A homey N.H. family diner, where the accent is on chicken
Carmen's Diner
Intersection of routes 107 and 108, East Kingston, N.H.
603-642-9300
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Major credit cards accepted
Accessible to the handicapped
You have to love a restaurant that has chicken curtains. And in the case of Carmen's Diner -- chicken statues, chicken paintings, and other poultry tchotchkes galore. It's all as gloriously tacky as the bright red paint on the barn-style building that houses this family eatery.
The diner's name and farm essence are an homage to Carmen's Fried Chicken, which for decades served hungry New Hampshire residents who were driving through town, lived in town, or were hoping to get a peek at the UFOs that supposedly were drawn to this area of the state in the 1970s.
The new owners razed the dilapidated former Carmen's and opened Carmen's Diner on the site three years ago. The old building may be gone, but the chicken endures. Carmen's has a menu heavy on chicken, and even dishes you wouldn't expect to contain chicken do.
Take, for example, the chili ($3 a cup, $4 a bowl). We found Carmen's to be fresh, with a nice spicy bite, big beans, beef, and -- of course -- pieces of white-meat chicken. Not what you'd expect in your "con carne" but it gave a surprising depth to the body of the chili and a nice mild flavor to the spicy stew.
Little chunks of chicken also appeared in the golden gravy served over the mashed potatoes that came with a dinner special of baked seafood pie ($ 15). This is just the kind of hearty casserole you'd expect in a place like Carmen's. This thing must have weighed a good pound and a half, if you count the dish. There were lots of meaty scallops, juicy prawns, and chunks of haddock in a creamy white sauce topped with a sprinkle of bread crumbs -- a major fish feed indeed.
The cole slaw we opted for instead of mixed vegetables was some of the best we've had in a long time -- not too much mayo and very crunchy.
But let's back up a bit. We started our meal with two appetizers -- garlic bread ($ 2) and Gordy's special Asian wings ($7 ).
The garlic bread was just right -- loaded with butter, crisp , and served with one of the best marinara sauces we've ever had. Some among us wanted to eat the bread dipped in sauce all night long and skip the meal.
The wings were meaty, and the sweet-and-sour dipping sauce gave them the Asian flavor.
Charcoal-broiled New York sirloin strip steak ($14.50) was served with a choice of potato and veggie. We chose the baked potato, which was a little on the cold and limp side. We did love the steak, which came well done, as ordered. The waitress didn't even snicker when we asked for a side of marinara sauce in which to dip the meat.
This being the former Carmen's Fried Chicken, we had to sample at least one bite of the house specialty. Carmen's makes that easy. You can order fried chicken in two-, four-, and eight- piece dinners (the eight-piece is $14 -- $17 for all white meat) and comes with French fries and slaw.
You can also add a $2 side of chicken with a meal. The fried chicken breast we chose was fine, but not as special as we thought it would be.
But we were very happy with the desserts, including a homemade bread pudding served warm with whipped cream ($2.25) and a huge brownie ice cream sundae ($3.25).
T here's no alcohol served at Carmen's and you can't bring your own, but they do make brewed iced tea and coffee ($1.25) and milk shakes ($3.25). They also carry New Hampshire's own Squamscott Soda in old-fashioned bottles ($1.25).
We haven't tried breakfast at Carmen's yet, but we're looking forward to the all-American griddle hash skillet breakfast ($8.50) and the country waffle breakfast ($7.50) -- waffles with two eggs, home fries, and two slice of bacon, sausages, or ham. If we get there early enough, we might even get a glimpse of a UFO in the parking lot.
TOM LONG 
