Heritage Stew Chicken

Heritage stew chicken,
macaroni pie,
 with rice & peas at Sugarcane

If you love Caribbean food, you will absolutely love this stylish Caribbean cuisine. My new favorite restaurant is located in Downtown Brooklyn, NY area. I have been hearing so many good things about this restaurant, so what did I do you ask? I went to taste it for myself. I started the meal with a take at a Caribbean fruit punch, tasted more like a tropical punch; but tasty nonetheless. I immediately decided that I wanted chicken, but what kind of chicken was the question. I was torn between the usual jerk and stew chicken. After deciding on the main entree, I had a tough decision on choosing the two sides. The toss up was between rice and peas, macaroni pie, or sweet plantains (my favorite). I went with the rice and peas, and macaroni pie. I did not regret it. 

Another angle
(click picture for closer view)

The photo pictured to the left gives you a closer look of the stew and the brownish gravy. I dove right into the chicken, sampled a little piece for better savoring, and the first taste was Caribbean heaven! The stew on the chicken had a sweet taste with fresh herbs. After some research, the chicken was in fact braised with brown sugar, old oak rum, and Spanish thyme. Who would've thunk? It tasted like stew chicken should taste; it was not too spicy, it was just right. I made my way to the macaroni pie on my plate and kapow!! It was not stringy with loads of cheese like I like it, but it was loaded with flavor. Amazing! It was moist, macaroni cooked to perfection, and embellished with a lovely hint of grated Parmesan cheese. My favorite part of macaroni pie was the gratin, otherwise known as the crispy part. The top of the macaroni was nice and crispy from the baked cheese, but was in no way burned or even browning. It added a soulful pizazz to the meal - a Caribbean pizzaz that is. Now to the rice, it was flavorful, with a hint of basil, thyme, etc. The rice was not overcooked and soggy nor were the beans; it comprised a life of its own. It retained a rich flavor, as if this final side dish was cooked in the gravy. It made for a great ending. Did you notice the counterclockwise way that I sampled my dishes? Let's just say this meal was the perfect marriage.

I will definitely be heading back to try their many other dishes. I would love to hear about your experience and how well you married your flavors. Until then, "Get out there and taste!".

Tamarind Whole Fish

Tamarind Whole Fish @ Spice

I had the pleasure of eating at one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Union Square - NY. After much thought, I decided on a crispy red snapper in a spicy tamarind sauce, with a side of white rice. Now, to jump start the meal, I slowly tasted the sauce that this beautiful piece of decadent fried fish had been resting on. Spicy!! I like it! The sauce had somewhat a sweet flavor, surely from the peppers and the carrots that had thickened the stew with flavors. The fish was perfectly fried, with a very lite batter with what seemed like a bit of cornmeal. The crunch from the slivers of peppers and carrots added a pleasant texture to the sauce. The jasmine rice was shaped in a cone, white and perfectly cooked, only to allow the star of the show to shine, the crispy snapper.



Banana cheesecake tempura w/ vanilla ice cream



I ended  the meal with my favorite dessert, a banana cheesecake tempura served with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of honey and confectioners sugar. All I have to say is yum!! I could kiss the chef! Yes, it was that good. The tempura was in the shape of an egg roll filled with cheesecake. The savory flavors of the banana and cheesecake were a nice blend along with the nice crunch from the warm shell that surrounded the gooeyness.  Lets not forget the ice cream and its cooling factor. I enjoyed every bite. My absolute favorite part of the dessert was when the ice cream melted a little from the warmth of the tempura. It created a nice milky pool in the bowl which made for a lovely blend with the banana cheesecake. Deelishh!!! 

Let's go taste em!!!!....and tell me all about your food experience.