Carmen's Restaurant and Catering 2280 Harris Ave NE Palm Bay, FL 32905…read more
4 Stars
After what appeared to be a mistake in my last Jamaican joint review (whoa, that has a few connotations), I thought I was being punished by immediately being sent to another one by my random name generator. After smacking it on the side a few times and shaking it, I found it to be working correctly, so I proceeded to Carmen's Restaurant and Catering in Palm Bay, FL.
What a world of difference! Carmen is the proprietor and a one-woman show and boyo, let me tell ya, she sure shines. I found Carmen's menu to be a joy to behold, as eclectic as my vinyl collection. As such, I decided to go in a different direction today and steered away from the traditional Jamaican fare such as Jerk Chicken and Curried Goat and went with an order of Carmen's Fried Chicken with sides of rice, beans and potato salad along with an order of her Bang Bang Fried Shrimp Tacos (the same name as the drek at the horrid Bonefish Grill) with fries.
As Carmen got to work on my eats, I took in the interior. I found it to be open, welcoming, bright, and cheery, not unlike the owner! Carmen was out in no time with my foodstuffs. Taking a few before pictures, I got to work. I turned my attention and palate to the Fried Chicken. The first thing I noticed was the crunch of the coating. If you look at the picture I've attached, you can see what I mean. That coating was slathered on without care for conservation. It wasn't too much, it was just enough. The chicken, blanketed in a tender, juicy, succulent coating, tasted superb. The rice and beans were well-cooked and seasoned with love. The potato salad, like everything else, I assume was made by Carmen and if your Grandmother makes a better potato salad, I will eat these words!
I can't speak for you, but when I hear or read the words, Bang Bang, I immediately think of three things. First, playing cops and robbers as a child and "shooting" the bad guy with my finger gun while shouting, "Bang! Bang!" The second is the Bollywood bad remake of a worse film, "Bang Bang!" The third thing I think of is Chinese Street Chicken. None of this has anything to do with Carmen's Bang Bang Fried Shrimp Tacos, other than the Bang Bang sauce is loosely based on the Chinese Street Chicken tossing sauce. Carmen's Bang Bang sauce was a mixture of mayo, spicy stuff and it was mahvalous, dahling! The shrimp were coated with the same love and care as the chicken and were just as tender and juicy. Got Dayum! Carmen knows her way around a kitchen. I can only assume these are her recipes as well. She should open a restaurant and share this with...oh, wait. Never mind. With this meal and the success of the Fried Chicken at Cajun Soul, my hopes have been raised considerably.
The Big Boy says, "If you want good eats served with love and a friendly smile, visit Carmen. Tell her the Big Boy sent ya (it's safe this time)!"
