On a gray winter's day, a trip to Caribbean Delight is like an early spring break. Brightly colored murals warm this pint-sized Jamaican restaurant. The comfortable, seat-yourself atmosphere invites guests to cozy up in a booth with country-chic placemats and forget that it's 100 below outside.
For those unfamiliar with Jamaican cuisine, you need not fear: The menu items are clearly identified. Authenticity is clearly valued, as even the sodas - ginger beer, Kola champagne, and pineapple ($1.50) - are imported from Jamaica. When asked, our waitress provided frank dining advice and elaborated on the simple descriptions in the menu.
Her recommendation proved correct for the chicken patty appetizer ($1.50) - warm chicken spiced with curry powder and fried in a flaky crust - and callaloo ($2.50), a traditional Caribbean dish - a leafy saut‚ mixed with onions and peppers were unique, yet comforting.
The entr‚es are available in small and large portions. Each entr‚e comes attractively arranged with brown or white rice/peas, cabbage or garden salad and two fried plantains. The curried shrimp (small order- $9.50) was overcooked but had pleasant flavors. This dish was accompanied by delicious vegetables but lacked the spiciness of legitimate "curry." My companion's oxtail (small order- $9.50), cooked with carrots and potatoes, wasn't exactly falling off the bone, but had strong beef flavors. The saucy jerk chicken ($9.50), advertised as "very spicy," launched a delayed yet deadly attack on the taste buds. This classic Jamaican dish was cooked just right, as if it just came out of a backyard barbecue.
Side dishes were clearly what the chef knew best. The cabbage was soft to the bite, and the plantains were very sweet but not mushy. Their lack of a crunchy exterior was a testament of the expert execution. The "brown rice and peas" was actually rice cooked with kidney beans in coconut milk, a delicious yet simple concoction that puts other rice and bean dishes to shame.
The small order of each entr‚e is the perfect amount of food to leave room for dessert. A choice of three cakes ($3 per slice) baked by a local Jamaican woman were the only dessert choices: strawberry, carrot, and rum. The one-layered carrot cake was too dense with a sugary icing, but the rum cake didn't disappoint. Most likely the only cake with Caribbean inspiration, the rum cake was straightforward yet delicious: a simple, moist, one-layered affair with a rich molasses flavor without icing, raisins or any other embellishments.
Simplicity with surprises seems to be what Caribbean Delight does best - a great introduction to Jamaican food at reasonable prices.
