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Jerk Chicken at 14 Parishes tTropical
Tapas
Baru Bistro & Tapas, while admittedly fusion-y, exudes an island vibe. For starters, a well-balanced ceviche features chunks of sweet potato among the cubes of drum. From the tapas menu, scoops of chicken curry sit atop discs of mashed green plantain, and mini-arepas piled with a shaggy heap of pulled pork are topped with pickled red onion. There are plenty of entrees as well, but the tapas and starters keep things fresh and exciting here, leaving even more room for the excellent bar program.
Jamaica Style No Problem By Jay Forman
Chances are you have heard New Orleans referred to as the ‘northernmost city’ of the Caribbean. The adage usually applies to the city’s mélange of cultures, music and in particular its multilayered cuisine, informed by its colonial past and flavored by successive waves of immigration. But for this piece I wanted to look at a couple of places that put a specific focus on island cuisine. Not the upscale ones, like Nina Compton’s acclaimed Compere Lapin, but more casual spots which blend culture, community, entertainment and more. It is Friday night at 14 Parishes, a new Jamaican spot just off of Lee Circle in Central City. A DJ is setting up her equipment on the stage in the dining room while a group of women share appetizers over copious drinks at a long communal table against the far wall. A family gathers to catch up while their kids clamber up on the stage and are greeted with smiles. The overall feel is convivial in an easygoing way, which is just what owner Conroy
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Blake aims to provide. “In Jamaica we call these kinds of places cookshops, rum bars or jerk stands,” Blake says. “But whatever you call it, there is always music and always people gathering with one goal in mind – to have good food while having a good time.” 14 Parishes is a family affair which blurs the line between bar, restaurant and music club. Blake is the owner while his brother Charles heads up the kitchen and Charles’s wife Lauren handles the front. The Blakes got started in the restaurant business while in Atlanta, where they missed the Jamaican food they grew up with. “We’d try to get good jerk chicken but when we got it was either superspicy or didn’t have enough flavor – it was always a miss,” he recalls. “So we decided to make it ourselves.” The Blakes brought their Jamaican authenticity down here to New Orleans when Lauren, who was displaced by Katrina, decided to return home. The restaurant takes its name from the
14 Parishes that make up Jamaica and the individual parish names are featured on the menu as well. For starters, consider the minipatties, a kissing cousin of the empanada, filled with curry chicken, beef or veg. The Ilan Slice, a tortilla piled high with jerk chicken, bell pepper and jack cheese, is quintessential bar food. For main dishes, the Portland -- jerk chicken on the bone with a choice of white or dark meat -- is their most popular choice. The chicken, rubbed and grilled until it is burnished with a mahogany hue, is served alongside a terrific dipping sauce. Charles makes the rub with ingredients
jeffery johnston PHOTOGRAPH
