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| - My soul was VERY happy after my visit to Carmi.
Okay, so the inside is nothing to write home about...a little dark and cafeteria-esque, but when you're slinging food as delicious as they are, ambiance really doesn't matter to me. Heck, I'd gladly eat some of their fried chicken and mac and cheese inside of a dumpster.
Speaking of the food...almost everything we ate was a slam dunk. I ordered the BBQ chicken breasts, which came with two sides (I got mac and cheese and sweet potato fries), cornbread, and soup (I opted for chicken and dumpling). Since I also wanted to try the fried chicken, I forced hubby to get that (thanks hubby!), and he chose sides of candied yams, potato salad, and fish stew for the soup.
The chicken and dumpling soup came out first, and I could've ended my meal there and been completely satisfied. The soup was thick, hearty, creamy, and stew-like...almost a meal in and of itself! It tasted like the filling of a well-made chicken pot pie.
My BBQ chicken meal consisted of two small chicken breast medallions smothered in tons of sauce. I must admit that the chicken wasn't my favorite. It was fairly overcooked -- quite dry and a bit tough. Their BBQ sauce, however, was stellar -- sweet with a slight hint of smoke and spice.
However, the true hero on my plate was the mac and cheese. This is the mac and cheese to end all mac and cheeses. The noodles were cooked a perfect al dente. The sauce was rich and packed to the gills with ooey-gooey cheesiness. This is the kind of creamy, decadent mac and cheese that you can just FEEL travelling directly from your esophagus into your arteries, but you don't care because you've been put into a temporary mac and cheese-induced euphoric state...mmm...
Where was I? Oh yes, the food. So, needless to say, I highly recommend the mac and cheese. The sweet potato fries were interesting, although not necessarily my cup of tea. They were lightly tossed in butter and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. I prefer my sweet potato fries on the savory as opposed to the sweet side, but Carmi's take on them was definitely interesting. I really enjoyed the cornbread. It was dense, moist, flavorful, and sweet (but not too sweet).
As for my husband's food, it earned rave reviews as well. I stole several bites of his fried chicken and it was to die for! It was *perfectly* cooked, with a light, crisp, peppery coating encasing deliciously juicy meat. His sides were also tasty -- the candied yams were the perfect texture (not too firm, not too mushy) with a warmly-spiced sauce, and the potato salad was well-balanced and flavorful.
Obviously since each meal comes with meat + 2 sides + cornbread + soup, this is a TON of food. I had to tap out before I could finish. So it's a great value. At the time we were there, the prices on their menu were slightly higher than what's currently posted on their website. Also, they charge a small $.25 fee to use credit cards ($.50 for Discover or Amex).
Service was friendly and efficient. All food is cooked to order, so they have signs at the table that prime you to expect that your food may take longer to come out than you might be used to. However, I don't think the wait for our food was unreasonable at all (maybe 20 minutes?)
Overall, the chicken and dumpling soup, the mac and cheese and the fried chicken will have me coming back to Carmi as soon as I can. And next time I'm definitely going to wear expandable pants.
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