Carlos & Carlos Restaurant — Restaurant in New Trier Township

The Good: the portions of food and beverage are quite generous. The bread was good.

The Bad: Who wants generous portions of food that is so poorly prepared and seasoned that it is just barely edible — struggling to achieve mediocrity and barely avoiding being returned to the kitchen. Part of the problem is that the ingredients themselves seemed second rate — institutional grade meats and bulk quality vegetables. Two in our party had the Veal Carlos which offered an ample quantity of un-tender veal — remember the point of veal is tenderness— a flavorless goopy sauce, barely cooked carrots and green beans. Our second dish was short ribs which were rubbery from a combination of lower meat quality and being tragically undercooked. Short ribs require a good long cook to develop carmelization and to become fall off the bone tender. These short ribs came in two chewy radically different sized pieces that made the second smaller piece seem an afterthought. The lack of proper seasoning of the short ribs could not be rescued by the equally bland gravy atop the unexceptional mushroom polenta that became the star of the dish by default. It, like the veal, came with virtually uncooked carrots and green beans.

Service: Slow at first as we were handed off to three different waiters while waiting for food. After the ample plates arrived, no one returned to offer water, additional wine or cocktails or to inquire if we were satisfied with the meal. The servers were all pleasant but uniformly inattentive. Once we had eaten as much as we could bear, we spent 15 minutes trying to get a check after asking multiple times of multiple staff for the bill.

Atmosphere: Restaurant is clean and very pleasant in appearance serving a mostly older crowd. The noise level was quite high and would make it difficult for some to hear and others to be heard.

SUMMARY: Ample quantities of poorly seasoned food comprised of lower quality ingredients improperly prepared and delivered by a pleasant but inattentive wait staff in a loud setting that can make conversation a challenge for many. For us the quantity just wasn’t enough of a hook to get us back for a second meal. The restaurant was crowded so we assume that quantity must count for something, that we chose unwisely or it was an off night in...

WOW is all I can say! Our Covid bubble of 4 was celebrating 34th wedding anniversaries. This is not a spaghettis and meatballs restaurant like the Italian stereotype may lead you to believe. We all ordered different dishes and the meal was a taste feast! The food, menu and atmosphere are wonderful, and the staff at Carlos & Carlos are all in! Although we sat at a 4 top, I will be back to go to the bar which looked so inviting. When ordering, we were invited to try a dish that was not on the menu or specials but something the chef decided to do that day-- what a pleasant surprise, and a delicious one to say the least. Before we went I would have picked another place, but my brother in law who is first gen Italian picked Carlos & Carlos and he knocked it out of the park. When you want a great restaurant experience (spouse, friend, business or impressing a date) you have got to go to Carlos & Carlos, the place...

Good Italian restaurant in the area with lots of pasta, seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, and fish), and meat (steak, chicken, and veal) options to choose from. They also have a specials menu that, from my understanding, rotates very often. Their complimentary bread is always warm and pillowy soft on the inside with a perfect crunch on the outside.

The food – especially the pasta dishes – at Carlos & Carlos is very rich and garlicky, so if you find it too intense, you might want to ask them to take it down a notch. I guarantee you will have garlic breath the next day if you have Carlos & Carlos for dinner, so I recommend you have an apple or green tea on standby to take that garlic...