Have you always wanted to try the food at Carbone, but either can’t get a reservation, or can’t handle the price? The latest addition to Aria’s Proper Eats Food Hall, Parm, offers a solution.
Exclusive & Upscale vs. Casual & Affordable
For the uninitiated, the original Carbone location has long been a New York celebrity hotspot and one of the Big Apple’s toughest reservations – regularly turning away celebrities and ordinary folks alike. The Las Vegas incarnation, located on the second floor of Aria, offers slightly better odds of getting in, but prime dinner times tend to get booked weeks (if not months) in advance. And if you’re lucky enough to score a table, you can expect your check to reflect the gorgeous ambiance and top-notch service. MGM Resorts International lists its pricing as “$$$$” – the highest cost bracket of its broad restaurant portfolio.
If you’d like to taste what they offer before committing to that high-end experience, you may want to visit Parm, which opened last month inside Proper Eats, just around the corner from Carbone. Prices are much more affordable, and the walk-up food court location ensures everyone can experience it.
The location is appropriate. The original Parm location is directly next door to Carbone in New York’s Little Italy. (It predates that restaurant.) It’s always been a casual sandwich spot celebrating the same Italian-American cuisine in a more relaxed and affordable setting. The Aria spot carries on that tradition.
“Parm is the casual iteration of Carbone,” explains Jeremy Schrager, culinary operations manager of both restaurants’ parent company, Major Food Group. “It’s made to be way more family-friendly, [and] easier to get into.”
Italian American Soul Food
Both, says Schrager, offer “Italian American soul food.” But Parm’s options are much more casual and approachable.
“No dish is exactly the same,” he explains. “But there is a lot of cross utilization, conceptually.”
For example, where Carbone serves mozzarella in carrozza, Parm has more basic mozzarella sticks. And where Carbone is known for an order of veal parmigiana that’s large enough to share, Parm is known for its chicken parm sandwich. The menu includes three other sandwiches, a pair of salads and a trio of plates of pasta. And nothing is priced over $20.
“We want to be what hits your belly, makes you happy, feel good, and really gives you a sense of occasion, without necessarily being a total splurge,” says Schrager.
Parm is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, alongside Proper Eats’ nine other culinary experiences.
