Carmines Creole Cafe Act II

Have been going to Carmine’s for years and dinner last week did not disappoint. this was the first time I went with kids and John was more than willing to accommodate. My 9 year old nephew loved the filet and the sausage from the jambalaya. My family from out of town thoroughly enjoyed their meals from appetizer to desert. Love that it is a BYOB and a bold red and a crisp white works well with anything on the menu. One of our neighborhood favorites!!!

It has been several months since we had eaten at Carmine’s. Absolutely need to get it back in the regular rotation. Dinner last night was great. Had the swordfish special — fantastic. The filet was perfectly cooked, tender and tasted great. John serves food that compares favorably to some of the top places in New Orleans.
Yes it’s small, yes it’s a little out of the way, yes it’s cash only but the food is fantastic. Please go and enjoy.

Fabulous just like the reviews say on here. The Caesar salad with a kick is delicious, just the right spice with a lemon zing! I also had the shrimp and crawfish étouffée and WOW was it good. The shrimp were large and perfectly cooked, the crawfish were plentiful and it was just the right spice for me, enough to make me want to scoop what was left with the fresh bread!
I’ve been wanting to visit Carmine’s and after my first visit I can’t wait to go back!

This was my first visit. The service and the food was great. We had the taster. Everything was flavored well. I will definitely return to this restaurant.
I would suggest you make reservations. You will not be disappointed.

My first time to Carmine’s was in December of 2014. I was really impressed by the meal that was presented to me. I’ve been looking forward to coming back again for months. Today was that day. I finally had the time to make the 40 minute drive out and I was so excited! I parked my car, walked in and was quickly greeted and seated. On my table was the delicious bread I was looking forward to snacking on. All that was ruined though. After I got comfortable and and decided what I was going to order, my server informed me that the owner decided not to accept credit cards anymore. Seriously? It’s 2015. Who doesn’t accept credit cards? They don’t even have an ATM in the building. I was told I could walk down the street and find one, but that meant nothing to me because I only had credit cards with me. No bank card to take money out with.
I’m really disappointed. I felt embarrassed. I wasted an entire afternoon planning on dinner. I wasted a 40 minute drive there and a 40 minute drive back. Thanks, Carmine’s. I don’t even know what else to say…
Who doesn’t accept credit cards?
:(

My husband and I went to Carmine’s last Saturday night last minute, and we are so glad we did. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. I noticed right away the exposed kitchen which we sat next to and I thought «it’s going to be noisy». But to my surprise, that kitchen ran so smoothly, quietly and clean. Our waitress was friendly, helpful and just sweet. We also had a wonderful staff member named Al. He was more then helpful making suggestions and explaining some of the dishes … Which brings me to the meal –WOW– it was exceptional, my husband had the chefs selection and I had the fish special which was swordfish. The chef is talented and knows how to do creole :) We were so pleased with our meal, the service and the venue. We will definitely go back. Thank you for a great night. Keep up good work
P.S The bread pudding and waffles and ice cream are a must!

So good, we came back twice in one week! Huge thanks to the husband and wife team that run this restaurant; they are extremely accommodating and very friendly.
We will be back again soon and will bring as many people as we can find to taste this wonderful food. It’s also BYOB so you can bring your favorite bottle wine to enjoy with your meal

This place may be one of my favorites in the Philly area. My husband loves Creole food and this place is fabulous! We are lucky enough to live right down the street. Brunch or dinner, takeout or dine in, it is always fabulous. The staff is always friendly and John makes amazing food! We just left Easter brunch which was beyond tasty and filling! The pesto for bread dipping (served with dinner) is a favorite of mine, among basically I’ve ever had there. I highly recommend this quaint, awesome restaurant.

Great service and awesome food!!! Can’t wait for the beignet bakeries to open on Broad street and South Street.

We’ve enjoyed John Mimms’ creations since he was back in Havertown. The food is absolutely delicious. The noise level is high. The parking is indeed tough (we were there in the beginning of March when there was still snow piled high in the streets). I would definitely recommend this place. They only take cash or checks. It is BYOB. You do need reservations especially for a big group.

OH MY GOSH
I’ll make this short and sweet: Best creole cuisine in Philadelphia… and possibly the northeast! I’m usually not impressed with cajun/​creole cuisine outside of N’Awlins because to me it’s not flavorful… Just hot and charred. Not here! I treated my beau to a birthday/Valentine’s Day dinner and from start to finish EVERYTHING was bursting with well rounded flavor. Just incredible! A BYOB too boot? I’ve been telling everybody I know about this place ever since!

The creole food here is very comforting, rich and flavorful. The highlights were the ribs over fondue mashed potato and the Shrimp and Grits as well as the sweet potato soup. The have a tasting menu and literally everything on it except the dessert was out of this world. There was steak with crawfish and shrimp and grit as well as this amazing sweet potato soup. The only major let down was the Jambalaya and I love jambalaya but theirs was surprisingly weak, it needs more spices. My niece ordered this and was disappointing, she tried to send it back and they refused and they kept it on the bill, even though she ordered something else and paid for it. I found that a bit tacky because any good place with decent customer service will not fight you when you send something back, they take it and remove it from your bill. Apart from that experience we were very happy because our waiter was great and most of the food was top notch. Oh and the dip that comes with the bread was the best dip I have ever had and I’m a major foodie, I eat at some of the best places in Philadelphia. I know food and I know service.

I’m not sure what all the rave reviews are about, but I was highly disappointed. We came here in an attempt to eat locally, as we tend to migrate into the city every weekend. What a bust!
Our waitress was a bit of an airhead. She took our order, gave us our appetizers, and as we waited for entrees, she asked if we would like anything for dessert. Uh. wow.
I got the savory beignet special as an appetizer and they were oily and. unappetizing. I ate one but couldn’t stomach another. For my entrée, I ordered the seafood courtboullion. It’s infused with Pernod, which may have been an oversight on my part since the anise flavor was really off-​putting for me. The seafood itself was cooked fine, but I wasn’t a fan of the dish. It’s a shame, considering the price.
Overall, the execution of the food and service is not worth the time, effort, and money to come here.

We’ve been to Carmine’s (BYOB) 3 times now. And several times back when they were Daddy Mim’s in Phoenixville. We’ve never been anything but blown away by the food. Absolutely amazing. John and his wife have both been fantastic, amiable hosts as well. We’ll definitely be back. It’s out of your way, but so worth your time.
The sweet potato smoked sausage bisque soup is absolutely incredible. Every component of The Taste of New Orleans is absolutely amazing, as is the Butterscotch Carrot Cake, etoufee, and cajun seafood pasta. So far, we’ve not had anything that wasn’t excellent.

I really enjoyed this place. The coconut shrimp appetizer was excellent. Good portion size and a jalapeño jelly on it is delicious. For our entrees, we had the Shrimp and Crawfish Etoufee and the Red Wine Braised Shortrib. The Etoufee recently received recognition in best of Philly and this was very deserving; the dish is excellent. The Shortrib was very good also and the accompanying mashed potatoes were also fantastic. The dessert we had did not disappoint either. The white chocolate bread pudding was also an amazing dish, some of the best bread pudding I’ve ever had. The staff, specifically the owner and his wife, were incredibly friendly and the service was excellent. I honestly don’t have a bad thing to say about the experience and would go back again without hesitation.

Solid meal. The menu included lots of interesting choices. I Had the shrimp and crawfish étouffée. Very good flavor. Started off with peach soup.
Service was fine.

Recently went to this place on a friends suggestion. Apparently the owner had a place in the Collegeville area and my friend was a real fan of the place. It’s a small intimate place. They won me over from the second I walked in the door. They offered us some complimentary house mojito that was awesome. It was really really good and you can’t beat the price of it ;-). Oh yeah, the food is really awesome. Well seasoned. It’s not exactly New Orleans, but it’s the best I have had outside of the French Quarter. We all ordered various dishes and passed them around the table. Every bite i took was amazing. One dish that really stood out was the dessert. This white chocolate bread pudding was epic. I have been back for just that dessert. The staff is very pleasant; awesome service.

Delicious! SheCrab soup, coconut shrimp, short ribs, and bourbon pecan pie with ice cream (and REAL delicious hot fudge). All had tons of flavor and just enough spice. Only negative was no free refills on soda (I would have made it 4 ¾ if I could have; felt a little stingy).
Additionally, the wait staff was great. Attentive and pleasant. Would love to go back.

Flavor people. You know you want it… you know you need it. And Carmines delivers. This byob Creole gem in Narberth continues a long tradition of great Main Line Loosiania fare (a contradiction of terms, but work with me here) for those who need a change.
Andouille sausage makes an appearance in many of the dishes, and the gumbo was no exception. Served with big chunks of the stuff in a tasty brown sauce, my only regret was this gluten free kick I’m on that prevented me from lapping up what was left with my bread. I also enjoyed one of the numerous specials, in this case the filet served over lobster mashed potatoes. Delish. The lady enjoyed the soft-​shell crab appetizer which she considered first rate (and she is in fact a pro on this subject, having been raised on this crustacean delicacy) and the halibut special, served with a watermelon and habanero salsa. Wow.
Seriously, if you want to get outside your comfort zone and wake up those taste buds, give this place a shot. They don’t take reservations, and parking can be tight on the streets, so come a little early. Bring a nice chilled sauv blanc and let chef John Mims do the rest.

Finally, a really great restaurant arrives in Narberth.
We love lots of things about Narberth, and there are many ‘good’ places to eat here. The problem is, they all have bars and TVs and sometimes good/​sometimes bad service and really good but not fantastic food.
Carmines is not these places. You walk in from the street and are transported to a place that is all muted tans and browns, upscale but not pretentious, with an open kitchen but no sounds of clanging pots. It’s a place you can go in jeans but also in suits and cocktail dresses and be just fine.
We were greeted quickly and seated, well, anywhere we wanted because we were the first to arrive for the dinner set. We are promptly offered a basket of bread and some lovely pesto dipping sauce.
The menu. This is where I had a bit of trouble. If you are a fish eater (which I am not, due to a food allergy) or a pork/​beef eater, you’re golden. If not, it’s salad time. Except if you mention this, then they create something on the spot for you, as the food is all prepared to order. I am a little bit trepidatious, because usually off menu is haphazard.
Faithful Dining Companion can eat anything she wants, so she orders the shrimp in grits for an appetizer and the crab cake for an entrée. I opt for the wedge salad and the ‘special creation’ of hot sausage on pasta.
The appetizers arrive promptly. They are very, very good. I think if she could have, FDC would have licked the plate. As it was, she was scraping the sides with her fork. My wedge was very good, lots of bleu cheese, the wedge itself was inverted with the wide side up, which, OK, I am not picky.
Here’s a lovely touch that I hardly ever see. When our appetizer plates are cleared, so are our utensils, replaced with clean ones for our main course. Hallelujah! Such a small touch, but so thoughtful of the diner while ensuring the dish is not tainted with the flavors of the appetizers.
Then the entrees arrive. I am floored. What I am served are three large hot sausages on what looks to be pasta tossed with veggies and mixed with a butter cream sauce and tons of parmesan cheese. It looks beautiful, like it was a plated menu item, not at all like something just ‘thrown together’. It is, in a word, delicious. FDC was also blown away by her crab cake — fresh, mostly meat, very little filler, and all kinds of delicious.
The staff shared with me that they will accommodate dietary issues and food preferences wherever possible. I am told the chef, John, has some fantastic vegetarian dishes up his sleeve. If the ‘off the cuff’ hot sausage and pasta dish is indicative of what’s up there, I am SO game.
I would recommend adding at least one pasta and one chicken menu item, (or at least discreet signage notifying patrons of their options) so that those who are not as, well, vocal as I am don’t write this place off, as they would be missing something truly special if they did. I would also advise those lovers of AMEX that this is the only card they do not take.
Carmines, Act II welcome back to Narberth. I hope you stay a long, long time because your dining experience was sorely needed here!