Cara Mia — Restaurant in Millburn

Was looking for a restaurant in this area, found Cara Mia. It was very easy getting a reservation with just a phone call. Upon arrival I noticed parking was a situation. I attribute that to it being a busy Friday night because there is a large parking lot across the street to accommodate the restaurants and shops it just happen to be full. We did however find street parking one block over. Upon arrival we hung our coats in the entrance as directed and were greeted by a hostess who pointed to a table and said you can sit there ? You don't realize how nice it is to be walked to your table until you are not walked to your table, we were just like oh okay just sit here... Now granted the place is small but that slight made a difference. We were given menus, and explained the specials, the staff seemed pretty good and knowledgeable of the menu and things. The place is BYOB and they accommodated our bottles of wine. We started with Zucchini chips which I assumed were gonna be yucky and turned out to be AMAZING ! So good. I then ordered the garlic shrimp and the preparation is fried shrimp bathed in a thick sauce. Unfortunately the shrimp was fried, then heat again to mesh with the sauce and you can tell that in the texture, the sauce also was not hot and as a result had turned to a gel. I kept it then ordered the special tuna tower app. (The staff saw I was not eating the shrimp, took it and removed it from the bill without me asking) The tuna was cool... Not much to say about it, I get the need for the saltine cracker but it just didn't look the best tuna tartare and saltines ? Anywho I made it work. We both got chicken dishes, picatta and parm. My parm was a sheet of cheese. It was then I noticed the food was not hot... At this point I take it for what it is, its the point when you realize this is a good place, Im glad I tried it, and will likely not return. I would however recommend it because everyone around us cleaned their plate, the service was good, and the area is nice. Before we left we met the restaurant manager Rob, who I assumed was the chef based on his chef jacket but was later informed he was the manager. Super nice guy and certainly made the visit end with fun conversation. We skipped...

Always looking for a new culinary adventure and we chose Cara Mia in Milburn, NJ. Before we go I reviewed the menu and reviews. The menu is mostly typical Italian favorites with some inspired restaurant unique dishes. Their daily specials were interesting. Since this was our first experience we decided to go with Steak Carpaccio, their Cara Mia Fettuccine with shrimp, crab meat, scallions in a vodka sauce and Veal Parmigiana with angel hair. The restaurant has outdoor seating weather permitting. Inside dining has two small rooms which, accommodates about 20 in each room. Our waiter, bus boys and m as manager was very friendly, attentive, courteous and professional. We were give a small plate of bruschetta and zucchini chips as soon as we were seated with homemade bread. Service was prompt with adequate timing between courses. The bruschetta was fresh while, the zucchini chips were a bit oily but, the fresh cheese made it tasty. So either you will like it or not. The appetizer was Steak Carpaccio, a thinly sliced filet mignon with shaved provolone, herbs, and oil. It was very fresh and very thin making it melt in your mouth. Our entrees arrived in a timely manner. The veal parmigiana with angel hair was a large dish. It was enough for two. It had three pieces of thinly cut veal. It was not too thin but, just right. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce was good. The Cara Mia Fettuccine a house creation is a restaurant favorite. When it arrived, there was sufficient amount of crab on top of the dish. I love crab meat and very picky. When the dish arrived I detected a fishy aroma. It dispersed once I mixed the vodka sauce with crab meat and shrimp. My take was that this is canned crab meat and most likely a imported product. I want to stress that the taste was good and did not takeaway from the dish. I would prefer fresh lump crab but, that would have double the price of the dish. For dessert we chose tufalo and cannoli with cappuccino. Prices are reasonable and competitive. Parking is across the street in a city lot. Parking is metered till 6PM Monday-Saturday with Sunday being free. This is a small family business and worth a trip when in the surrounding area....

I am excited to share this review for the simple reason that last night I had the best dinning experience in a very long time. Don't get me wrong, I've had many good meals but there is always something off preventing the 5 star rating. I will begin with the atmosphere. Cara Mia has been in Millburn for many years. This restaurant is elegant enough but with an understated feeling. You are more than comfortable without feeling stuffy. Service is excellent, waiters always attending us and they serve the meals properly timed so you don't feel rushed. Now with the food...OMG! we started with the Tunna tartar (special), the presentation was great, the tuna pieces were the right size, very fresh and properly seasoned. My only remark would be to loose the Saltine crackers, it's beneath the dish. Our next appetizer was the Calamari in Balsamic glaze (regular menu). The Calamari was prepared well, crispy and it tasted real good. For our Main course I had the Osso Bucco (special). Now, I have to say, I always order this dish when available, specially if it's the veal. In this case, it was the veal. Normally when a restaurant offers the veal shank one expects a smaller piece simply because the pork shank is so much bigger. In this case, although the shank was as expected it had a very good amount of meat around it. The sauce seemed to be a Spanish sauce which was very flavorful, not too think, not too thin and it was served with a side of Bucatini pasta. This was hands down the absolute best veal Osso Bucco I have had in recent memory. The meat was so tender it did not require the steak knife provided lol. Of course one the best things of this dish is eating the Marrow... so good! It was such a treat to savor every bite as it compliments the sauce. My wife had the red snapper with vegetables which she loved. For desset I had the Afogato. A very nice portion of vanilla ice cream with a small biscotti (nice touch) and separately I was provided what i think was 4-6 espresso shots in a serving container. It was the perfect ending for a perfect meal. Overal, a 5 star rating and our gratitude for an amazing epicurian experience. You have raised the bar and we look forward to...