Peppa's Jerk Chicken
Perhaps the most emblematic of all Caribbean fare, jerk chicken is prepared by dry-rubbing the meat with a mixture of allspice, hot peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices, then smoking it over aromatic wood charcoal. And no one does that better than Peppa's. Hailed by New York magazine as Flatbush's "go-to spot for jerk chicken" with beans and rice, the reggae-themed restaurant ups the taste ante by offering fiery jerk sauce on the side. Among Peppa's other specialties are curry shrimp and codfish with callaloo (a green, leafy vegetable).
Peppa's Jerk Chicken
738 Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11226
(347) 406-2515
www.myspace.com/peppasjerkchicken
Sybil's Bakery and Restaurant
"Hands down the best West Indian food I have ever had in America," is how one Zagat.com reviewer has described Sybil's. And judging from the throngs of New Yorkers who queue up for its expansive buffets, that critic isn't alone. More formal than most Caribbean eateries in the area, Sybil's is known for its chicken roti (or bread wrap), Guyanese chow mein and pepperpot---an oxtail stew enriched with chicken and beef and flavored with cassava root. For dessert, don't forget Sybil's pineapple tarts.
Sybil's Bakery and Restaurant
2210 Church St.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11226-3202
(718) 469-9049
Culpepper's
The New York Times has called Culpepper's a "must-visit" for its cou-cou with flying fish, the national dish of Barbados that's made from cornmeal, butter, okra, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, mustard and lime juice. Other favorites at this colorful corner take-out include red herring with macaroni pie, curried goat with black-eyes peas, chicken roti, cow heel soup and coconut bread.
Culpepper's
1082 Nostrand Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225
(718) 940-4122
Jimbo Jean
If it's escovitch fish you crave, then Jimbo Jean is the place. The famed West Indian dish is first fried or grilled, then pickled in a spicy sauce of Scotch bonnet pepper, black pepper and white vinegar. JJ's kingfish and snapper takes on the recipe, as New York's Daily News has noted, and yields "an impressive platter... redolent of onions and pimiento," Also recommended are the salt cod with ackee (a lychee-like fruit), goat's head soup and stewed cow feet with rice and peas.
Jimbo Jean
2223 Church Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11226-3201
(718) 469-7925
Ali's Roti Shop
Billboards for this family-run restaurant---which sports a Trinidadian deli filled with specialties like mango salsa and lime sauce---beckon customers to "Hurry, hurry, come for curry." That would be Ali's rotis, which New York magazine has praised as "superb." The chicken roti is a heaping wrap of succulent meat chunks with potatoes in curry sauce. The vegetable roti, also packed with curried potatoes, brims with fresh cabbage, carrots, spinach, chickpeas and pumpkin.
Ali's Roti Shop
589 Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225
(718) 462-1730
