Vendy 2009 Finalist: Jamaican Dutchy

In following with my earlier post, 2009 Vendy Awards, I visited each of the 5 finalist to select my own favorite prior to the ceremony on September 26th.  My third stop was to the Jamaican Dutchy.

I had learned my lesson at the other Vendy finalists, so I arrived very early in order to avoid the peak of the lunch crowd.  The first thing that I noticed was how great the cart looked.  It was immaculate and practically sparkled.  A electronic sign, which could be seen a block away, flashed “JAMAICAN DUTCHY” in large letters.  In New York, I am am used to street vendor carts which look like they survived a war and are held together by duct tape and wishful thinking.  I had plenty of time to examine the cart, since my server was in no rush at all.  He was definitely on island time.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must state that my own heritage is Caribbean.  My family originates from the Trinidad, so I have sampled more than my fair share of the types of dished offered by Jamaican Dutchy.  I started with a jerk chicken platter which consisted of chicken, rice and fried plantain.  The chicken was fairly good with nice jerk flavor.  The plantain was soft and sweet, which I liked, but may not be to everyone’s taste.  The rice and beans were acceptable, but there was way too much rice.  I then moved on the stewed oxtail.  I love stewed oxtail, so I was really happy that Jamaican Dutchy’s version was pretty good.  It was very tender and  tasty.  The gravy made all the rice go down very easily.

Jamaican Dutchy definitely serves homestyle Caribbean food.  It is substantial, filling and well flavored.  Overall, it is pretty  impressive for a street cart.  I give Jamaican Dutchy a 94% rating. [rating:94/100]

Jamaican Dutchy

51st Street and 7th Avenue, New York  646.287.5004   thejamaicandutchy.com