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Taste Jamaica at EZ Cafe
By J. NEALY-BROWN
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- While in college, I had my share of Jamaican food. There was a restaurant on the edge of campus that served jerk and curried everything. It was inexpensive and good, important requirements for a college student at mealtime. So even now, I like to keep the morsel memories alive by ordering Jamaican food, jerk and curried not excluded. But this time, I felt a little adventurous and decided to try something new. One item on the menu, written on the dry erase board at EZ Cafe, caught my eye: calaloo and codfish ($7.49). I couldn't tell whether it sounded good until I asked a few questions, specifically "What is calaloo?" The only time I remember hearing it was from an episode of the Bill Cosby show years ago. If they sold it at the place near my college, I must have blocked it out. "It's like the American collard green," explained Eric Sutherland, the owner, cook and sometimes cashier. His daughter also works in the restaurant and was reassuring that calaloo is a good choice. When I got home, the mound of calaloo had been tossed with cooked tomatoes and onions. As best I could, I picked out the onions because they are not a favorite of mine. (Confession to my family who knows I do not like onions: I think I ate a few and didn't notice, but don't try to trick me at home.) I wasn't expecting the codfish to be salty. But Sutherland explained that some Jamaican food, including calaloo and a creamy fruit called ackee, is just meant to be served with salty meat. I think my father had a similar philosophy, using salt pork or ham hocks with collard greens. The calaloo and codfish was served with a seemingly endless pile of rice and peas, perfectly steamed cabbage and sweet plantains. Topping the plate was a Johnny cake, a hush-puppy type sweet corn bread that is also called festival. My husband and I also tried a combination platter of oxtails and curried chicken ($8.99). At first I went for the curried chicken roti (a tortilla type wrap made with ground peas) but decided later to get a plain roti skin ($2.50), to dump a little of everything into. I got a whole lot of satisfaction from this decision. Then I nipped a piece of oxtail before my husband could fully claim them, and they were tender and juicy; good enough to kiss the bones. The curried chicken was pleasantly flavorful and not sloppy. There was enough left over for me to have a miniature curried chicken roti sandwich for breakfast and my husband to have heapings of everything else the next night. The restaurant also serves brown stew fish, curried shrimp and goat, fried chicken, hot wings and, of course, beef patties. The lunch menu carries a variety of sandwiches, including BLT, ham, turkey, tuna and a Jamaican pressed sandwich. Sutherland enjoys adding the Jamaican touch to lunch specials such as the chef salad. There is the traditional with ham, turkey and cheese, and then there's Sutherland's version with jerk chicken or pork on top. But EZ Cafe is not just for lunch and dinner take-out; it also serves breakfast. Sutherland gives his American menu (eggs, grits, pancakes) and a Jamaican version, which includes, again, calaloo, codfish and ackee. In Jamaica, it is common to eat a heavy breakfast and skip lunch, according to Sutherland, who opened EZ Cafe in 1992 after moving from his hometown near Ocho Rios, Jamaica. He also makes his own seasonings, displayed near the restaurant counter. A friendly guy who likes to greet his customers personally, Sutherland embodies the "no problem" Jamaican mantra. The only problem was that I've been craving coco bread, the soft buttery yeast rolls, and EZ Cafe was out of it. The bakery shipment comes in on Thursdays and that is when I'll have to get my coco bread. Then, too, I'll be able to say "no problem." EZ Cafe48 31st St. N
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
