I have been longing for some additional Italian food options in the south end of the Salt Lake valley, so when I got wind that Carmine’s Italian Cuisine opened just over a month ago, I was looking forward to trying it. They took up residence in the space that was formally a Mexican restaurant I used to frequent, so I was anxious to see how they turned it into a fine dining atmosphere, as claimed.

Co-owners Ernesto Lo Russo and Chef Carmine Delli Bovi did a nice job of sprucing the space up by taking out booths and adding tables in various sizes with tablecloths and cloth napkins. The lighting is soft and the walls are a warm gray, and even with a full house, it was not so loud that you could not carry on a conversation.