"Jerk wouldn't be jerk without the heat." [Photographs: Nick Kindelsperger] Tropic Island Jerk Chicken 419 E. 79th Street, Chicago IL 60619 (map); 773-224-7766 The Short Order: Juicy jerk chicken, laced with spices. Want Fries with That? No, but you'll definitely get some rice and red beans. Want Ketchup? Just some mind-numbing hot sauce. I knew Tropic Island Jerk Chicken would be good the moment I walked inside. It's not like you can fake this kind of authenticity. Who needs any coherent design theme, level floors, or more than one rickety table that nobody uses? I mean, the owner was speaking in what sounded like a Jamaican accent, but that wasn't even necessary. All I needed was the unmistakable sent of...
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You may be aware of the fact that
Jamaica was at one time a British colony, and as a result much of the country grew up enjoying English style afternoon tea. I didn't, and perhaps that bit of knowledge would have made finding a place like the
Pineapple Blossom Tea Room in Miami, Florida much less of a surprise to me than it was.
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Care for something saucy? The Village Voice's Robert Sietsama has a lovely short piece in Salon on the world's most infamous aphrodisiacs: "Even in the U.S., most Jamaican eateries serve up cow cod soup on the weekends, a thick pottage of the bovine member cut up into little gelatinous pieces and mixed with roots and herbs selected for their similar therapeutic effects. This soup is used more for prophylaxis than for remedial purposes, and, come Saturday night, no Jamaican man feels embarrassed about fortifying himself with a serving in full view of the other diners. When you give it a try, wash it down with one of the roots tonics that are available in the same restaurants, and which sport...
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