Carmine’s Restaurant Brings Italian to Woodbury

Photo: Tate Carlson

Woodbury residents James Hafiz and his mother Brenda, of Carmine's, a new local Italian-American restaurant and bar.

Often, restaurants which aim to please everyone end up pleasing no one. But Brenda Hafiz thinks she has hit the sweet spot of wide appeal with Carmine’s, a new Italian-American restaurant and steakhouse which opened in August.

Her formula is simple: Know the neighborhood and give the community what it wants. And what does Hafiz think Woodbury wants? A comfortable environment where families, foodies and sports fans can relax and indulge in hearty fare.

The centricity of family at Carmine’s runs deep. The restaurant is named after Hafiz’s beloved father, Joseph Carmine Torito. Her son James, 25, serves as head chef.

A chef for five years, James has participated in several restaurant openings, including the much-lauded Restaurant Max in the Hotel Minneapolis. After honing his culinary talent further at the Capital Grille in Scottsdale, he returned to Minnesota and eagerly joined his mother in developing the restaurant’s concept.

It was James’s idea to add classic American dishes to the Italian offerings.

“My grandfather always told me ‘Don’t big deal it,’” says James, referring to the straightforward nature of the restaurant. “We offer real food made by real Italians.”

“The menu can hit all avenues and still focus on home-style Italian,” says Brenda. “We’ve got everything from the pastas with the family sauce, Bolognese and chicken pesto to seafood and chops. The kitchen in the restaurant is very big—an unheard of 3,500 square feet—so we can handle a large menu.”

Carmine’s is located at the corner of Valley Creek Rd. and Woodbury Dr. in the space formerly occupied by the Chickadee Cottage, which Brenda says is the perfect spot to fulfill her goal of making the restaurant a neighborhood go-to gathering spot. “The location was just perfect for creating the neighborhood feel we want; we aren’t sitting on the freeway,” she says. “We really want to be part of the community.”

In order to achieve the family-oriented atmosphere Brenda was intent on creating, it was necessary to remodel the space. “The old Chickadee restaurant had little rooms everywhere; the space was really cut up,” she says. “We tore down the walls to open it up and added a 40-foot bar wrapping around the front.”

The space is now more open, but distinct areas were designed to serve the diverse clientele of the Woodbury area. The bar section features several flat screen TVs to appeal to sports fans, the main dining area comprises round tables (“Those long tables you find in other restaurants drive me crazy, you can’t talk to anyone,” says Brenda) and Carmine’s offers wireless Internet, a major draw for business meetings or even fantasy football fans.

In addition, a private dining room can be booked for events. A large flat screen TV puts the room in high demand, judging by the calls Brenda has already received from high school coaches looking to book the room to review videotaped games. “It’s also perfect for photo slideshows at anniversaries or groom’s dinners,” she says.

Having a bona fide chef in charge of the kitchen allows Carmine’s to offer an incredibly flexible menu to groups. “Groups won’t be limited to a smaller version of the menu,” says Brenda. “We can make dishes not even on the menu. That’s really something many restaurants with banquet spaces don’t do.”

Brenda says Carmine’s offers a return to true neighborhood dining. “Our concept was a true family-owned and operated Italian restaurant, something Woodbury doesn’t have,” she says.

Italian Donuts Recipe from Carmine’s

Makes about three dozen

15 oz. container ricotta cheese

4 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Canola oil (or oil of your choice)

Powdered sugar or cinnamon/sugar combination

In a large bowl, beat ricotta cheese until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat on low. Let batter sit for 30 minutes. Drop batter into hot oil until golden brown, turning if needed. Remove and cool completely. Shake donuts in a bag with sugar of choice.

For more info, call Carmine's at 651.730.4500.

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