Hot Coals and Yummy Meats at Al Carbon Chicken

Charlottesville, VA



A short day trip through Virginia brought us to our most recent adventure in the college town of Charlottesville, Virginia. We found a little gem just minutes outside of UVA campus, calling our names for dinner. This place is a little hard to find but if you are following your GPS, look out for the Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard and you know you found the right shopping center. (I think we passed it twice listening to my GPS.)

Anywho, this cute little restaurant really brings South American flavors to you. We didn't get the signature Peruvian coal rotisserie chicken that is supposed to be all the rave, but I'm sure I will be back to try that. :) The owners worked the counter and they are super nice! I saw them explaining the menu to a couple that had never visited before, and joking with another group of young men that followed.

After a few minutes standing at the counter, we decided to get a plato de carne (meat plate) that came with a choice of two sides.  We went with the fried plantains and fried yucca. Healthy right? hehe  The meat was simple skirt steak that was well seasoned and tender. There was a vein of gristle going through the middle of a slice or two of the meat but it was still pretty good.  The plate came with 4 tortillas, (again you get a choice of corn or flour) but nothing else. It didn't seem like a very well thought out plate until you figure in the sides. There were rices and beans on the menu for sides, which would have made the little wraps more interesting, but we didn't' really think that far ahead. I ended up stealing some cheese from the overflowing cemita and cut in a little bit of the yucca and plantain. I know, that sounds weird, but it actually was really good!
The fried yucca was cut thick and crispy.  It was a little plain and could use some sort of savory sauce, but it was still some of the better I have had. The fried plantains were also cut large and thick.  They were super tender, super sweet, and just a touch chewy from the caramelized sugars. These things were absolutely delicious and are really going to have me coming back for more.

I got the carne asada cemita (steak sandwhich). A cemita is a Mexican sandwich on a nice toasty bun layered with avocado, adobo chipotle peppers, fresh Oaxacan cheese, papalo (seasonal) red onions, a slice of ham, and your choice of meat.  The avocado was soft and fresh and the peppers really gave the sandwich a nice smoky kick. And the cheese. WOW. There much have been half a pound of fresh stringy cheese. It was a nice mild flavor that helped keep the flavors light. The steak was a little tough in places, I think because there was some gristle in it, but was quite tasty with the ham.  Altogether, it made a pretty good sandwich. I think meal would have been better had it come with a side, but since my dining companion got two, I wasn't really missing out.

Even with healthy appetites, we both left very satisfied and with half of my sandwich left.  The portions here are very generous (don't let the pictures deceive you!) and very satisfying.

It seems the orders are really made to order; it took about 15 minutes for our food to come out. Everything was super fresh and smelled and tasted great though!

Note to self- come back for fresh, made to order CHURROS!!!!!! :)

Overall, How Nuts Are We About Al Carbon Chicken?

Food: 4 coconuts. Good food, large portions, and reasonable prices. Having a side for a dollar more for the sandwiches would have made it a better deal, even though I had plenty to eat.
Service: 4 coconuts for the short interaction with the nice people behind the counter
Repeatability: 4 coconuts. I will definitely need to come back to try the chicken and the made to order homemade churros!!!!!

                                                (\__/)
                                                (=’.’=)
   Until Next Time...  ☆(”)_(”)☆