food network | The Opinionated Woman's Musings

Guy Fieri talked about this Jamaican restaurant in Miami Florida on Diners Drive Ins and Dives (http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html). Of course I knew the next time I was in MIA, I was going to check it out. The food looked so good on TV.

When I got there, I was surprised that it was smaller than I expected. From the outside, it looked like an unassuming little store next to a Winn Dixie. Unless you know ahead of time, you would not think it was a restaurant. They had retail items like a mini Jamaican Wal-mart in addition to serving food. I wondered how did Guy get his camera crew in there to record the episode. Once I got over the size of the location, I was like a kid in a candy store in overload (see picture).

I got a menu but really wanted one of everything. I ordered curried oxtails (comes with rice and beans, plantain), curry chicken patties, rum cake, and ginger beer. Everything was DELICIOUS. It was just like I imagined it would be. The oxtail meat was falling off of the bones. The pastry dough of the patty was light and flakey. The patty filling was finely minced and full of balanced spicy flavor. To top it off, while I was eating, the owners/cooks came out of the kitchen and stood near the entrance. I approached them and said that I found out about the place from Triple D. They were really nice and friendly. I wanted to ask for a picture, but was too shy (that is saying a lot about me). I told them that I wish they had a restaurant that was closer to where I lived.

This is my type of comfort food and the next time I am in Miami, I am definitely going to eat here.
http://www.jamaicakitchen.com/

<> Jack’s Cosmic Dog
I went to Jack’s Cosmic Dog in Mt Pleasant specifically because it was featured on Food Network “Best thing I ever ate” for their gourmet hot dogs. Because of the way that Alton Brown described this eating experience, I was expecting to be wow-ed but left there saying “Eh” and wanted some of my money back. To understand my disappointment, let me dissect the layers of this dog and tell you why I felt it fell short of my high expectations.
1. BUN- The bun was too big for the hot dog. The first bite was mostly bun and I actually took it out of my mouth see if there was any meat in the bite. There was not (visualize my sad face here). Because there was so much bread, I was not able to get the real flavor of the sweet potato mustard. It seemed to be totally absorbed by the bread.
2. HOT DOG WIENER- The hot dog wiener was a boiled basic all beef frank. Nothing special. I was expecting grilled perfection. It was as if I made it at home. I boil my hot dog franks because I do not use the grill (but I digress). Boiling is fine for regular hot dogs, but when I am paying extra for GOURMET…well that is a different story. If I was to chart my expectation level, the more that I pay is directly related to the how much I pay. If I pay $1 for a hot dog, I am not expecting much and I do not mind a boiled dog. If I pay $4 for a hot dog, I pretty much expect grilled, crispy skin with a snap when I bite into it.
3. BLUE CHEESE SLAW- This was the crowning achievement of this hot dog. I like cole slaw and I like blue cheese, so the combination worked for me. The cabbage was crisp and tasted as if it was freshly cut. The ratio of cabbage to cream was also balanced. It was not heavy, wet slaw but there was enough cream to hold the slaw together well. The slaw had a little tart bite because of the blue cheese but it was not overpowering. I wish I could just order this cole slaw and put on my own homemade hot dogs.
4. SWEET POTATO MUSTARD- At first glance it looked like honey mustard. From what I could taste of this (extracted from the copious amounts of bread) it did not taste like anything special. Maybe if there had been more of it, I would have a different opinion.

Final thoughts: It was tasty but not OMG-forsake-all-other-hot-dogs good. I can say that I went there, but I do not have to eat there the next time I visit Charleston.