Feast like royalty on rarities at Carson's in Sikeston

I've been waiting for the perfect moment when the stars and all of the various schedules align to visit Carson's by Chef Adam Glenn at 105 E. Center St. in Sikeston, Missouri, and it finally happened.

I visited Carson's Facebook page to set up a reservation. You can also call (573) 475-6457 if you'd like to do it that way. I didn't really have a time preference, so the nice person I was messaging set me up for 5 p.m., right when the restaurant opened.

We were shown to our seats, and the place hadn't filled up yet since the staff can stagger the arrivals howsoever they choose. Dark wood and high ceilings predominated in this old downtown building, and it was much larger inside than I had expected.

I'd looked at the menu online, but the menu changes, so I was happy to see that the small plate Antelope Tenderloin was still available. This could be ordered as a main course for a light meal, but we mostly wanted to try antelope because we'd never had it before and treated it like an appetizer. Tender, thin slices of rare meat rested atop a bed of greens, strawberries, apples, and hazelnuts. I normally don't like my meat rare, but it was absolutely succulent.

Chicken Primavera Rigatoni, made with pasta created in-house.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

Chicken Primavera Rigatoni, made with pasta created in-house.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

For my main course, I was ecstatic to see Prawn (Poached in Ramp Butter) on the menu. Now, I know prawns can get rather large, like giant shrimp. Ha. Ha ha. Oh, I was but a poor summer child who had no idea. Also, when I saw "Ramp Butter" in the title, I felt a little thrill. I did already know what ramps were, that legendary and elusive wild onion relative that people go almost as crazy for as morel mushrooms. Picked in the spring when the greens are most tasty, ramps are stronger than a leek but noticeably garlicky. Or at least that's what the internet had told me, because I'd never actually tasted any. But that was about the change.

Also, ramps are slow-growing, so if you are lucky enough to find any in the wild, please harvest one leaf from a robust plant and leave the root in peace. You know, just like you shouldn't pick every morel you find so that the mushroom can spread more spores. It's hard to leave that delicious food behind, but think of the food you'll get to eat the next year and the year after that.

A Chocolate Tart, the sweetest ending to an excellent dining experience.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

A Chocolate Tart, the sweetest ending to an excellent dining experience.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

When my plate arrived, it had not one, but two enormous prawns. I took a picture with a fork in the frame for reference, the prawns were beyond huge. They were mini lobsters, and just like a lobster, the tail is where the good stuff lives. These tails were already peeled and took just a slice with my butter knife to separate them from the head end. Prawn meat was unlike anything I had tried before. It was firm, so dense that when I cut it, you couldn't see any fibers or holes in the meat. It was a smooth cut, like slicing off a slab of butter. But this doesn't mean that it was tough or rubbery. It wasn't rubbery at all, but it definitely felt less like shrimp and more like lobster. It tasted more like lobster, too, but with a sweetness that I feel lobster usually lacks. The ramp-infused butter the prawns were poached in was subtle and unique, delicate. All in all, I enjoyed it, and I would order it if I ever ran into it again.

My husband ordered Chicken Primavera Rigatoni, and our server told us that the pasta was made in-house. I tried a bite, and while the flavors were less exotic than my dish, it was still delicious and comforting.

We went all out and got dessert as well, a Chocolate Tart that was the best chocolate I've tasted all year. The ganache was flawlessly smooth and creamy, and the raspberry coulis (puree) meshed so well with the dark chocolate my eyes closed in pleasure.

A young man showed up and started playing acoustic guitar quietly in the background. When he burst into a rendition of Foo Fighters' "Everlong," he earned a tip from me.

For almost an hour and a half, we feasted like royalty. It was a pricey meal, but money well spent for a special night out. You will not find an experience quite like it in our area.