Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios. Think of the tastes, sights, sounds, and smells of Jamaica. Think jerk.
During the holiday intersession, I was overcome by a mysterious and compelling desire to eat jerk cooking. As the reader may know, jerk refers to a special Jamaican barbecue seasoning used on chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. As pointed out in Helen Willinsky's useful 1990 book on jerk cooking, the seasoning is a combination of scallions, onions, thyme, Jamaican pimento, cinnamon, nutmeg, hot peppers, black pepper, salt, and up to a score of "secret" ingredients. Made into a paste, it is rubbed into the uncooked meat. When a marinade is used, sugar, soy sauce, cooking oil, and cider are often added.
Three Jamaican restaurants were revisited, and on each occasion at least one jerk chicken was included in the table's order. The sampled dishes had characteristics in common. The chicken was cooked and served with skin on and bones in. The seasoning was certainly hot, making ginger beer or some other liquid a necessity. (Ginger beer is a sweet ginger-flavored soda.) All the restaurants are staffed by people who make the diner feel very welcome.
Jamaican d'Lite is located upstairs in the International Mall (1401 University Blvd., Langley Park; 301/434-3700; closed Sundays) next to a record shop featuring Jamaican music on its shelves and out of its powerful loudspeaker. There are only a handful of tables; much of the business is carry-out. The menu is typically Jamaican, including jerk chicken ($4.99 luncheon special with a coupon that on my visit was available at the counter, and $6.50 otherwise), curried goat ($6.50), brown stew fish ($8.00), beef roti ($8.00), beef patties ($1.25 each), and Irie brand ginger beer ($1). When I ordered ginger beer, the response was, "Home made or imported?"
The jerk chicken was very nicely seasoned but spare in quantity. The pieces of chicken were predominantly skin and bones, too predominant in my view. But the jerk seasoning was fiery and complex. The seasoning is prepared in the kitchen by the chef, Bee. Accompaniments to the jerk, on a plastic plate, include rice with beans, plantain slices, and a small iceberg lettuce and carrot salad.
Sweet 'n Spicy is located in the Flower Shopping Center at the western corner of Piney Branch Road and Flower Avenue in Takoma Park (8482 Piney Branch Rd., 301/588-7080). Within a block of this corner are at least ten restaurants and a $1.50 per ticket (!) movie house. One recent visit to Sweet 'n Spicy was a special treat because our distinguished co-researcher on that occasion was Faculty Voice Editor-in-Chief Ben Holman -- who courageously ordered a jerk dish for lunch. This restaurant offers no luncheon specials. The menu includes jerk chicken ($7.50), curried goat ($6.50), oxtail stew ($6.50), beef roti ($6.50), beef patties ($1.25), and DG brand ginger beer ($1). Many workmen from the area stop in briefly for a beef patty and ginger beer or other soda.
The jerk is imported from Jamaica, and it is interesting but relative mild. The meal-sized ceramic plate includes ample rice laced with beans, several plantain slices, and a small iceberg lettuce salad with carrot cuttings. The pieces of chicken have lots of meat. Two Jamaican friends tell me the quality of food here is a bit uneven.
Negril Bakery (965 Thayer Ave., Silver Spring; 301/585-3000) is slightly out of our normal geographic range, but the food at this Jamaican restaurant is of sufficient appeal to merit Faculty Voice mention. The setting for dining at Negril is certainly a step above the other restaurants under review. In a dining room separated from the entry/takeout area, the walls are decorated with scenes of the home country and each of the dozen tables has fresh flowers. Jamaican music can be heard out of speakers in the entry area.
The jerk chicken at this restaurant is good. The jerk, prepared in the kitchen, is not quite as fierce as at Jamaica d'Elite, and the serving is not quite as generous as at Sweet n'Spicy. The main dish ($7.25) is, of course, accompanied by rice and beans as well as an iceberg and carrot salad. A nice touch is the tasty curry gravy brought to put on the rice. Some dishes at Negril are especially attractive. One is the fish tea ($1.60 a cup), a soup made of spicy fish broth, pieces of fish (watch out for the bones!), potatoes and other vegetables. Another is the beef patty ($1.45), which has an especially light and flaky dough surrounding the spicy ground beef. The ginger beer is 95 cents here. For lunch, some jerk, curry, and other dishes are on special at $4.50. After dining, be sure to check out the oldies record store across the street.
And finally: For the reader who wants to cook Jamaican at home: The Red Apple Farmer's Market (7645 New Hampshire Ave.) stocks three brands of jerk (about $3 for 10 ounces) and ginger beer (65 cents a bottle), all imported from Jamaica.
For bargain hunters: Each year, a coupon book is published that contains many two-for-one or half price dining opportunities throughout the metropolitan area. The 1994 edition, called "Entertainment 1994," has coupons for many restaurants in and around College Park (and elsewhere) and, for the regular diner, is a good value at $35. Here's a partial list of the local restaurants covered: Alario's, the Atrium in the Greenbelt Marriott, Beautiful Day, DiRico's, E. J.'s Landing, Kangaroo Katie's, Maharaja's, Mrs. K's Toll House, Osaka, and R. J. Bentley's. The book also has discount tickets for the Bullets, Jazzercise, the Washington Ballet, and more. For information, call 703/207-0770. (No, this is not a paid advertisement!)
Don't forget to send along your suggestions, evaluations, and...criticisms. My Email address is BHANNA@BSS2.UMD.EDU.
William John Hanna is a professor in the Urban Studies and Planning Program at College Park.