Monday, August 30, 2010

Carolina Kitchen - Hyattsville, MD

Met up with some old family friends for dinner. We try to go every couple months and this time it was for time some Southern soul food at The Carolina Kitchen. The first time I had eaten their food was when I was in high school. Their original location was in downtown Silver Spring, but a fire had destroyed the entire strip of shops they were on. Located in University Town Center, there is garage parking (1st 2 hrs are free). The closet metro is Prince George's Plaza on the green line.

Right when you walk in you see their 'Take Out' counter. It's really awesome because you can either dine-in or go through the line and take food to go! Even if you're dining in, you can walk through the line to help you make your decision.

The decor is beautiful. I think it's New Orleans meets Harlem Renaissance. The high ceilings, attention to detail, and warm colors are very inviting.

Look how cute the water glasses are! I love the idea of the mason jars.

Our group of 5 shared a few appetizers. The 'Cheese & Bacon Cajun Fries (Golden fries with Cajun seasoning loaded with melted cheese and bacon)' for $6.49 were so good and cheesy!

We ordered two kinds of wings:
Top: Spicy Thai Chili Wings (Covered with our sweet and tangy Thai Chili sauce)' for $8.99. My favorite out of the two because they were sweet.
Bottom: Grilled Jerk Wings (Slow cooked grilled wings with spicy Jerk seasoning)' for $8.99. The table's favorite, but too spicy for me.

The BEST cornbread I've ever had in my life. They were thick portions topped with honey butter, and just so light. They come with your main meal, and I know I could've just eaten a whole tray of it by myself.

Here are some of the items my friends ordered so you can get an idea for what they look like:
Top: Smothered Fried Chicken (Two pieces of fried chicken covered in grandma's gravy over fresh garlic mashed potatoes and two side fixins)'for $14.99. This gravy was very thick and creamy.
Bottom: Grilled Baby Back Ribs (Slow cooked, tender grilled pork ribs, basted with Carolina Kitchen's "award winning" BBQ sauce with baked beans, homemade coleslaw and Cajun fries, half rack)' for $15.99. The meat was falling off the bone and very tender.

The bf ordered the 'Cajun Grilled Pork Chops (Two flame grilled, tender pork chops with zesty Cajun seasoning served with rice pilaf, macaroni & cheese and classic vegetable blend)' for $14.99. He enjoyed it a lot! I was IN LOVE with the collared greens he got. I will be getting those next time!

I ordered the 'Rotisserie BBQ chicken' for $11.99. I got the Mac & Cheese and Candied Yams as my side. The Mac & Cheese was a table favorite too! Thick and cheesy. The yams had more cinnamon and orange flavor than I usually like, but the men at the table liked them.

The service was very friendly and helpful! The food came out in huge portions, and there is a large menu to choose from. Most of their main entrees range between $11-15, with some of their seafood platters being more. If you're there for your birthday, they sing a really cool song to you! They offer karaoke nights and reggae nights too during the week.

6501 America Blvd
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
(301) 927-2929
www.thecarolinakitchen.com
The Carolina Kitchen Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

SUN-THU 11am-10pm
WED 11am-10:30pm
FRI-SAT 11am-12am
BAR open till 1am

2 comments:

my_zing said...

i LOVE mason jars! i wonder where one can purchase them...

the food looks great :)

Anonymous said...

This place is awesome! I went there for the first time last month and can't wait to go back. The cornbread is delicious. The staff is super friendly. Welcome! welcome! welcome!