Island Eating

I'm so far behind now with posting restaurant reviews that I can't worry about posting them in any sort of order. It'd be nice if I could write something roughly around the time when I eat at these restaurants, but alas...I'm just not that good! Between work, puppy training, traveling, and getting various other new technology toys (now a proud member of the iPhone family), writing blog posts has become more of a novelty concept for me. Luckily, eating has not!

A few weeks ago, my dad uttered a phrase I never thought I'd hear him say..."Want to try that Jamaican place out Shenandoah Avenue?" Uhhhh...heck yes! Depending on the type of person you are, this is the sort of restaurant you would drive by and either be really excited or really frightened. It is in an "interesting" part of town and there's not much in the way or advertising or marketing, but it definitely appeared to be authentic. The restaurant is called Little Jamaica, and they are serving up some unique Caribbean cuisine.

I had driven by Little Jamaica a couple times on the way to puppy obedience school and my dad had heard good things about it from one of his employees at work, so we decided to try it for lunch one day. He brought his employee along with us to help navigate the menu and we were the only people in the restaurant when we walked in. The menu featured an assortment of curry and stew dishes as well as a variety of meats, including chicken, fish, goat, and oxtail. I decided to have the Jerk Chicken, which came with black beans and rice, cabbage, and plantain chips.

After having eaten meals in various countries in the Caribbean, I can't deny that this dish was authentic. The jerk chicken had a strong amount of heat from the spices and the chicken was cooked on the bone, which meant having to deal with the bones while trying to eat. I mentioned I'd had a dining experience like this before, only it was in a slum town in South Africa called Ntabankulu. I never thought ANYTHING would remind of that place. The chicken was probably the least impressive part of the meal - there were too many bones and not enough edible meat, which made it not even worth the trouble. Again, probably a bit too authentic for my tastes. I tried some of my dad's oxtail and was much more impressed with the flavor and tenderness of his dish. However, the rice & beans and cabbage had good flavor and the portions were very well sized. It was a little expensive at around $9 for a plate, but I probably could have stretched it to two meals if I'd wanted to.

The restaurant offers very little in terms of atmosphere, and they appear to do a decent amount of takeout. We sat at a table outside and noticed a few people come pick up food and eat while sitting on the hoods of their cars - must be some sort of insider thing. I don't know if I would rush to bring a visitor here, but these are the sorts of restaurants that a give a town's dining scene true character. It's easy to find fancy and flashy restaurants when you hang out in the popular parts of town where everyone is trying to be seen. But it's more of an adventure to try the places that are full of character and off the beaten path. And Little Jamaica offers such an experience.