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Carmelo's Ristorante Italiano

MY REVIEW: The Cæsar Salad was excellent, although the absence of croutons was noticeable. The roast loin of pork lunch special, however, was dry and tough, although the garnish was good. Worth trying again.

NAME: The Doctor
SUBMITTED: 4/1/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/11
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My fiance and I made reservations for this past Saturday evening. We arrived promptly and got probably the worst table in the house. We then had to wait 1/2 hour to get the waiters attention so we could order. It was almost an hour before I threatened to leave if we didn't have our food in the next two minutes. It mysteriously appeared a few minutes later. During all that time our drinks didn't arrive until I asked (emphatically) for them. The food was - at best mediocre. The waiter never really offered an excuse or an apology and I never really offered a tip.

We won't be back.

NAME: Jim in Nassau Bay
SUBMITTED: 3/28/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We went for the first time last night. My brother-in-law had gone a few years ago and said the place was pretty good, but obviously much has changed since then. If this was a moderately priced place ($12 for the average plate), then I would not complain too much about the food. But the average price is twice that. As a starter, every table is brought bread, olive oil and meatballs. The bread was okay, but the olive oil was bland. Instead of spicing it up with some herbs, they used Parmesan cheese, which made it seem even more bland. I have no idea why they served the meatballs. They were cold and tasteless with a bland sauce. With the stuffed shrimp and risotto dish that I had, the shrimp was overcooked on the bottom and the risotto was undercooked and almost hard in places.

The waitstaff did a good job, but not great as you would expect for the prices.

NAME: KatyFoodie
SUBMITTED: 1/23/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/11
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We used to go to Carmelos weekly. Moved to the other side of town but decided to go back for old times sake. Well they certainly have changed. The staff was slow and inattentive. I ordered lobster ravioli and could not eat it. The pasta was sticky and the sauce was weak and tasteless to say the least. I shared one piece with others at our table and all agreed. The steak diane was cooked at the table yet the cook never even said hello or smiled. Everyone said it was "ok". Well for $32 it should have been fantastic. Now onto dessert. Ordered the Tiramisu it arrived as soggy mush. The waiter never asked why the food was returned uneaten. Its a real shame, it was a great restaurant. And as a kicker the manager or owner stood visiting one couple almost the entire time. He should have been walking around and asking how people were. Terrible service!

NAME: unhappy customer
SUBMITTED: 8/1/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/10
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Kudo's to Carmelo's Ristorante for their new menu.

A number of entrees are now offered as half servings, a great plus for most diners and a new pasta option has been added as well. Instead of listing the many different types of pasta available, Carmelo's new option offers "describe what you want and our chef will create it for you." What a GREAT idea! Just one more example of the type of sterling service Carmelo's has offered for years.

NAME: Rita
SUBMITTED: 7/23/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2009
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: My wife and I have been going here the past 3 years for Valentines Day. It seems every year it has become more disappointing and finally this year will break us of this tradition. Lack of service has plagued us every visit and this year was the lack of flavor with our seafood. Carmelo, if you know you will have an influx of patrons then STAFF UP. Most people have other events to attend on V day and do not need to be at your restaurant for more the 2 hrs. Also, why make reservations when you have to wait at the door for 30min. As far as the food, we should have gone to dinner three times at Red L and had a better meal. To Carmelo’s credit my wife told me the service and dishes are better during lunch. Bye, Bye Cs we’ll enjoy the memories, but sad to say we’ll never again set foot in your restaurant.

NAME: vest
SUBMITTED: 2/16/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/09
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: So every time I've gone here has been on the company dime. I get dragged along, and unfortunately this place has been pegged as the area's "nice" restaurant for special occassions. When I first went several years ago, it was not bad. The last 3 times I have been (last 6 months), the food has been essentially inedible. I've had the 2-tone striped pasta seafood ravioli and the fish taste was overwhelming (gone off), the chicken on the chicken and mushrooms dish (I thought this would be a safe choice) was like a condensed patty!? I shuffled my food around and tried to get by on bread and oil, even the bread was stale...what is going on? And for those prices, they ought to be embarrassed.

NAME: practicing foodie
SUBMITTED: 12/30/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Let me preface this with the fact that I've been eating here since the late 80s. Everything has always been consistently excellent, from the service, to the food, to the ambiance, and desserts. We have had rehearsal dinners there, company Christmas parties the last 5 years, and its conveniently close to the house.

This last visit, however, was slightly disappointing, all over some bread. We were out when the server brought the food out. We asked for more. Our meal progresses and no bread shows up, and no waitstaff is in sight. Our waitress finally comes by, and I ask for some bread, and its like this was the first time anyone asked for it. 10 minutes go by, we finish our meal. No bread. I ask our Waitress again, she gets annoyed, and I state that this was our THIRD request for bread, and we were almost done eating. She got angry, then realized and apologized, and brought our bread immediately. The rest of the meal service, we had excellent attention. Not sure what happened but I would say this is the exception, and not the rule here.

I will be back, since I feel this was an isolated incident. Their track record offsets this one time experience. Give it a try. The live Accordian music is great too!

NAME: 2007 Escalade
SUBMITTED: 12/11/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: Nov 2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This was my first visit here and although we drove quite a way across town to go it was worth every mile. The Shrimp stuffed with crabmeat was superb. The crab meat was so fresh and had very little added to it so the crab meat taste was allowed to shine. The duck was also superb. It is prepared with a chamboard and fig sauce that was just sweet enough to bring out the flavor of the duck.

They have an extensive wine list with a lot of price points to choose from. I would recommend checking it out on their web site before you go, however, as the type on the wine list is very small and the restaurant is a little dark.

The service is top notch. You could tell the wait staff was very well trained and they were extremely professional. Our waiter was delightful, helpful without being pushy. The desserts looked impressive but we decided to pass.... maybe next time.

NAME: adwoman
SUBMITTED: 11/22/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: November/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This is a pleasant and quite possibly romantic place to eat. I was with a group ; we were treated extremely well and the staff was helpful, knowledgeable, and accommodating. My meal was very good, very slightly exceeding the quality of an Italian chain restaurant. The price was absolutely outrageous, though - I have fed my whole family well for the price of my entree and soup at Carmelo's. The food was unique, interesting, and flavorful, but the experience was a poor value and I will not return.

NAME: LoveDucks
SUBMITTED: 12/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This was our first visit to Carmelo's but not our last. My wife and I spent our 12th wedding anniversary at Carmelo's. Everything was excellent the food the wine and the ambiance, our server "Gino" was particularly nice. In my opinion it is one of the best restaurants in Houston.

NAME: Scotty & Soleil
SUBMITTED: 2/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Carmelo's is a special place for my family.

We are ready for a treat when we walk in the door, and have never been disappointed. I can't say enough about Carmelo- he has a way of making everyone feel wonderful. Pino is a very special person- he really sets the mood with his music.

We love Carmelo's!!

NAME: Barbara & Brian
SUBMITTED: 11/2/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/2005
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: the food is delightful and great service caremlos is one of the most outstanding retaurants i ever been to and the will never let down on the delightful food pleasure when you take that first bite!! good job carmelos restaurant keep up the good work!!

NAME: food queen
SUBMITTED: 6/23/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: june
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I have always enjoyed dining at Carmelo's. The food is wonderful as is the service. The restaurant has a wonderful, romantic feel. I have dined their for many occasions including lunches, holidays and I had my wedding reception in one of the back banquet rooms. All of my experiences keep my coming back. I await the day Carmelo decides to open a restaurant in Dallas. Until then I will be stopping in everytime I go to Houston.

NAME: Tracy
SUBMITTED: 6/23/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2005
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Mediocre, overpriced food. But fabulous ambiance and service. Tried it a couple of times to really give it a chance regarding the food (since so many people had told me how great it was) but in spite of three visits and trying three very different dishes, I am still disappointed...especially considering the prices. It's a shame, too, since it is clear that the owners and staff go to such great lengths to create such a unique environment and to treat you like royalty...but its a restauraunt and people are here for the food.

NAME: Leslie
SUBMITTED: 6/22/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: last month
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

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