Caribbean Kitchen

One day around lunch I was coming back from one of my clients and decided I was in the mood for something new. I had walked past Caribbean Kitchen plenty of times on my way to and from this client, and I figured it was time to give it a try. The restaurant space has changed at least 3 times since I started working in NYC back in late 2005. This iteration shared a space with an Indian restaurant that I may try at some point as well. This day, though, belonged Caribbean Kitchen.

One of my favorite Caribbean dishes is stewed oxtail. I use it as a gauge of how good a place could be. Caribbean Kitchen offers their oxtail over rice and peas, stewed cabbages, and plantains.

Stewed Oxtail over Rice and Peas, Cabbage, and Plantains
The oxtails were rich and tender, and the stew tasted of cinnamon and spices. Overall they were quite flavorful, but they weren't the best I've had. The rice and peas were buttery and fluffy and a perfect complement to the rich oxtail. The cabbage was rather bland, but with the heavy flavors of the rice and oxtail it didn't need to be a highlight. What it did add was a bit of extra texture and some vegetables to the dish. The plantains were sweet and soft. I love plantains, and these were tasty. To my understanding it's hard to mess up plantains, though.

Overall this was a very satisfying meal, but it comes at a rather hefty price. Being over $10, it's on the expensive side for Midtown lunches, but it certainly satisfied my craving for stewed oxtail.