In 2013, Carbone crash-landed in New York with giant platters of veal parm, tableside-tossed caesar salads, and enough spicy vodka rigatoni to permanently alter the city’s cholesterol levels. Practically overnight, the man behind the city’s new favorite impossibly hard-to-get table, Mario Carbone, transformed Italian-American dining, the New York restaurant scene, and the entire foodie zeitgeist – one over-the-top serving at a time.
Now, 12 years later, the frenzy hasn’t slowed. What started as a downtown restaurant now stretches far beyond Manhattan, with 10 outposts (and counting) from Miami to Las Vegas, Dubai, London, and Hong Kong. Despite constantly flying between his growing global empire, travel still feels like a luxury for Carbone. Sitting down in his London dining room for our First & Lasts series, he reflects on the first time he left New York, his earliest taste of true hotel opulence – and the gasp that accompanied the bill for it – and the last meal that genuinely blew him away (spoiler, it wasn’t in New York).
See also: Carbone London: “There’s Nothing Else Like This Here”
What was the very first place you traveled to, and how did it change the way you saw the world?
As a family, we really didn't fly anywhere. So all of the trips when I was small were one-day trips somewhere from New York, to places like Pennsylvania. The first really big trip I ever took was when I went to Italy for the first time to cook. I was 20, and the chef I was working for found me a family running an incredible restaurant in the middle of nowhere, in North Western Tuscany. I was only supposed to go there for a few months; but I was there for over a year and a half. It was my first time really leaving home, and I only came back home because my sister was getting married.
What was the very first hotel that you stayed in that wowed you?
The first hotel that I stayed at, which I just could not afford but I paid for anyway, was the Le Meurice in Paris. I remember trying not to make an audible noise when I saw the bill in front of everybody: “Just pay it and be cool”. But just the opulence of the place is second to none; it's so over the top in every way. That was the first really nice hotel I'd ever stayed at.
When and what was your first experience of luxury travel?
I can give you names of airlines and list you hotels, but I find travel to be a luxury [in itself]. Sure, there are lavish levels of it, but that you can just go jump on a plane and visit another place, eat their food, meet their people, and see their city is what luxury is to me.
When was the last time you were blown away by a meal?
I would say I haven't really been blown away in a long time. I had a spectacular meal here in London at Dorian not that long ago. It's scary to take chances [when opening up a restaurant], especially when it's already difficult to make them work and be profitable. So when you come across a place like a Dorian, where they're really cooking whatever the fuck they want, that's where you find something special. There are a bunch of places in New York that have opened recently that I need to get to, but I haven't had a special meal there in a while.
See also: Why London Restaurants are Embracing a New York State of Dining
What's the last thing you bought while traveling?
I always buy souvenirs for my dog Rocco. Something that he’s going to destroy. It could be a little furry stuffed thing or a rubber ball. It's funny if it has the city on it, and a huge bonus if it's got a squeak. I also always have cigars with me on every trip I take, and I bring fewer when I come to London, because it's the only city where I can actually buy the ones I like.
Is there anywhere that you'd want to experience for the first time all over again?
When I first moved to Italy, it seemed like a way simpler time. It was free from smartphones, and I was trying to learn the language while I was there, so I was walking around with a little dictionary in my back pocket at all times.
I would go back to that time because it was simple. Every experience, from buying fruit to getting a haircut, involved a bit of work. You couldn't just Google and get all the information immediately. Now, you can pick any random city in the world and get a great top 10 list from somebody. Back then, there was a level of exploration involved.
What was your most recent trip, and what did you take away from it?
I was just in Cartagena, Colombia, as we’ve opened a beautiful restaurant in the new Four Seasons Hotel. It was probably my fourth time in that city, and it just has an incredible energy. It was Good Friday, so the streets were packed and the energy was crazy. It's such a special place, it feels almost magical.
Although it’s not an amazing food city. It comes down to the demand of the customer, and I just don't think there's a demand there for it yet. With the arrival of our restaurant, which is definitely the fanciest restaurant in Cartagena, I'm curious to see how it is received.
If you had to plan one last journey, where would you go?
I feel like the place that keeps coming to mind is New York. To just go back to your place of birth, and go to all the great places that you've loved and experience them all one last time: a pastrami sandwich, a hot dog off the street, the best pizza, a bagel, and walk where you grew up.
I don't get a ton of time in New York anymore, but I make more use of my time there than when I lived there. I go there not as a tourist, but I'm more enthusiastic, I'm excited. I know I have this much time to be here, so I'm gonna drink it up.
