Kincaid's- Revisit

I heard there was a soft shell crab sandwich special at Kincaid’s for lunch, so naturally I had to try it.  Not only was it soft shell crab, but it was combined with one of my all time favorite sandwich combos, the BLT plus avocado.  It wasn’t a cheap lunch at $17.95, but sometimes you have to splurge (it also came with potato salad and fries).

I enjoyed the sandwich—the crab was cornmeal crusted which isn’t my favorite crust for soft shell crab, but it was done well and the crab was large and quite juicy.  I loved the tartar sauce that they served on the sandwich and alongside—it was really tangy and had a lot of flavor from chopped up artichoke.  It was a nice twist on a classic.  Actually, all the ingredients were good—the bacon was plentiful and the avocado nice and ripe.  Honestly though, and I always remember this after I start eating a soft shell crab sandwich, I think I just prefer soft shell crab more on its own, without extra bread or anything (well, maybe a sauce or something).  Who needs bread when you have deep fried soft shell crab? But it was a high quality sandwich.  The herb potato salad was interesting—they were going with some different flavors than traditional potato salads, but it was a little bland.  The fries were dusted with Old Bay and they were pretty good.  Not exactly sure why they included two forms of potato with the sandwich, but I preferred the fries.

The real star of lunch though was the other sandwich we ordered and split—the lobster hoagie ($18.25).  The other good news about this sandwich is that it is a regular menu item and not on the specials list which means you can probably still order it, unlike the soft shell crab sandwich.  This sandwich was delicious.  It was basically their version of a fancy lobster roll.  There were sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce on the bun as well as a runny fried egg and some tempura avocado on the side (which we promptly added to the sandwich as well).  I liked the variation on the typical lobster roll.  Not sure that avocado really needs to be deep fried though, although it was interesting.  We both totally agreed that this sandwich was excellent and both liked it the best.  There were homemade chips served alongside which were not that great—they were a little too thickly cut or something and were a little more chewy than crunchy.

It was a lovely lunch, although pretty darn expensive for lunch, but you are certainly getting good quality ingredients for the money, even though it is pretty decadent.  One thing I always wonder about Kincaid’s though is that they always have these somewhat inventive and delicious sounding lunch items, but their dinner menu is pretty straight steak house.  They really ought to offer that lobster hoagie for dinner—it is really good and at that price point, it might make more sense.

Kincaid’s

14159 Clay Terrace Blvd

Carmel, IN 46032

317/575-9005

www.kincaids.com

Kincaids-Revisit

If we are in the mood for a little drive, Kincaid’s is still one of our favorite places to go for lunch. I love love love this salad they have—which I have reviewed before, the Maytag Blue Cheese and bay shrimp salad. I have a really hard time not ordering this when I go because I like it so much, but I did manage to get a soup and salad combination this time to try the clam chowder as well.

Now in the combo when you get the salad, you usually do not get the shrimp on the salad, just the lettuce, blue cheese, almonds, and crumbled egg with the blue cheese dressing. But I asked for some shrimp to be put on top anyhow, and they did this for a few extra bucks. As usual, the salad was really good (especially after a squeeze of lemon over the shrimp). And as I prefer, it is tossed for you so you get the proper proportion of dressing to leaves. You sort of have to dump it out of the bowl though to really eat it, because it is so full. And really a pretty nice size for lunch, especially with something else. But it was just as good as always...

The clam chowder was enjoyable as well—not the best I have ever had, but it was nice and chunky with large, recognizable pieces of clam as well as quite a bit of diced potato. It was a nice hearty soup on a cold day. And hey, at least I tried something new right?

Hubby had fish and chips and they were very good as well—nicely battered and the cod inside was flaky but still really moist. The fries are also quite good—the thin seasoned fries that are the ones I like best...

The kids really like this place too—my son had fettuccine alfredo and loved it. And with a side of fries with your pasta, how can you go wrong? I included a picture of his meal just so you could get an idea of what the kids portions look like (actually pretty much the same portions as the adult combo meals). They also get what the restaurant calls “the world’s smallest ice cream sundae” which is far from small as far as I can tell. A large scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

I have also mentioned before the bread they serve—herby focaccia bread with a garlic butter melted on top. I really like this bread. Unfortunately, so do the kids, so we fight over it (they will bring you more though if you need it).

All in all, as I have said before, this is a great place for lunch. Although one thing about it confuses me—the dinner menu is not nearly as exciting as the lunch menu. Whenever we have thought about going up for dinner, the menu just doesn’t intrigue us that much—more of a basic steak and chop house menu. Not sure why the lunch menu is so much more creative.

Kincaid’s
14159 Clay Terrace Blvd
Carmel, 46032
317-575-9005
www.kincaids.com

Kincaid's-Mini Update

****THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED****
Just a quick note to say we hit Kincaid's again for lunch this weekend (what can I say, there's a shoe store up there I really like for the kids). As usual, it was very good. Tried the fish tacos this time and they were outstanding. Crispy fish with a flavorful slaw type topping and a really delicious pico de gallo, which was almost like a chunky guacamole (there were nice chunks of avocado in there)and an extra side of chipotle lime sour cream sauce (there is some already on the bottom of the tacos). These were really good, and I know from many comments I have received that I have a fair amount of readers who like fish tacos, so I thought I'd do a quick re-visit post.

It's a hike, but well worth it, even though it is a chain. I wish it was nearer my house.

Kincaid’s
14159 Clay Terrace Blvd
Carmel, 46032
317-575-9005
http://www.kincaids.com/

Kincaid's Fish, Chop & Steakhouse

****THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED****
I have been familiar with Kincaid’s for quite awhile, as I often ate lunch at the one in Oakland, California. Although I lived in San Francisco, I worked in Oakland and ate at a lot of restaurants there as well. I was always fairly impressed by this chain’s food—definitely a cut above most chain seafood/steakhouses. I knew there was one up in Carmel (Clay Terrace), but had yet to get up there.

So hubby and I ventured up for some holiday shopping and lunch. They have tried to keep the waterside ambiance that I think most of their restaurants have, although the little pond in Carmel is a far cry from the San Francisco Bay. But, you can’t have it all! The interior is very similar and fairly upscale for a chain. Lots of wood and nice comfy booths.

Their lunch menu looked great and I love the combination they offer where you can get a reduced portion of 2 choices from a list consisting of soups, salads, sandwiches and pastas. It seemed a great way to try lots of things. I was craving a salad with some seafood on it though, so I got the shrimp and Maytag blue cheese salad with diced egg, slivered almonds, big crumbles of blue cheese, bay shrimp and blue cheese dressing. It was exactly what I was in the mood for—the shrimp were nice and fresh tasting and the almonds added a nice crunch. They also have a salmon, crab and shrimp Louie salad which I ate often in California and which I am also very fond of.

Hubby ordered the ahi tuna burger/BLT which was also really good. I had some and he raved about it. It came with a bacon pepper aioli, arugula, and avocado tomato relish all on a toasted bun. The tuna was chopped and formed into a patty and cooked like a burger—it was very tender and very tasty, especially with all the other accoutrements.

They also serve yummy buttery herby focaccia bread with your meal which is warm and quite nice.

It’s a chain, and it’s in Carmel, but it is a good spot for lunch (and hey, even dinner too). I hear they have a kids' menu, so we will probably schlep the kids up one of these days for lunch too---always nice to find a place we can all eat together that is a bit above the standard fare, but still welcomes kids.

Kincaid’s
14159 Clay Terrace Blvd
Carmel, 46032
317-575-9005
http://www.kincaids.com/

***1/3/08 Update : Went back for lunch with the kids today and had a great meal. What a great kids menu too--all the usual suspects plus kid's size portions of grilled salmon, fettucine alfredo, and fried cod. My 6 year old loved the salmon. Plus they served little bread with grapes plates as appetizers (how sophisticated) and vanilla pudding or a mini hot fudge sundae with all kid's meals. Quite a nice lunch. The kids loved it and want to go back. I had the Seafood Louie salad and was very happy (well, once I had them add the avocado).