I used to work here in the Forum Shops and was one of those anticipating for Carmine's to open and finally got to try them out last week. I came here with a party of 11 to celebrate my aunt's birthday. I must say my aunt and her family are from NY and have eaten at the Carmine's there, so the expectations were set pretty high. I do love the inside of the place especially how the high raised ceilings have all sorts of pictures hanging on the walls. If only the restaurant was in a stand alone building then it would truly give that Manhattan feel. Before anything was served we noticed that the plates were at the end of the table, my aunt expected the server to place each plate in front of us because that's what the server did in NY. It didn't happen, so I guess here it's more of a self serve concept. My beverage of choice was the strawberry lemonade since another review mentioned how good and tart it was. She was right I did enjoy the tartness(tasted similar to Red Robbin's Freckled Lemonade), too bad it's not free refill because I sure did finish that drink before the food was served.\n\nSo here is the break down of the food:\n\nCarmine's salad- I liked all the additional toppings in this salad like berries, nuts, and salami if I remember correctly. We had 2 salads and assumed they were the same because they looked very similar. After tasting both we realized the other one was a mixed green salad. I prefer Carmine's salad and say it's worth the $3 difference. \n\nCalamari- pretty standard, wasn't too greasy and the breading was like how I've had it at other Italian restaurants.   \n\nZuppa Di Clams (white)- I am not a fan of clams but my brother convinced me to try the last piece and I was pleasantly surprised. If you enjoy clams I definitely would recommend this dish, pretty delicious I must say. The sauce for the clams was so good we saved it to put on our pasta.\n\nBroiled porterhouse steak- this was really delicious and I thought it was perfectly cooked with various pieces being rare and medium (refer to the picture). One of the better cuts of steak I've had from a restaurant. Warning this is pricey, costing $80.\n\nChicken Scarpariello- I read from another review recommending this dish and when we ordered it the server said they were out?! I was shocked at first because I've never heard of a chicken dish running out at a restaurant. Thankfully she came back and said they still had it. It was cooked in a buttery sauce, probably my favorite dish of the night and reasonably price. I will definitely order this the next time I come back. \n\nThere was a pasta dish we ordered but I can't remember what the name was. Next time I come, I'll also order the Rigatoni & Broccoli as recommended by another yelper. According to my aunt and her husband the food was a little on the salty side, but still a good quality in comparison to the one in NY. However the service was lacking. I really want to come back but it probably won't be any time soon. This place was pricey so I'll have to find a special occasion to come here for.