Items Selected:\n\nCrispy Chicken Skins - Smoked Honey\nBacon Jam - Baked Brie, Toasted Baguette\n\"Devil's Eggs\" - Crispy Pancetta, Caviar\nWellington Empanada - Beef Tenderloin, Duxelle\nGyro Tacos - Lamb, Tzatziki, Cucumber, Tomato\nRabbit Ragu - Spaghetti Squash, Parmesan\nSprouts & Spuds Hash - Onions, Bacon, Balsamic\nWild Mushrooms - Caramelized Onions, Cabrales Bleu Cheese\nBourbon Fudge Brownie - Brown Butter Bacon Ice Cream\nGlazed Donut Bread Puddign - Three Rum Caramel, Vanilla Cr\u00e8me Anglaise\nNot Your Father's \"Twinkies\" - Organic Wheat Beer, Mandarin Orange Coulis\n\nLocated in the slowly revitalizing Carson Building and steered by Chef Kerry Simon to nearly universal praise since opening the doors it was still with modest expectations that I met two friends at Carson Kitchen on Saturday and although largely ignoring Simon since a visit to his namesake restaurant during its residence at The Hard Rock Hotel I'm happy to say that lunch in the new space at 124 South 6th Street proved quite pleasant, a blaring Police-heavy soundtrack and service prone to trigger several 'pet peeves' aside. Small in size but chock-full of character with exposed beams and cinder-block styling surrounding the central kitchen it was just moments after 11:30 when our trio sat down and after an idiot-proof explanation of a menu \"designed for foodies\" with \"everything is delicious\" idioms aplenty it was on a meal of eleven items that we settled, the majority of the selections coming from those designed to share and each proving well priced given the quality and quantity of ingredients involved. Clearly leaning on Simon's penchant for comfort food whimsy and benefitted by the skills of Executive Chef Matt Andrews it was specifically at our request that items rolled out of the kitchen with deliberate individual pacing and beginning first with creamy deviled eggs crowned in briny bubbles of roe the hits came quickly, a back-to-back pairing of chicken skins and bacon marmalade each justifying their early 'signature' status while a follow-up of nutty rabbit cooked tender in bright tomatoes over shredded squash showed equally well. Generally underwhelmed by the meaty lamb 'tacos' wrapped in lightly charred pita and finding the empanada overwhelmed by the onion-heavy sauce it was back on good footing that the kitchen found itself with a deep bowl of crispy sprouts balanced by pork plus balsamic and culminating in a flatbread teaming with mushrooms beneath an especially heady blue it was onward to dessert that we progressed, a trio of options served simultaneously with both the subtly sweet bread pudding and decadent brownie arriving boozed up and bound to impress.
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