife, Bambi Jo, owns the Greater Hartford Dance Academy, and as this is a “show year” she would be working late in rehearsals. Rick and I planned to meet at Carbone’s at 8 o’clock.
Best Friend Rick Donohue, with Mary Beth Corraccio, Carbone's Director of Catering and our Host Friday evening
I met Rick during Christmas week, 1980, when I arrived for my new position as General Manager of the Signature, a glamorous, well-known restaurant on the second floor of the Hartford Civic Center overlooking Trumbull Street. Rick was a dining room captain there, and he was all about the customer… we became immediate friends. By the time I arrived, Signature had seen better days. It opened in January, 1975, and was owned by a huge, national foodservice management company. It was the flagship venue of the company’s Hartford location, which also included a grand food court operation below that fed the lunchtime masses and crowds before and after the many sports, music and exhibition events at the civic center.
On the night of January 18, 1978, the roof of the arena collapsed under the weight of the snow (luckily nobody was in the building at the time). The food court was destroyed, and Signature continued on alone. It had an up and down reputation… most thought it was a great restaurant, but its business plan required the dollars brought in from the food court, and the next few years saw Signature become threadbare as the company paid less and less attention to it. At the end of 1980, the decision was made to give the restaurant a quick make-over… new carpeting, new marketing, and a new General Manager: me.
Why am I telling you so much about Signature in a story about Carbone’s? Because back then, if you operated a fine-dining restaurant in Hartford, Carbone’s was THE competition. In fact, when the company finally gave up on the Signature, it was sold to the Carbone family, whose Gaetano’s Restaurant subsequently enjoyed 17 years of success in that location. Hartford’s dining scene has changed dramatically over the years, and Carbone’s is still here… still revered, still popular, and still, in the eyes of many, THE competition.
Carbone’s is a favorite restaurant of businesspeople on expense account, politicians crafting deals, young men trying to impress young women, and folks from Hartford’s Franklin Avenue neighborhood, even if they have since moved to the suburbs. Carbone’s today is rare in that it still features some tableside preparations and “flaming” after dinner coffees. “Way back then,” the list of Hartford restaurants also offering tableside service included Signature, The Rib Room at the Hotel Sonesta, Frank’s, and of course, Cavey’s (Manchester).
Server, Judy, preparing a flaming coffee. I am told she has been doing this in Hartford for nearly 30 years.
Now to the Roman Dinner, what we came for. I guess I must admit to being a carboholic. Bread, pasta, and rice are my favorite foods. My wife, Paula, will ask,”What do you want for dinner?” My response is ALWAYS “macaroni.” (That’s the grew-up-in-Waterbury way to pronounce “pasta.”) Rick asked why I was taking a picture of the bread, and I told him that if nothing else came to the table, I would be all set. Plenty else came to the table.
Warm, fresh dinner rolls, the size of small loaves of bread. Parmigiana cheese sticks, also. Served with a ramekin of whipped butter.
Our Roma Dinner began with a Cold Antipasto Plate to share: Italian olives, pepperoni, sharp Provolone, and a tangy caponata (Carbone’s calls it “Compantina”) were served on a bed of mixed greens tossed in a light dressing, along with crisp crostini.
Cold Antipasto Plate
Second course, the best Fried Calamari I have had in a long while. Crisp, fresh, cooked perfectly so it was tender. Served with big lemon wedges and Carbone’s wonderful house made marinara.
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The best Fried Calamari I have had in a long while.
Third course, Caprice Salad. Basil-infused oven cured plum tomatoes, topped with fresh mozzarella. One thing of note, Carbone’s serves cold food COLD, and hot food HOT. You might say, “Duh!” But I challenge you to put your next several restaurant meals to this simple test, and you will see why I find it noteworthy.
Some work went into preparing this beautiful tower.
Fourth course, Gnocchi Bolognese, those excellent potato dumplings served in the traditional pork, veal and beef tomato cream sauce, topped with freshly made ricotta.
I forgot to mention that potatoesare also on my list of favorite foods.
The fifth course (who’s counting?) is one of Carbone’s best known dishes, Chicken Milanese. The lightly breaded chicken breast is sautéed and served over wilted baby spinach and polenta, with a crisp, lemony pinot grigio sauce. I stopped at Virtú in Waterbury on my way home to visit with the guys that run it, and Rob asked, ” Does Carbone’s still serve that incredible chicken dish? Yeah, Rob, they sure do. Rob said that this dish alone is worth a trip to Hartford. I agree.
Chicken Milanese. Every bit as good as ever.
Petite Tenderloin Steak Marsala, and we’re almost done. The sauce is a rich demi glaçe with Marsala wine, roasted mushrooms, shallots and roasted garlic.
Main course Tenderloin of Beef.
Finalmente! Dessert arrives and Rick and I decided to share one of each of the two choices: Lemon Mousse and Toasted Filo Napoleon, and Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte with Raspberry Sauce. Both stellar.
Amazingly, there is always room for dessert.
Along the way, a delicious Oberon Napa Cabernet. Even though it was my idea to go out Rick was treating, so he got to take some of the second bottle we didn’t finish. By now, we all probably know that it has been legal in Connecticut for a few years to ask your server to reseal and bag your unfinished bottle to take home.
And so it ended. A great night in Hartford with a great friend, eating great food, at a truly great restaurant. Carbone’s Seven Course Roman Dinner is served Monday thru Friday, and is a steal at just $35 per person. Service is friendly, polished and professional.
We were well served by Marsin and Laura.
Carbone’s Ristorante 588 Franklin Ave. Hartford, CT 06114
860.296.9646 www.carbonesct.com