Food & Drink
Local Caribbean Restaurants Give Island Flavor Here at Home
Once the travel restrictions mandated by the coronavirus were lifted, it seems the world chose to shake off its cabin fever. Even people who weren’t all that adventurous found themselves headed to foreign lands.
That wanderlust wasn’t just good for the travel industry. It proved to be a boon for restaurants as well. Those specializing in exotic cuisines found new customers who’d either traveled abroad and wanted to relive their vacations through food or who were heading to an overseas destination and wanted to sample local flavors before arriving.
Marcia Reid, co-owner of Jamaican restaurant Kool Runnings said that since opening 30 years ago, they’ve prided themselves in educating diners about Caribbean food — what makes one island different from another and what to look for in authentic cuisine.
“Throughout the Caribbean, we’re known for using spices, coconut milk and fresh ingredients,” she said. “You’ll probably find some form of rice and peas or beans everywhere, but that’s where the similarities end.”
To aid readers who are contemplating a trip to the Caribbean or who are interested in trying the cuisine closer to home, Southwest Gwinnett magazine sought out local restaurateurs and dug into some of the history behind the bold flavors.
Variations on similar ingredients
The Caribbean, a region located between North and South America, is made up of 13 independent countries and several territories:
- Independent countries: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago
- Territories: Anguilla, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and other dependencies and municipalities
Although local produce plays a big part, Caribbean cuisine as a whole is a vibrant tapestry woven from the rich cultural heritage of the islands, as well as the region’s complex history of colonization and cultural exchange. African, European, Indigenous and Asian culinary traditions are all reflected in foods of the Caribbean.
Common ingredients include rice, beans, cassava, cilantro, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and coconut. The cooking methods, levels of heat, variations of spices and other factors take those staples in many different directions.
More than jerk
When many people consider Caribbean food, the first thing that comes to mind is Jamaica and perhaps its most famous dish — jerk chicken. But according to Reid, there is much more to her island home than spicy barbecue.
One of Kool Runnings most popular dishes is the Rasta pasta. A fusion of Italian and Jamaican flavors, the dish is penne pasta tossed with a jerk-infused cream sauce and colorful bell peppers.
“That’s a good introduction to Jamaican food,” said Reid. “It’s a little bit of the familiar with that extra little bit of Jamaican flair. It’s colorful, it’s very healthy tasting and it’s not as spicy as traditional jerk.”
The pepper of choice in Jamaican cuisine is the Scotch bonnet, which measures 100,000–350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) — making it 40 times hotter than the jalapeño, which typically measures 2,500–8,000 SHU. There’s a fruitiness to the pepper though, and the heat comes at the back end.
Still, Reid suggests washing down the meal with the famous Red Stripe beer or any other cold beverage to help with the heat.
Curries and more
For those who may be a little sensitive to spicier foods, curries are another Jamaican staple.
“There were so many different cultures that [helped] make up Jamaica,” she said. “It was like a trading post, and all kinds of spices were introduced.”
Indian influences brought about curries — from chicken to goat to chickpeas.
“We took the basic curry and made it our own,” Reid added.
With many people forgoing meat, Kool Runnings sells a lot of curried chickpeas. While naturally low in saturated fat, chickpeas are nutrient dense. They provide nearly 20 grams of protein in a half-cup serving, along with five grams of dietary fiber. That’s more protein than a boiled egg.
But Reid said many vegetarians enter the restaurant and revert to what she calls “flexitarians.”
“They’ll order rice and peas and ask for oxtail gravy,” she chuckled. “They don’t want to eat the actual meat, but the gravy is so good they can’t resist.”
Two countries, one island
Cristino Hiraldo had been studying medicine in his home county of Dominican Republic while working at a restaurant at the airport to support himself and his family. A car accident caused him to lose sight in one eye, and that derailed his medical career. Looking to change directions, he moved to the U.S. in November 2002. His wife and children came later in February 2003.
Having a passion for food and the skills obtained in the restaurant, Hiraldo found work at different Dominican restaurants in the area. When a place he was working at closed down, he decided to sell meals out of his house.
“A lot of people got used to his flavors and the way that he cooked, so it was pretty successful,” said his son, Cristian Hiraldo Garcia.
Although his dishes were based mainly on the cuisine he grew up on, he added a few touches from his training in international dining. Word of mouth kept the family busy, and soon they had saved enough to purchase a stand-alone restaurant that was going out of business.
Café Dominican
Since Café Dominican is open for breakfast, Milagros Garcia, Cristino Hiraldo’s wife and the restaurant’s co-owner, suggested serving traditional mangú tres golpes. Tres golpes means “three hits,” and the dish is considered the breakfast of kings.
It consists of mangú, or mashed plantains, queso de freir (a white cheese that gets crispy when fried because of its high melting point), fried salami and eggs. The dish is often topped off with tangy, pickled red onions to balance the richness.
Those familiar with Puerto Rican food may mistake mangú for mofongo. Although they both start with raw plantain, they end up very different. Mangú consists of boiled mashed plantains (green or ripe) mixed with butter, garlic and salt.
Shared roots, different flavors
The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, so much of the food has similar roots but tastes decidedly different. A typical Haitian lunch is rice and beans, also known as riz et pois. Traditionally, it was meant to provide crucial carbohydrates to field workers. It is often preceded by a plate of viv — boiled plantains, boiled roots and tubers and meat.
Another must-have Dominican dish is la bandera, a traditional Dominican lunch. This dish’s name translates to “the flag” because its elements are meant to depict the colors of the Dominican flag (red, white and blue). Traditionally, the main ingredients are white rice, red kidney beans (although they can be substituted with black beans or pigeon peas) and either chicken or beef. This dish is paired with some type of salad and, quite often, tostones (fried green plantain).
Contact information
Kool Runnings
5450 Peachtree Pkwy., Norcross
(770) 441-0207 • For orders: (770) 441-0206
Café Dominican
4650 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross
(770) 758-3374
