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CarlenasGive us some input!!! If you tried it we want to know what you think! Keep in mind we just opened last week and are smoothing out the initial start up and service...we are looking forward to hearing what everyone is saying and everyone told us to go online to the forum. Here we are so let me know....we appreciate the business and support and look forward to seeing everyone and giving us a chance. Thank you for the positive comments and keep them coming. This is the town where I grew up and Mike has owned the Villa and Sonny's II. and it was very important to us in staying local and the loyal people we both know in all their support and faith. We look forward to meeting everyone and again thanks for all the good wishes and we value all opinions. "mike and dorrie"  carlenasowners  Feb '09 I did stop in for a menu the other day but was waiting for feedback. Noticed some on the other thread and now I can't wait to try your pizza and move on to other things.  Bessie Feb '09 hi I was there on friday, the food was good, service was excellent, but we waited a long time for our meal and there was noone there except for us, it wasn't like the place was packed, also very very pricey for being in a strip mall. I spent 50.00 not including tip for fettucine alfredo, a pan pizza, and eggplant and this was just for lunch. I must admit I almost fell over when I got the check. In my opinion if you want to survive in this town you should drop your prices a little. On the good side the place was beautiful to look at. So if I would rate it 1-10 a ten being the best I would give it a 5. Sorry for the not so great rating, but to be honest you won't survive in todays market with such high prices.  chrisb Feb '09 I was there on Friday night. The service was horrible. It took a very long time to get our appetizer which was mozzarella sticks. The waiter never brought dishes so my children had to eat them off their napkins. We were never served bread. Other tables had bread. The hostess sprayed the table next to us with windex which was absurd!! We ordered eggplant parm, chicken parm, a sicilian pizza and a" brick oven" pizza. The eggplant was burnt the sicilian pizza was not cooked through and the "brick oven" pizza was anything but!! How could you put a claim of "brick oven" when it wasn't. The food took over an hour to come out. The family next to us could not believe this was happening to them as well. Three people went over to them to see if their order was taken. It was very amusing to watch. We never got water glasses either. We were never asked for dessert. I think the place is way to small we were bumping into the tables around us. It was a horrible experience and the bill was quite high, over $70 without tip but we only tipped the kid $4 anyway because he was horrible! I cannot believe my children had to eat off their napkins. I am actually embaressed for you guys.  imamom Feb '09 My wife and I came in Saturday night around 7pm. Waited 15 minutes so not bad for a Saturday night. Like the Menu! You can get great pizza (only pies) and more expensive dishes like salmon ect. My wife and I split a 12 inch veggie pizza and tilapia dish. Both were good.  matt Feb '09 Went on Valentine's Day. Service was good and our meals were also good. Pleasantly surprised. Only complaint was that it took a while to receive our maincourse. I am sure since it is new, they will come up to speed.  FrankjillFeb '09 There are more nice comments in the thread about "new restaurant over by IHOP" WalkerFeb '09 Chrisb, were the prices not included on the menu from which you ordered? Is the lighting in the restaurant very dim that you could not see the numbers? Why were you so shocked at the bill? TracyFeb '09 I feel the prices are very reasonable . A small pizza, 2 dinners, 2 sodas and 1 dessert cost $41. The food was very good and the place was packed.....loved the bread! There are definitely issues that need to be worked out, but it sounds like you are on top of things. One suggestion, I feel you can make better use of the dining area space....when I was there, most of the tables were filled w/ couples. The couples were taking up 4 person tables b/c you do not have 2 person tables. My point is you had several groups waiting to be seated but had to wait b/c couples were occupying all the larger tables.....make sense?  H'town guy Feb '09 I just picked up a menu while I was running errands. Eggplant would have been either $16 (parm) or $17 (rollatini), Fettuccini is $13, medium pizzas run $12-14. You're in the $41-44 dollar range there. Add 3 sodas and tax and you could be about $50. I don't think $50 for three people is outrageous.  GC Feb '09 My family and I went on Valentine's Day, got there early and had a very pleasant experience. The decor is nice, immaculate (!), had the eggplant rollatini which was delicious and my husband and girls split a large pizza, the garlic bread was probably the best I've ever had!! With my rollatini I also got bread/olive oil dip and salad with house dressing, very good. We knew going in what the potential price point would be so our $44 total was not a "shock", just because a restaurant is in a strip mall type location doesn't mean it has to be cheap food...I rather like seeing a little classier place going in to Hackettstown. Service was good, timing was perfect. Carlina's MommyFeb '09 chrisb, if you would have gone to Mama's and ordered the same thing, you would have paid the same exact price, give or take a dollar or two.  ianimal Feb '09 My husband and I had dinner on Friday evening. We were pleased with the service. Each course was excellent. Our bill was very reasonable ($57). It included a salad, entrees, garlic bread, soda, tea, espresso, and dessert. Williams FamilyFeb '09 Any new restaurant will have to work out the kinks as far as service and food preparation goes. It's very difficult to judge when you first start out, but will certainly be rectified after getting a feel for your business flow. The staff is new to the menu, both chefs and wait staff, location of table #'s, balancing timing for completing table orders, which table is which! lol. It takes a few weeks to a month to get into the groove. Believe me, I know.  Reggie Feb '09 My two cents: I picked up a 10" plain pizza to go. I phoned in the order from C'mere Cupcakes parking lot and it was ready when I got there. I like thin crust pizzas and this one was perfect. The sauce was light, the amount of cheese was just right, and I didn't have to sop up extra oil. I'm going to go back and work my way through the menu, one item at a time.  cbel Feb '09 Just got back from our first dinner at Carlena's. I have to say the food was very good, the owners were very nice, and we will definetely be back. four appetizers and four entrees, all very well prepared and presented. Happyin2009Feb '09 went to carlinas valentins night ,only 15 minute wait. the pollo de carlinas chicken/side salad was excellent.delicous white balsamicdressing,good service,nice size portion,for a moderate price,even in a strip mall. We eat out 3 or 4 times a week ,so i should know.nicely decorated and immculate. ILL BE BACK. camilleFeb '09 Ian, I thought the menu seemed pricey at first, but once we compared it to Mama's, they were almost the same. With all the good reviews, can't wait to try it. Bessie Feb '09 Re: Negative posts on this thread: I'm thinking twice before I post. cbel Feb '09 On various threads, many people have mentioned good restaurants located in a strip mall as a negative-as being a bad thing. I don't get it. Why does it matter where the restaurant is located? If the food is good, the atmosphere pleasant, the prices competitive and the service attentive - well isn't that what really counts when picking a restaurant? Once you're inside the place, it could be located ANYWHERE. It seems silly to me to pick restaurant X over restaurant Y simply because restaurant X is located in a stand alone building.  Slade Feb '09 just want to thank everyone for the good reviews. as i stated we just opened and are working out the kinks of a brand new staff and establishment. regarding some of the issues i have read above, imamom: i apologize for your experience and would love for you to give us another try and would happily offer you 10% off for doing so. As far as our pizza not being brick oven, it certainly is perhaps you are thinking of a wood burning oven? Within this past weekend alone our staff has made dramatic improvements and continue to do so and I will guarantee your experience will be far better. Some of the other issues we will continue to improve on your experience and appreciate the input from everyone. carlenasowners Feb '09 Carlena's we are planning our next Hackettstown Life Lunch at your restaurant. February 24. I do wish you all the luck in the world.  Just Asking Feb '09 New construction is generally in strip malls. On the plus side it is new/clean and usually good parking. Those that expect it to be cheaper??? You get what you pay for in life, and cheap prices = cheap food. I have yet to stop by. but will...  Jay Feb '09 Hubby, son and I went to Carlena's on Thursday nite. We had Tuscan clams (good!) and mozz sticks (for the little guy - seemed mass produced but what do you expect from mozz sticks?) for appetizers. We shared 2 10" pizzas, and they were both excellent. I prefer a thin crust and grew up on New Haven style pizza. I have not really enjoyed pizza since moving to NJ. I really enjoyed Carlena's! We will definitely be back! We thought the prices were fair, and the atmosphere was lovely. Our waitress was nervous, but she did fine. I am sure it hard to get everything to run smoothly, and if we give them time all of the kinks will be worked out. We are happy to have two nice, new food businesses in Hackettstown - Carlena's and C'mere Cupcake! There goes the diet...  KathyDG Feb '09 I find the comment about the strip mall interesting too. Mama's was in a strip mall (regular mall in the early years) until they took over the rest of the building. Pietro's is in a strip mall, and Frank's is in a strip mall. The prices people posted so far seem fairly standard to me. Hackettstown ExpatFeb '09 I too had a bad dining experience on Friday Night. I'm not going to sit and bash, but my recommendations would be to hire a "bus person" and to have bread plates on the table for "if" and "when" you get your bread. I will give the restaurant some time to get the kinks out, and then I will give it another shot.  Lee Feb '09 haha Lee, I wonder if you were my "neighbor". Did you have a baby girl with you? imamom Feb '09 Hubby and I went last night for a belated valetines. Didn't think the prices were terrible personally. We got a calzone, fettucine alfredo w/salad and 1 soda and it came to 25. No biggie, I think. The food was okay, I didn't think the noodles were done enough, and there wasn't enough garlic for me, but I eat a TON (Maybe you could put a garlic shaker on the tables? Pretty please?) of garlic so my opinion on that doesn't count, lol. My husbands calzone was really good and the salad had all sorts of good stuff in it that you don't see other places. Their bread was GREAT, soft and warm with olive oil and spices to dip it in, but I also didn;t get a bread plate, which would have been nice. All in all, would go again.  Sandy Feb '09 imamom, no that wasn't me. But I do remember your table. My husband had made a remark that your table took a very long time to get your food. At that time, I knew I was doomed.. ha Lee Feb '09 Went Friday night our waiter was really great. Your hostess kept us waiting while she talked to some customers telling us we need to Wait for someone to clean off two empty tables my opinion less talk more serves would be good. If we need to wait some chairs would be nice. On the food side the pasta was ok nothing spectacular my friend had the Fettucini Alfredo and said it was delicious the decor was really nice. The prices are a little high but I did like the 1/2 order. 1-10 I give it a 5 city chickFeb '09 Norton - Frank Pepe's and other New Haven style places are great! I grew up in Guilford, and we always ate Anthony's pizza, which is the same style. A thinner, but not too thin, very crispy/chewy crust. My favorite pizza from "back home" is pizza with lots of carmelized onions, bacon, black olives and mushrooms. Delish!! KathyDG Feb '09 You have good taste! LOL When did you live in Guilford? Do you miss the shoreline? NortonFeb '09 I know Norton and I are getting off topic here... Sorry everyone! I grew up in Guilford, and so did my Dad. I moved away when I married at age 26, which was 15 yrs ago (you can do the math on how old I am now!). Most of my immediate family and father's family are still there. I do miss it, and I miss New England overall, especially at Christmas. But, after 10 years in Hackettstown, this is my home now!! My Dad was a lobsterman and oyster boat captain, so I definitely miss the shoreline and the freshest seafood. KathyDG Feb '09 Last week, I bought two large pizzas (one cheese and one with sausage) to go for $32.00 including tax. My family of four finished it all and we are not big eaters. I thought the pizza was OK but not worth the price. However, I looked at some of the meals being served and would consider sitting down and giving their entrees a shot. RielTimeFeb '09 Just wondering, Rieltime got pizza's to go, is that the only thing you can get for take out? Weird! Bessie Feb '09 I believe that their menu is take out as well. Their large pizza was thin not very big and to me, overpriced. I'm just saying that if I go there again, I'll sit and have dinner in lieu of taking out and won't order the pizza. RielTimeFeb '09 Thanks Ian, found it hard to believe there was no take out, whew!, you had me worried there. Bessie Feb '09 I just finished to read everyone's comment, boy do we jump to conclusion. I just learned about your place been open last week, friend of mine was there for lunch and loved it (she is in the business and I have been in the business for 30 years and was a food critic for many years). She gave me a copy of the menu and from the look of things the prices are reasonable. The fact that you are located in a shopping center has nothing to do with how your price are. I was at the new Mattar few weeks ago with some friends, and let me say that I was not at all pleased, I don't mind pay for it, as long as what I get is good. So location has nothing to do with, is the food the service and the ambiance, and of course friendliness. I would like to ask all of you that say the price are high, have you ever tried to put a meal togheter? Buy all the ingredients and see how much it costs? Do you have any idea what a rent is for a place in a shopping center? Well I will be in with friends to try it out soon and I will be back with my comments. GPFeb '09 Went to dinner with some friends last night and I was pleased with the experience. The ambiance is nice, the food was good, the calamari were perfect and so was my arrugula and prociutto pizza. The service was also good, very attendive. The price are right for what you get. I will definately go back GPFeb '09 First visit to carlenas Thurs nite. Very pleased. The bread is warm & delicious. The side salad was a very good portion with lots of different lettuces and chock full of cukes, tomatoes etc. It is well worth the $1.00 charge. We (party of 3) had an appetizer of excellent mozzarella sticks, entrees of veal parm, chicken parm & gnocci (very tender and the sauce was very tasty) All comes with a side of pasta. The total bill came to $55 which is less than $20 per person which is a great deal! Atmosphere was wonderful and our waiter very attentive. We will definitely go back. oldiesloverFeb '09 Thanks again for all the support. We have met alot of new people and made new friends. We are really getting into the swing! We have seen returning customers quite a few times and it means so much. We also want to thank everyone for all the referrals and word of mouth. We are online now everyone at www.carlenasitalianrestaurant.com. Menus are online on the site... ordered a takeout spinach walnut salad today for lunch 4/30 I was very disapointed when I got back to my office and sat down to eat and saw this very small portion for 8.95. I would of been better off if I got a side salad from Wendys. Your prices have to come down otherwise you will not make it in this town especialy in a strip mall. love to eatApr '09 My wife and I just went for the first time today. I was a little cautious, based on the some of the comments, but the food and atmosphere was great! We will definately be back. gutro66May '09 We went to Carlenas last night and the food and service was good. Nothing "out of this world" but good. However, we were disappointed at the end of our meal. My daughter got the children's buttered pasta and we both ordered pasta dishes. It happened to be the special that it was "all you can eat". We usually don't order anything all you can eat so I may not know the normal protocol. We just wanted those particular pasta dishes so we got it. If the waitress hadn't suggested the "special" we would have just ordered the normal full serving of pasta. We also each got a cup of soup and dessert afterward. mainstMay '09 Went there for the first time last Thursday for lunch with my daughter. Very clean, very good food, great service! The calzone I had was the best I have had in a while. My daughter had the tortellini soup and the prosciutto sandwich. Our meals were very, very good! suntan sandyMay '09 Went a few times, food was pretty good. Then we placed an order for pick up. When we got home it was the wrong item. Called, returned the item, and were advised the item it should have been was more expensive. Waited a while longer while owner and staff figured out how to charge us more money.  disappointed May '09 disappointed. those business owners don't sound too bright. They should have given you a dinner on the house. Old ManMay '09 Wow...i can understand being disappointed...but honestly is it really necessary to come on here and write it like that. Why didnt you just say it to them personally? The only good thing about your comment is after being so harsh it makes me want to go to them more.  Nicole May '09 Nicole - I can understand your prespective because you are a business owner but I think you should consider the situation from the customer's perspective. Carlenas's made a mistake by giving the customer the wrong order and the customer had to make an extra trip to get their order right. If the customer had to pay more because Carlenas's had charged the wrong amount then Carlenas's should pay for the customer's time and gas to return the incorrect order. Yes, they are new and they will probably make mistakes but making customers unhappy is no way to run a business. Turn the situation around - you are looking forward to having a nice dinner - you open up the package and it's the wrong order - doesn't that ruin your evening? BLDMay '09 Went to Carlenas Friday night with my wife. 2nd time we went. Another great experience. The place has really good food and the atmosphere is nice. People bring wine and you can get a cheap brick oven pizza which is excellent or expensive sea food as well as all the usual Italian food. We split a pizza and a fish entree. It is not as expensive as Cara Mia and it is still a nice dining experience. matt May '09 I agree with BLD. They should not of charged extra money. Not classy if you ask me. justrightMay '09 I think if Carlenas messed the order up it is there right to fix the problem. I do not understand why they got the wrong order or why they had to be charged more? Are there 2 things on the menu the same with different prices?  Christine May '09 I heard it was good. Haven't been there myself but know people who were and said it was good. weeknight gamerMay '09 It is clear that someone was not thinking that night! I will assume it was just a slip-up, but if you hear similar items on a regular basis, then that makes me think twice about going back.  Coralie May '09 Oh, btw we under charged you $3.27... Jay May '09 I am not saying that Carlenas was right or wrong. I personally may have handled it differently and maybe not. However I think its dangerous to bash anyone or anything in written forum. Some on this forum i have seen personally attacked, others i have seen their business attacked and I just think "attacking" is not the right approach to anything. If you have a negative experience you dont have to completely trash them. That was a rough comment and i personally was taken back by it. I usually dont comment on other forums but this one was a suprise to me. And honestly I dont want to see their business get hurt from one bad order. Yes it was an inconvenience, got it, I would be annoyed also. But the words could have been seasoned with salt a little better. Nicole May '09 I guess, but I don't think disappointed was very harsh with them, they kind of just stated the facts..... Sandy May '09 We went the other night. It was OK, nothing special. I probably won't rush out to go again but I'll probably will go again sooner or later. Service was good. Tables were annoying. Everything slides around on them. You could tell they were expensive and probably not worth the expense. Prices were a bit high but overall food was good, not great. It's an alright place, some people may love it. If they give some extra perks it will fill up with business. Maybe offer a free salad (small) instead of the extra charge. Little courtesy's like that will make it a winner eventually. Nice atmosphere. Some booths would be great. mickgMay '09 Just my personal opinion... ianimal May '09 ianimal Nicole May '09 Nicloe - On the other hand if you start to see a pattern I think then the public has a right to know. Personally, the one time I did go to the restaurant I was given the owner's mother's check instead of mine, (and there were only three tables being served). I brought up the problem and was made to feel like I was cheating them, (although I really don't think it was their intent - their remarks just made me feel that way). I brushed it off as an honest mistake and didn't go on this forum to complain. However, now there seems to be few mistakes of the same ilk, (not paying enough attention to customer's order and being gracious when they do make mistakes) that maybe the owners need to come up with better policies and practices to improve service. BLDMay '09 BLD - I'm not arguing that if there is a repetitive problem or a bad experience that it shouldn't be mentioned...i said that words can be seasoned with salt. Obviously since the owner of Carlenas was the one that started this thread they are interested in getting peoples feed back. So be honest, but dont be brutal...thats all im saying. There is a feeling of empowerment when people can hide behind a computer screen and thats all well and good but there is a person on the other side of the computer screen that is going to read that. They should know their downfalls so they can work on them, but they dont have to be ripped a new one in a rude manner. If you experience was that bad and you feel the need then do it to their face, no to a hundred other peoples faces. Especially since it seems that was "Disappointed"'s first complaint about them. Or atleast under that name. I personally have a three strike rule and then i just dont go back. Thats me and i understand that everyone is different. I just felt their comment was harsh. Nicole May '09 "Went a few times, food was pretty good. Then we placed an order for pick up". That's brutal? You and I definately have a different opinion about what is harsh. BLDMay '09 I dunno, I am a non confrontational person, if I feel like I am receiving bad service I hesitate to say anything as it makes me uncomfortable. On here the owners asked for feedback, and if that had happened to me I would have felt more comfortable telling them here. I really don't think D was too harsh about it, and they also mentioned that the other times they went the service was fine. I (hope) think the owners would be glad to hear what the patrons are thinking and are too shy to say. (yes, yes as long as it's said nicely) Sandy May '09 "That was a mistake. You already took our time and inconvenienced us with the return trip. You should've simply told us the difference was on the house. Good way to lose a potential regular. Was it really worth the 5 bucks?:" Nicole May '09 Sandy - totally agree with you about it being said nicely. the tricky part of the forum is trying to read like how it was intended. maybe i read it harsher than most do. but i read everything like how i would read it if it was directed at me. The problem is that when its said on this forum everyone reads it. As i have said in the past it takes 6 positive comments to combat 1 negative one in peoples minds. I would just think twice about commenting harshly unless i really felt it was necessary. Everyone here wants new restaurants in the area...but if we rip apart every little thing than no one other than TGI Fridays and chain restaraunts will want to come in. Nicole May '09 Nicole - Simply put - If Carlena's had apologized for the error and not charged Disappointed for the extra charge there never would have been a comment. Their poor handling of the situation caused the negative remark. BLDMay '09 Good point ianimal. If it were me, and I actually couldn't eat the food, I would demand the correct order or my money back. This "it will be X dollars more" expires once you leave the premises and can't turn back if someone does rush out of the door and says wait a minute sir... Jay May '09 I think the discrepancy here is that you're looking at it as a business owner and we're looking at it as patrons. I guess it is important for both of us to try to see things the other way. But no worries, I always receive good service at c'mere cupcake. :) Sandy May '09 well dont forget im a patron too...but im sensitive to critcism when i can relate to someones situation. i am sure its something that they regret they did. we all make mistakes...thats why on a first time mistake i wouldn't have criticized. its just my opinion though, just like everyone elses, it only goes so far. If disappointed didn't mean it the way i read it i apologize. Nicole May '09 Hi,  Gimli May '09 Gimli - We just had a discussion today at work about Carlenas and several people mentioned that they thought their dinners were overpriced for what they got. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and not everyone shares yours. BLDMay '09 BLD - Was there something in what I wrote that said everyone should share my opinion? Gimli May '09 Was just there last night for the second time. Have to say we had a wonderful meal, nice and just attentive enough server and overall a nice experience. Coralie May '09 Gimli - "I am a little surprised that at least one person thought they were a bit expensive"... Actually, quite a few people wrote that they felt the prices were more expensive than the value they thought they received. And as it happened we had a discussion at work on that very topic and again, several of my co-workers voiced a similar opinion. In these economic times people may not view restaurant prices the same way they did in the past. I just felt your comment was disingenous to those who felt differently. As Coralie stated above you can't please everyone. You believe their food is a better deal but others have a different opinion. I respect your opinion - please respect others and allow them to have theirs. :) BLDMay '09 "Gee how do you please everyone?? lol." justintimeMay '09 BLD - Again, was there something I wrote that said everyone else should share my opinion?? Gimli May '09 Gimli - Not to belabor the point but with a few minutes of research on the net here's what I came up with: BLDMay '09 Pronto's Eggplant Parm is pretty good, too - $11.95, and includes salad, bread, and pasta.  Rich May '09 Pasta Grille by Enzo also serves Eggplant Parm for $13.95 and it also comes with a salad and pasta. Carlenas does charge for a side salad. BLDMay '09 Carlenas is a BYOB which can makes it cheaper then Benzi or Enzos. La Strada should not even be in the conversation. Carlenas has nice atmosphere and good food. They also have great Pizza. I love Mamas and Pietros. All 3 are really good. Benzi is ok, but not my favorite. Not big on chains. Enzos on 57 I like a lot and the staff is great. If you are looking to go to a place that is not a BYOB Enzos is a nice choice. matt May '09 Matt - What does BYOB have anything to do with it? We're talking about food - not wine or liquor. And why shouldn't La Strada be included? Also the Eggplant Parm at Italian Sun in Stewartsville is $13.25. Has anyone else tried Italian Sun - I would highly recommend them. BLDMay '09 Italian Sun is very good and they are on restaurant.com. Also a BYOB.  Calico696 May '09 We have been there twice and the food has been good. There are some kinks that need to be worked out with the wait staff, as to be expected with any new restaurant. We had a drink mix-up and salad would have been forgotten if we had not asked.  N & A & E May '09 BLD if you like to have a drink at dinner it can get expensive. So when a place is a BYOB it is more affordable. It comes into play when going out to dinner. La Strada is in a different category. It is a little fancier. Also it is not even in the area. (Half hour away from Hackettstown) It is a good place though. matt May '09 "It is ironic that an Italian restaurant doesn't have Italian dressing." ianimal May '09 OK... so do you also find it ironic that Italian restaurants don't serve hot dogs? ianimal May '09 La Strada is a "little fancier" but the food is less expensive than Carlenas. Go figure. BLDMay '09 It must be ironic for American restaurants in Italy not to serve American dressing?? GC May '09 Don't ever go to a French restaurant... the combination of no French dressing, no French fries and no French toast will be way too ironic to survive. ianimal May '09 cbel, Thanks for the sympathy. I have actually been on this site longer than they have and post a lot less than I have in the past. I am very tired of writing something and having it criticized in this way. Enough is enough, not everyone wants to debate! N & A & E May '09 Puh-leez... cry me a friggin river. All I did was point out your apparent misconception that Italian dressiing was somehow Italian in origin and thus belonged in Italian restaurants. ianimal May '09 Finally made it to Carlenas. Amazing food. Definitely will be back once I finish my whole portion pasta, which looks to be sometime in 2019.  btownguy May '09 I'm sorry if someone already answered this but i couldnt read every post- where is this place and what is c'mere cupcake? ive been out of town for a few years but my mom still lives in panther valley and i lived in Hackettstown 'till i was 27- about three years ago. apparently ive missed a few things. i'm pretty caught up as my wife and i are planning to return to the area this winter, but ive never heard of these two places. glad i founf these boards though. thanks. ChuckyMay '09 Carlene is next to Hong Kong Palace near McD's and C'mere is in the shopping center where the old A & P was (blockbusters) Just Asking May '09 Just went last night and had a mixed experience. Res2May '09 Lunch Specials like Pietros or Old Mattar's (don't know if the New one has them, not overly thrilled with the "New" Mattar's) would be a a good idea. Also, get rid of the iceberg lettuce for a salad. The White Balsamic vinaigrette was excellent but it would outrageous on a mixed green salad instead. Iceberg lettuce is so ghetto. Food is GoodJun '09 We went to Carlenas last night. It was great. Great meal, large portions!! We will be back for sure! PaulJun '09 Dorrie is NOT the wife but trys to make you assume that cuz they live together. Hate the Spinach salad the walnuts have to go whatever happened to onion, egg and bacon! Pizza was overcooked, but hubbys meal was large in portion size. Questionable if we will be back. htownmommyJun '09 My first impression was that she was WAY too skinny to be the hostess of an Italian restaurant, LOL. I mean, how good can the food be if she looks like she's starving? ianimal Jun '09 My daughter and I absolutely loved it! The service was great- quick, pleasant and our waiter was very nice. I pick her up from school every day and we went around 4 p.m. She had cappucino, calamari, and eggplant rollatini. She said it was excellent and she is very picky, haha. I had veal parm and it was excellent. The setting is also beautiful. Coming from a Brooklyn-raised Italian family it was great to hear Frank Sinatra playing softly in the background- that is rare today to hear that type of music in restaurants, usually it is the mainstream crap. Carlena's is a beautiful and excellent restaurant- definitely recommended for your family. Ciao! chrisb Jun '09 chrisb,  Lori...since '73 Jun '09 Chrisb - I have to agree that the eggplant rollatini was excellent. I was very happy when I got that choice and can tell that I will be getting it again! Coralie Jun '09 Actually this was the 2nd post I wrote on Carlena's. My first post was not good, but I read so much on here we tried again, infact we have eaten there at least 3 times since my original post, and it has been excellent every time, and the prices are fair.We paid 47.00 without the tip for eggplant rollatini,veal par, callamari, soup, and salad,and we had to take home alot of food which we had for lunch the next day, so if you look at it 4 meals for 47.00 not bad if you ask me. I did speak to the waitress we had the last time about the price we were charged the first time and it turned out we were overcharged for a meal the first time. The post above was written by my daughter and I have to agree with everything she said, and no I don't know the waiter or pick him up from school, I pick my daughter up from school LOL.. I also have to say that we were there at off times 4:00 3:00 and there was hardly no one there. One table all times, I hope they make it, I wish them well.. chrisb Jun '09 Tried Carlena's last week after reading this forum. The garlic dough twists we were given when we sat down were awful. They were cold and hard. Not a good way to start. The bread arrived next and that was delicious - warm and very tasty. JulesJun '09 Dressing is too sweet, not a fan of the white balsamic. Italian entrees are good but I question how much really is from scratch. The pizza is ok, but they need to make some of the traditional pies -- they make just regular pizza; don't call a regular pizza Napolitano. Jay Jun '09 Have to admit Jay, your pizza photo looked delicious and I even love the burnt crust. You're not going to get pizza like that here, sad to say. Bessie Jun '09 The place in Blairstown is the closest. But heck, the pies from Macaroni Grill are more interesting. I love pizza, so I will eat almost anything. But I was expected more than Franks... Jay Jun '09 Jay, JeffJun '09 The Tomatoe Pie Co. in Blairstown is gone...sadly. I LOVED Lou's pizza. The new kid is doing his best I'm sure, but the pie is nothing like Tomato Pies were. I personally find his slices to be on the salty side and too cheesy. Lori...since '73 Jun '09 Fixing the house dressing and pizza should be possible. The rest of the food is rather good for the money. The soup was good but I didn't see a pasta fagioli on the menu -- IMHO it has to be there every day. The interior is excellent and the tables are not cramped. Worth a visit, just don't order the house white balsamic unless you like sweet, and the pizza is just regular pizza. Jay Jun '09 I've been to Carlenas a few times.. and it was really good! Calamari/pizza/complimentary wine.. the owners are very nice and i would recommend to all.. the buffalo chicken pizza is TOO good! Keep up the good work guys!! darlughJun '09 Has anyone tried the all you can eat pasta night? I am thinking I may need to go to that being as pasta is my favorite food group, lol. Sandy Jun '09 I think Jay's picture is from a pizzeria in NY, Tottono's in NY, I could be wrong, but just taking a guess here. I thought the pizza in the picture looked pretty good, especially with the burnt crust. Bessie Jun '09 carlenas owners, I think you mis-understood Jay's post. I'm pretty sure he was suggesting that you guys make a pizza that looked like the one in the picture, but less burnt. He wasn't saying that was a picture of your pizza. Unless I am wrong. Rich Jun '09 I also want to add that it seems like Jay's comments were actually pretty positive for your restaurant. The only negative he said was was the dressing. He said the food is good for the money. Rich Jun '09 I understood Jay's post to mean that Carlena's should try to make a pizza LIKE the one in the photo he posted. He sounded disappointed in what they call their Napolitano pizza - in that it is just a regular pizza, not the classic Napolitano. JulesJul '09 Before Pietros moved to it's new location, I had a couple of their pies. I remember they were quite different from the traditional pies in Hackettstown. The crust texture was different, and flatter towards the end, and I remember thinking that it was probably more like a pie you would get in Europe.  happy girl Jul '09 Stop in for lunch today and I'm glad I did. The pizza was really very good. Cooked perfectly. The waitress we had this afternoon was exceptional. Best of all (this is my second time at Carlenas) they rearranged the seating. Thanks to Carlenas for a great lunch time experience!! PaulJul '09 People, People, People...........................Please read Jays posts again! Jay was not putting down Carlenas. He would like to see a pie like the picture. GEEZE#!!!! Christine Jul '09 Man... the picture was something I would like to see. It is from a place in NYC... Jay Jul '09 I am watching to see how "Carlanas Owners" responds to their misunderstanding, because as of right now, the impression they have made with that post is a very poor one. Rich Jul '09 Yeah... probably a young troll that doesn't know good pizza. Poor boy only eats Ellios that his mama cooks for him in the toaster oven. Jay Jul '09 I'm not sure that post was even from the owners. The name "carlenas owners" posts under several user id's, the original one was one word, this recent one was two words. I would think twice before judging the restaurant by that comment, it may just be an employee or friend or something who thinks they are helping the situation by defending them, when really it's just coming off as rude. Or it could be the owners post from home and work, making 2 user ids. Bottom, line, we don't really know so if you like their food and service, I wouldn't let it change your opinion. Sandy Jul '09 As much as I hate to admit it, I got Jay's point on the pizza 100% and he was right on in my book. Bessie Jul '09 Yeah Sandy. Like I said, I am going to assume that it was someone else posting and not the real owners. I'd like to see them confirm that, though. Rich Jul '09 Even if it was the owners do you think they would own up to the post? Just asking thats all! Christine Jul '09 Yeah I really don't know which scenario is true, so I am just choosing not to judge them by it. I for one got Jay's point, but I guess some people didn't. If they did write it, I think everyone would like to seem them acknowledge that they misread his post and apologize for their hastiness, but this really doesn't affect the quality of their food so I wouldn't hold it against them to the point of not eating there. Sandy Jul '09 Commenting is not available at this time.
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