Trattoria Carina — Philadelphia, PA

March 13, 2024

The Parm Boys Overall Score: 7.97 / 10

The Vibe

This spot has a great vibe, and we would absolutely love to catch a seat outside on a nice day. The open kitchen layout is sick, letting you watch the culinary magic unfold in real time. Our server was incredibly friendly, and they even hooked the crew up with some free meatballs—a beautiful, class-act touch. The pre-game food is elite here: the appetizers go crazy, the bread is high-quality 10/10 perfection, and they serve up the actual best Caesar salad we have ever had. On the hospitality front, the table turnover before the main course could have been slightly tighter (a fresh set of silverware and a top-off on the wine would have been killer), and parking was another "fucking hell" situation. Also, only one bathroom? You kidding me?

The Parm

Let's talk about the build of this cutlet: thick meat, thank you! The kitchen delivered some beautiful plating and wonderful presentation. The texture was completely on point, and they nailed the coating because the breading wasn’t too strong. Aside from one major flaw, this dish was practically immaculate. That flaw? The red river dried up. This plate was simply not saucy enough—where’s the juice? The light sauce was missing that deep, robust flavor and felt like it completely bypassed the salt shaker. To top it off, we definitely needed a bit more pasta on the side to balance out the thick cutlet.

The Highs and Lows

• The Positives:

  • Thick, premium-cut chicken with a wonderfully balanced breading.

  • Immaculate dish texture and beautiful plate presentation.

  • The best Caesar salad on the planet (a certified 10/10) and high-quality 10/10 bread.

  • Awesome open kitchen aesthetic and great outdoor seating potential.

  • Classy hospitality touches like friendly service and free meatballs.

• The Negatives:

  • Severely lacking in sauce—needed a lot more juice, flavor, and salt.

  • The side pasta portion was a bit too small.

  • Service pacing between courses was slightly slow, missing fresh silverware and wine top-offs.

  • Only a single bathroom for the whole place.

  • Another brutal parking battle.

Closing Thoughts

Trattoria Carina put on a spectacular showing with elite appetizers, a legendary Caesar salad, and a thick, beautifully textured cutlet. The foundation of this dish is completely immaculate. If the kitchen can just dial up the seasoning on the red sauce and pour it with a much heavier hand, this spot will easily skyrocket into the high 8s.

Scoring

• Shizz's Score: 7.9/10

• Dave's Score: 8.0/10

• Matt's Score: 8.0/10