Carnem Prime Steakhouse
“The PORK BELLY COTTON CANDY brings out the kid in you as you eat a combination of pork belly inside of blue cotton candy.”
“We started out with the pork belly cotton candy, bacon wrapped dates and bone marrow with escargot.”
“No need to go all the way to Williamsburg to Peter Luger's, when you have this gem of a restaurant nearby.”
Carnem Prime Steakhouse
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Great place all around – beautiful decor, welcoming atmosphere, absolutely excellent drinks! Had the pleasure of having both dinner and brunch at Carnem. Most memorable is the bacon … oh man .. THE bacon!!! Simply put – heavenly! Also on the "maaaaarvelous" list are the Shrimp and Grits, Lobster Benedict, Lobster Risotto, aaaaaand … well to be quite honest, everything was pretty memorable. So happy to have found this place and love coming back here! All the all, I'm giving it 4 stars, the 5th one goes to the Bartender – he most definitely rocks!!!
We started off with the cotton candy pork belly and octopus as appetizers. According to Yelp reviews the pork belly was the go to item. I was somewhat disappointed because it tasted like a spare rib (nice flavors, but nothing wow). The presentation was cute, however. The octopus was tender and flavorful. This was a major thumbs up for the restaurant because I've tried octopus at a few different restaurants and disliked it very much.
For the entree I split the porterhouse steak for two. It had a nice char to it and was sufficiently juicy. However, there were a few pieces that had chunks of salt attached.
For dessert I ordered the fried Oreo with gelato. The gelato was nice and creamy but the fried dough was a little burnt.
The waitress was super super nice and the staff was extremely attentive. It was clear that they wanted everyone to have an enjoyable experience and did everything in their power to do so.
I wouldn't run back again, but it was a solid meal.
Carnem's has phenomenal service. The waitstaff was one of the most courtesy, attentive, and thoughtful teams that I've ever encountered.
We started with the cotton candy pork and the Spanish charred octopus. The cotton candy pork was one of the most unique appetizers that I've ever had. Surprisingly, it tasted exactly like BBQ spare ribs from Chinese takeout because of how the cotton candy caramelized around the crispy meat. The octopus was prepared plated with pesto, a balsamic drizzle, and crispy potatoes. It was an unconventional way of eating octopus to me as I'm accustomed to eating it raw or quickly seared without sauces or toppings.
For our main course, I shared the porterhouse for two with my girlfriend. The meat's seasoning was excellent. We requested for it to be cooked medium rare. It came out slightly overcooked; it was on the borderline between medium rare and medium. For the price of the dish, I was truly expecting perfection.
For dessert, we ate the fried oreos with gelato. I like the balance of sweetness, creaminess, and savoriness of the dish.
Solid steak house in an area not devoid of great eats. Ordered a few appetizers to start. Calamari, tartar, and escargot in bone marrow. All three were really good, prepared well, presented well etc, but the unique item was easily the calamari. Was expecting fried calamari with sauce on the side. Instead it was a black sauce, a bit savory, poured over calamari that was still retained its crunch. Taste wise, tartar and escargot was a ton better imo, but those are tried and true dishes.
Had the 32oz steak for two and sides of brussel sprouts with bacon and fries. Sides were excellent, fries were well fried and brussel sprouts were dry and savory. Steak was amazing and easily worth its price. Nicely grilled on the exterior and salty with a tender juicy interior. Served on a bed of its own oil, yea i kinda dipped some bread in there.
Cocktails were extremely well made, was quite surprising. Ended up try 4 different ones, would highly recommend the poquinto picante. Service was friendly and fast as well.
There is something to be said about entitled customers, and how a restaurant's staff deals with them. We had 8:45 reservations. We arrived at 8:40 and were seated right away. Our server brought us water to start and warm delicious bread with butter. As I'm happily chewing on my bread, I watched an exchange between Robert and a clearly entitled woman and her child. No she didn't want to sit upstairs, so he brought her downstairs, then she didn't want to sit by the kitchen, he said ok, then The next table she could see the bathroom from. Come on lady, you have hot glued sequins on your capris, your bra keeps popping out of your Hanes tank top, and you want to be difficult? Go home, shower, brush your hair, change, then come back. Robert very nicely gave her a table that was previously reserved for a party of six, which she had no issues accepting. He still managed to accommodate the party of 6. He even carried her huge stroller down which she then used to block the bathroom. He handled all this graciously, with a smile on his face. I was very impressed. The shrimp was amazing. The marrow with escargot was yummy as well. My husband loved the steak and creamed spinach. I had the lobster risotto, and it was expertly cooked. Try the fried Oreos and brownie for dessert. They are superb. Overall the food, staff, and ambiance were all great. We will definitely be back.
The service here is soooooo great! Thank you so much to the host Robert for showing us some truly incredible and attentive service and to the waitress who offered us affogato on the house for messing up an order (which was not a big deal at all anyway). I can't rave enough about the service.
This place is honestly more of a date spot and with wide open spaces, there's plenty of room to have an intimate conversation or a loud, boisterous one if need be. I actually like how dim it is – that's how they can add little light switches to their menus! Because why not?
My friends and I got the brussel sprouts with bacon side to share and yes, yes, YES, take away overly seasoned brussel sprouts and give me that smooth natural taste anyday. Also b a c o n, my true love. My filet mignon was really tender and savory, but not too much so. They fried it in butter (heaven help me) to prevent it from drying out, which was an excellent choice. It came with potato wedges and grilled garlic cloves, and my only ONLY dissatisfied point is that I wish there had been more food… It was just too lit.
Get the California Zinfandel with your steak – it'll make the whole culinary experience even more excellent.
Looking to impress you date? COME. HERE.
First off, ROBERT-that's the only name you need to know. Impeccable service- We had to push back our reservation time, and he handled it with no frustration or complication. We were greeted by him upon our arrival, and every time I sat down, he pulled out and pushed in my chair for me. We ordered a bottle of wine with our dinner, and they forgot to bring it out, so he gave us two glasses on the house for the inconvenience.
Go, Robert. Team Robert.
Drinks: Ordered the Chai Tea Martini pre-dinner. It did taste just like Chai Tea, and my co-diner absolutely loved it. I liked it as much as I can like Chai Tea, but it was made very light and refreshing, so thumbs up. We had the Francis Coppola cab to go with our steaks, and you really can't go wrong with a little FC and steak.
Dinner: Showstopper. Ordered the pork belly cotton candy (yes, partially did it for the #insta) but for someone who does not regularly eat pork belly, found the cut to be really tender, and the pairing with cotton candy, which I was hesitant about, to balance out quite well. For our main, we ordered the Cowboy Cut for 2, and the asparagus and brussels. The steak was melt in our mouth good, and cut like butter. Really on point. We had no leftovers. The sides were great too.
Overall: All the yesses.
The first and last time my kids will be having candy during dinner, unless we're at Carnem's. This place immediately became our favorite restaurant. Not only do we get candy to start off dinner, the place is decored in a beautiful royal purple and comfy gold colored chairs.
I did my homework beforehand, everything we planned was on our table, and met every expectation. Just to go over a few…. The Cotton Candy Pork Belly was a hit, and fun, for only $3 a pop. I was satisfied even though I was left with the pork on the stick and the tiny strands of cotton stuck to it. Anyways, Bone Marrow is a must, trust me. Fatty, garlicky, salty…. I'm drooling right now. So much marrow I asked for extra bread.
The Brazilian Paella was amazing. Tons of perfectly cooked shellfish toppled coconutty green colored rice, this was definitely meant to share, it's huge, and for the price it's a win. Their Prime Berkshire Pork Chop was my favorite. That juicy 14oz chop is paired with a purple cabbage sauce, sweet caramelized apples, and well seasoned mixed vegetables.
Both the service food were great, my kids truly had a smooth experience, at a steakhouse! Though, I really wish we had their large steaks, I'm definitely saving them for a romantic night out with the husband instead.
P.s they're currently on Groupon for a limited time! Go get some!