|  Feeling the Island Vybz
by: Pedro Sempertegui
& Lindsay White |  |
| I'm always up to try new and exotic foods, but it's always hard to find a good ethnic restaurant. There are a lot of places that tote authenticity in their names but their food ends up lacking the flavor and integrity of the real thing. Take Olive Garden for example, it puts on that it's an Italian restaurant and says that it sends its chefs to Italy to train with the masters, but that isn't the story. I've known some of those "chefs" and a good amount of their dishes come in pre-made packages from a factory. This past weekend, I had an idea to try out a style of food that I haven't had much experience with. I heard about Island Vybz through the grapevine and decided to try out some authentic Jamaican cuisine. The only real issue I had was convincing Lindsay to go. She is what some would call a "picky eater." She's not into spicy foods and Jerk Chicken can be a punch to the palate.
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| After a little searching in the shopping center on Apalachee Parkway, just west of Magnolia, we found the restaurant. It has been around since October of 2010, but since then, they've had a major overhaul. Their menu expanded from only offering the classic Jamaican Patties to a wide variety of Jamaican foods. They got their start from catering weddings and parties with their favorite Jamaican dishes, and after getting so many compliments and encouragement on their cooking, they decided to branch out with their menu to include their favorite home dishes. | 
| | As I looked over the menu, a woman walked up next to me and said "Don't think too much about what to get. It's all delicious." She told me that she had been coming here since the beginning, and Island Vybz was the only real Jamaican restaurant in town. "They import the ingredients and you can taste the difference in the food." This really piqued my interest because I've tried Jamaican food once before at a different restaurant in town and it wasn't that good at all. It was probably due to their second rate ingredients. Lindsay and I ordered a little bit of everything and we took a seat. The restaurant had an interesting layout. Towards the front of was a lounge area and all the tables were in the middle. Lindsay liked that she has the option to bring her laptop and use the free Wi-Fi while she waits for the food. "If I was still in school I would have loved studying here. Maybe between chapters I could get some plantains or something." The lounge area also has 2 computers for the customers to use if they forgot theirs at home. I can imagine that during the busy hours it would be best to not bet on getting a chance to use them though. | |
| The food came out in foam take-out boxes. I was hoping for plates but when I opened up my box it became apparent why they used this mode of transportation. The portion was huge. My box was filled with oxtail, curry chicken, curry goat, brown stew chicken, rice with beans, and plantains. It cuts out that moment of uncertainty at the end of the meal when you're trying to decide whether or not to man up and finish what's on the plate or should you call it quits and take it home. |
| One thing that I did have to get over with eating Jamaican food (and maybe in indication about how spoiled Americans have become) was that the meats had bones in them. I couldn't just mindlessly chomp into the chicken or oxtail like I could do with other meals. This could be a big factor for a lot of people considering trying out Jamaican food but I find that it's important to keep an open mind with food. | It was something that I figured Lindsay wouldn't be okay with but surprisingly she didn't have any complaint about picking some bones out of the food. It seems like in this day and age some don't really see that the meat that they're eating was once alive. Burgers and chicken tenders from other restaurants offer no clues as to what animal they came from. The flavor and texture of the different meats more than made up for the extra care needed to enjoy it. Both the curry chicken and curry goat were a little spicy. I was surprised with how tender the goat was since I imagined goat meat to be tough to chew but it fell right off the bone. I was surprised to hear that Lindsay loved the oxtail. "I don't mind the bones because this just tastes so fantastic." There is definitely something gratifying about tearing succulent meat off the bone. It's reminiscent of eating chicken wings.
I had a chance to talk with the owners and they assured me that they weren't finished with adding to the restaurant. They're working on bringing some live music on the weekends and adding some beer and wine to the menu. There was talk of adding Flan to the dessert menu and I can't imagine anything better than some creamy Flan ending a spicy meal. |
Her take away
+ The food and the mood were amazing. I can definitely see myself spending some time here.
- The bones were a little getting used to but it adds to the authenticity. | His take away
+ After my first bad run with this style of cuisine, Island Vybz opened my eyes to how great Jamaican food is.
+ Aside from the great food, their fruity drink selection was another drawing point for me. |
