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| Welcome to Carver's. |
I was lucky enough to grow up in a home surrounded by phenomenal Southern cooks. As a child, some of my fondest memories are of waking up to the smell of my great Aunt Eva's waffles, or decorating gingerbread people with my Nana, or helping my Aunt Rebecca in the kitchen make whatever delicious dish she was concocting. I was always involved in the kitchen from a young age and I think that has shaped my interest in cooking and baking as grew into adulthood. I have never been able to throw together a meal quite like my Aunt Eva did, but I can make a pretty mean Thanksgiving/Christmas spread when I have time to prep. My forte has always been baking more so than 'a dash of this' and 'a pinch of that'.
Being over 5 1/2 hours from my closest family member has made me miss some of my favorite 'home-cooked' dishes that I grew up eating regularly. When I started this blog, I did a little research to find some popular lunch spots that are frequented by the locals and one place stood out in my findings. Carver's Country Kitchen in Atlanta is a place you really have to know about already to find. It's not in a location that you might stumble across on your own... you really have to go looking for it. And the hours of operation make it for the loyal lunch crowd only; weekdays from 11am to 3pm. That's it. But trust me, it is well worth the trek and the limit of cash only (no ATM on the premises, which we found out the hard way).
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| The line is already outside the door and it's not even noon. |
My dining companion this day was my friend, Angela. Being children of the modern age, we brought debit cards and had to make a mad dash all over town to find an ATM to get our cash required but it was well worth the effort once we finally arrived back to Carver's. The building is tiny and has no parking so you have to park in the surrounding neighborhood. Once inside, the smell of all the delicious food immediately makes your stomach growl. The tables look like the ones you would use during a backyard BBQ and the space inside is so limited that you share a table with whoever you can. It's like going to a family reunion as a child; your parents swear to you that you know these people but you swear that you've never seen them in your entire life...
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| People looking over the lunch menu. |
The menu is written on a marker board so it can be easily changed each day because the dishes change daily. You get to pick a main dish, two sides, a type of bread, and a drink. The meals range anywhere from $11.95 to $6.95. You can also add one of their sinfully sweet desserts, like carrot cake or peach cobbler for $2.50, which in my book is totally worth the splurge. With a college ID you get a dollar off or a free beverage. Tuesdays they even run a special where you buy one meal at full price, you get the 2nd meal half off. So bring a friend!
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| My fried chicken lunch. |
Angela and I both decided on the fried chicken (leg and thigh) meal but differed on our sides. I went with creamed corn, sweet potatoes, and a biscuit because I wanted nothing but carbs. Angela chose creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and corn bread because she wanted slightly different carbs. We both settled on sweet tea because we are products of our Southern upbringing and unsweet tea is just unholy. Let me first warn you that if you go into the establishment looking for a light lunch, you have stepped into the wrong place. There is nothing light about anything on the menu. For example, my fried chicken was the size of a small turkey. I swore they had accidentally given Angela and I a breast instead of a thigh because they were both so large. There was also a main dish option called the "Dolly Parton Fried Chicken Breast" so I can only imagine how large that would have been! We both brought home over half our food to enjoy the next day.*
*And by "enjoy the next day," I really mean, "to be eaten by my fiance."
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| The "drink station." |
The service was extremely friendly, the atmosphere was shabby, but everyone was happy because you felt like you were sharing a meal cooked by someone who cares about you like family. It felt like you were in the home of a grandparent sharing a meal with loved ones. The food was made with care and served the same way. I can see why people flock to come back on a regular basis. It's a taste of home. And I will be back, too.
Carver's Country Kitchen
1118 West Marietta Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 794-4410
http://www.carverscountrykitchen.com
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