carribean | Johnny Prime

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

My wife and I hit up this Caribbean/Haitian joint called Rebel nearby. We started with some nice cocktails. Mine was the tumbler – lime, burnt sugar and rum. It was really nice without being too sweet.

We had their jerk wings, which were super tender, and perfectly spicy.

For our mains, we shared fried pork with red beans and rice, and stewed goat with black mushroom rice. Both were great, but we agreed that the stewed goat was the winner. Also the black rice was excellent (no pics, but it’s in the video).

For dessert, we tried their potato bread pudding. This had nice flavors, but the texture was different from what I expected when hearing “bread pudding.” In any event, I think this would be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Careful when paying at this place. The 18% tip is already included on your bill. While this is illegal (can only do it with 15% for parties of 6 or more, last I recall), we still gave an extra $5 on top since the service and food were both great. We would definitely go back.

REBEL
29 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002

First, check out my Ride & Review video for this spot HERE:

My wife and I have walked by this place a bunch recently, and it reminded us of a smaller version of Miss Lily’s. The food looked great, and my best friend from growing up said that he heard great “tings” about it, so we had to give it a try.

Omar’s serves up Caribbean and Jamaican food in a small, casual and lively spot on Clinton Street just below Houston. The cocktails are awesome. This Scotch Bonnet pepper margarita was incredible. A perfect balance of heat, sweet and savory refreshment.

These Scorpion Pepper wings aren’t as spicy as you might think. The sauce is really nicely balanced here, so you won’t hand numb lips and watery facial orifices after eating. The meat is also insanely tender – almost as if they were stewed.

I also loved this salt fish hush puppy type things. Perfectly friend. Light and dense at the same time. Very satisfying.

These hibiscus sorrel lamb chops are as unique tasting as they are beautiful. A combination of earthy Indian and bright Latin/Caribbean spices that marry beautifully on tender, nicely cooked chops.

The real star of the show, though, is the coconut curry with oxtail and dumplings.

This was insane! The dumplings ate almost like Korean rice cakes, but a bit less chewy. Nice little logs of free-form dough, soaked with the rich, deep flavors of the curry. Delicious.

We will definitely be back here again. What a spot! The only negatives here: (1) all of our dishes came out at once, apps and entrees at the same time, and (2) the music is a bit loud if you’re seated inside. Go for dinner, stay for drinks!

OMAR’S KITCHEN
29A Clinton St
New York, NY 10002

carnivore connoisseur