A Taste Of Jamaica at Island Jerk

If the chill of October has you wishing for a taste of the tropics, look no further than newly opened Island Jerk Caribbean Cuisine in North Babylon.

Partners Lorraine Kennedy and John Gale have expanded their Jamaican take-out business in Wyandanch into a combined take-out and sit-down operation, located at 1350 Deer Park Avenue. The restaurant emphasizes an inviting atmosphere with the intimacy and exoticism that true Caribbean food can offer.

“You can go anywhere and get food, but if you want to go to a place with a staff that you can get to know by name, that’s us,” said Gale. “Our bottom line is to create a place that’s loose and relaxed - not a hangout, but a place that a family can come to for lunch or dinner, and enjoy themselves together over a meal.”

While some menu items might surprise you, there’s a good chance that they'll delight you, as well.

In addition to eggs, the breakfast menu features items including codfish, okra, mackerel, banana cabbage and corn beef. Various porridges including banana, cornmeal, hominy, oatmeal and plantain are served daily.

Soups vary from chicken and fish to cow cod, cow foot, red pea, goat head or gungo peas.

Those without adventurous taste buds can enjoy plenty of shrimp, fish, chicken and beef dishes. Popular items include braised ox tail, jerked pork, and curried goat. There is also stewed beef, pepper steak, ribs and exotic items, such as cow foot or tripe.

It may take a trial run for somebefore making Caribbean food part of their dining plans. Yet according to Gale, things are already going well.

“The community’s enthused with us,” he said. “It’s a good mix of new and old people, including a growing local base from North Babylon. And because we’re the only sit down place that features Caribbean food we have customers who come from as far away as Hempstead and Ronkonkoma.”

Island Jerk is open seven days a week. It caters to themed parties, large groups and corporate events. The restaurant also delivers within a 5-mile radius.

For more information visit their website at www.islandjerk.com or call 631-242-4262.