Yahman

My wife was quite miffed: she didn't know about the new place with interesting food on Stock Island. So when friends casually suggested a Sunday afternoon rendez vous  at "the Jamaican place," the appointment had an a air of mystery attached.

Except of course for Facebook which will reveal all:

So we went off down Stock Island way on a lovely Sunday afternoon and found a large sign. I rather liked the "Commit No Nuisance" sign which has a flavor of Britain in the 1950s and quite likely Jamaica too. A "nuisance" when I was a youngster could be the act of peeing in public and apparently Wikipedia agrees: In essence, this is a discreet warning against performing improper acts in public, most commonly urination. Incidentally, the use of the term “public nuisance” comes from 12th century legal parlance in England. Back in those days, the Crown had the right to punish these criminal acts. But these signs have little meaning these days.

 A friend I spoke to about the place took umbrage at the sign not understanding the tongue-in-cheek cultural motif...

Yahman opens his food emporium Thursday through Sunday and as he was winding down for the week his menu choices were limited to shrimp and chicken so we got a jerked chicken and a curried chicken and I wouldn't have minded a slice of coconut bread pudding had I been on my own...but my wife was there so restraint was in order. He works miracles in a small kitchen and you can see what I mean by checking his Facebook page. The room in there is not huge.

The kitchen is located inside the art and craft space known as Coast and what they do and what they offer is best left to them to explain on their site. Boat repairs, sail making computer graphics and on and on, not to mention kid camps and so forth.  

I liked looking around with my camera while we waited for the food to pop out of the cupboard Yahman works in.

Be warned this is more or less a to go operation. Yahman offers ginger beer to drink and two stools to perch on (if you qualify!) but other than that it is strictly food to go.

This looked tempting to hang out in but we weren't "crew."

A Thai tuk-tuk taxi lurking in the background half out of sight:

Jerk chicken for ten bucks and would easily feed two. We had lots of left overs.

We took our food to Marina Village by way of the Tom Thumb where we bought drinks and then sat on the grass at the marina and picnic-ed with our Jamaican food.

It was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon before I had to go back to work for the night. I needed a nap after all that jerk and curry and peas and rice and plantains...

Yardie Spice, Homestead

My wife and I had a business meeting in Fort Lauderdale and on our way home I suggested we pick up dinner in Homestead. Usually my wife is the social secretary but I am proud to say this was my idea. Actually this was my second visit to pick up food here, the last time on my Vespa ride to the Everglades in the summer. It was, we both agreed, a good idea.

Yardie Spice (LINK) is easy to find if you look for it on the east side of Krome Avenue as you come into Homestead from the south end of town, just south of the busway. Its a classic hole in the wall, unpretentious and offers good value for great Caribbean food. JP and his wife own the place  and with their mixed backgrounds from Haiti and Jamaica they offer food from both distinct cultures. Next time I will order Griot (pro: gree-oh!) which is a dish of fried pork chunks with spices Cubans could only dream of...

We had a Jamaican beef patty to share and took our hefty load back to the car to make several meals over the next couple of days. Caribbean food is based on rice and beans of course, poor people's food, but where Cuban and Puerto Rican food is relatively spice-free Jamaica and Haiti spice their food up. Goats are survivors in  poor economies and their meat is a staple, slightly gamey like lamb but rich in a curry or when jerked (rubbed with Jamaican spices). We had jerked chicken and curried goat dishes, and as always they were delicious.

Cheyenne got a walk in the lovely industrial suburb of Homestead so she was happy before the two hour drive home...

 ...and we got to eat Caribbean food, a rare treat in our home. This stuff reminds me of sailing the British islands of the Caribbean, curried goat in wraps, called roti in Grenada and St Vincent, mofongo a weird crushed plantain mound sold as a side dish in Puerto Rico and wild chicken curries in the British Virgin Islands on sailing vacations. 

But here we were home at last, with cold beer and a warm dog and the pleasure of bringing the outside world in, on our own plates.