When you have a waterfront Spanish restaurant tucked away on private lane with its own sandy shores, it's hard to go wrong. But you can.
On this, my third or fourth overall visit last Saturday night to Carmen's, the restaurant was a bit off, but not terrible. (My first two experiences, though years ago, were better.) My friends and I wound up here after the dimly lit Spanish joint La Candela on Amboy Road was packed to the brim with people and thick greasy aromas filling the dining room.
To our delight, a short drive to Carmen's yielded bright airiness (a little too bright with house lights turned up all the way - while votive candles flickered tableside?) and available seating. The patio an bar boasting restaurant featured live Spanish guitar to boot.
We started at this fairly pricey ($20+ an entree) restaurant with a Spanish staple, seafood paella. But let's start with the soup (or salad) that comes with each meal. The shrimp bisque was so salty my lips blew up a tad. Besides the swelling, the soup was pretty good.
The paella was, in a word, huge. Every entree comes in your own cast iron pot, big enough for two ... for two meals, every day, for two weeks.
Quantity doesn't outshine quality however as the rice was hard and salty, and the ingredients - though abundant with large scallops, shrimps, sausage and chicken - was less than fresh this particular night.
Of course, a real reviewer visits a restaurant 2 or 3 times before casting judgment - in the words of ex-New York Times food critic Frank Bruni. Let's hope this visit was a miss compared to previous good nights here.
Pros: Waterfront Location, Food, Ambience
Cons: Food, Service (some), Distance
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