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- Price Range:
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$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Wed, Fri, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
7 reviews for Carmelina's At the Commons
I can't believe I never thought to write reviews on places from my old hometown!....
I have been going to Carmelina's for over a decade and miss it sooooo much living out here on the West Coast. There's no better chef than Damien (the old owner), but Martin ain't bad.
I miss the old days at Carmelina's, the Christmas parties, and the late nights. I haven't been back since the new owners took over...I think I'm just too scared to try it and be dissapointed.
Anyway, some of my favorite dishes from the old days are as follows:
chicken marsala
pesce (salmon preferrably) pistacchio
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One of my top three favorite restaurants of all time. Carmelinas has been serving spectacular food for 15 plus years. The ownership has changed in the past few years, the chef from the previous owner and a nice married couple teamed up to purchase this fabulous restaurant.
The new staff is courteous, intelligent and competent. The chef, Martin, is amazing. He uses tons of locally grown produce in the summer and fall. Sit at the bar and watch him go! You can see everything prepared in their open kitchen.
Convict's Pasta boasts rich creamy wild musroom sauce that will blow your mind. Chicken cardinale is another one of our favorites. The carpaccio appetizer is so fresh and delicious. The fish is all sashimi grade and served medium rare.
Osso bucco, braised veal shank, is pure comfort food.
The wine list is amazing. The martinis are sure to please. Carmelinas also has jazz pianist Emery Smith tickling the ivories on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
If you haven't tried Carmelinas - it's a must!!
Everyone would say this was the place to go to for a special occasion when I went to UMass. I went there for dinner and I was not impressed. The food was ok. The ambiance was not great. I went once and that was enough for me.
This place has pretty decent Italian food, but the servers are somewhat questionable. Once when I ordered the Risotto, and the waiter commented on how it's the Italian version of fried rice... Yes, all Chinese people need their food interpreted within Americanized Chinese food terms...
It is also pricey.
I have been to Carmelina's off and on since it's opening way back when. It has gone through some changes over the years mostly good. My wife and I started going there about seven years ago and if we went without friends we would sit at the bar so we could watch the kitchen. It's actually pretty good entertainment to watch a kitchen like this in action. I am afraid that I have a confession though, I'm not a huge fan of some of their dishes, mostly because I can cook some of them, well...better. The last time we went, I found out it was under new management and was slightly disappointed to see that prices were even higher then they were. Getting out of there for less than $100 for dinner, drinks and a dessert for two isn't easy. But the Crazy Alfredo is good, so maybe we'll go ever other year or so. I'm just not a huge fan of overpriced food that I can make at home. Service at the bar or at a the table was hit or miss with us and this one reason we don't go here that much anymore.
When I was in college down the road, Carmelina's was one of the places people would go when their parents were in town. Then my stepsister dated one of the cooks & we got to eat a Carmelina's-quality meal at my dad's house. That's all ancient history now (he went on to found the Haymarket - http://www.yelp.com/bi... - now a Northampton institution...) but Carmelina's food is still outstanding. I came here the other night with the visiting family of a friend in grad. school up the road in the other direction, & I can't count the delicious things we had.
First off, the bread was crispy on the outside, warm from the oven & soft in the middle, served with xvoo (I just learned what that acronym meant....rather slow....) & balsamic and a delicious tapenade. Followed by two appetizers - rapi greens, sauted with lots of garlic, and fried mozarella, somehow made delicate. And preceded by (at least for me) a negroni, with that thoroughly medicinal, cough syrup, everyone-who-tried-it-thought-it-was-terrible taste that I love. And a house salad, dressed impeccably. All of this was accompanied by a bottle of Italian Pinot Noir (I was in two-fisted drinking mode that evening...)-- I'm not sure I've had an Italian Pinot before but it was a good compromise wine for everyone. I think a Cote du Rhone might have worked better with all the olivey / provencale flavors on the table, but it was hard to go wrong with anything on the menu here. For the main course I had seared tuna, served with roasted vegetables, a tomato and olive sauce, & enjoyed many bites of my friend's La Palermitana, a dish they describe as "Sicilian Soul Food" -- this being Hadley and not Albany, there's actually a decent selection of vegetarian options. Finished it off with a Creme Brulee.
And--this being a Friday--there was live piano music.
Even though I've probably eaten more Italian food in the last 9 months in the Capital region than in the previous 5 years, I'd go back to Carmelina's tomorrow. It was great.
I have LOVED this place since I moved to Western Mass. It may be a relatively rural area, but this may very well be the best Italian restaurant in all of New England - even Boston's North End. This is the ne plus ultra for my family for any special night or celebration. It's the main place we take visiting friends from out of town. The menu is diverse from seafood and meats to vegetarian treats. Most are available in two sizes and prices- "piatini," or appetizer sized, and dinner sized. Usually we get the smaller one and still have some left to take home for lunch the next day. Standouts - well, just about everything- so I'll just mention a few personal faves. Both osso bucco and braised lamb shanks are the epitome of tenderness and wade in a flavorful pool of delicate sauces and risotto. Fried calamari is crisp, fresh and golden. Risotto with wild mushrooms is just right for the lighter appetite. The seafood pasta is FULL of assorted delicacies like scallops, shrimp, squid, salmon, clams, mussels and all in a just sweet enough, just tart enough tomato-based sauce with a complex, but subtle mix of spices. Desserts are not the strong suit here - with one brilliant exception - the Creme Brulee is the best you'll find anywhere. The wine list is varied and superb at fair prices, but even the house wines are excellent.
