Wind It Up

On Saturday, I decided not to go to the Caribbean Festival parade because the sky opened up during the morning. But to get some island vibe, I checked out the new Jamaican restaurant at College and Clinton. This location is cursed by numerous attempts over the years. Unfortunately, the spot is across from Café Diplomatico, a mediocre Italian joint blessed with a large patio and long-term name recognition.

Well, having an odd name like AF1 Canteen and an order-at-the-cash fast-food vibe won't help this venture. For lunch, I got the jerk chicken ($7.99), a mac pie ($3.99) and some plantain ($2.99). The main was the best bang for your buck as you get an enormous amount of chicken. In fact, I'd rather trade some of that protein for more sides than just the white bread. The chef wanted to bring "authentic jerk" to the non-Jamaican crowd, as jerk is a BBQ process and not the spice that most people associates with that term.

So it was sweeter and drier than any other jerk in the city. I liked the effort, though it definitely felt "odd" to my taste buds as I'm used to the wetter rub. I would also trade some of that lean breast for some well-marinaded chicken skin. The "pie" was creamy mac and cheese with a hint of coconut cream. The plaintain was sweet and hot. Overall, I liked the spot and will be back to try the jerk salmon, a dish I haven't had in 15 years ever since a quiet Jerk spot at College and Ossington closed. But I don't think Canteen will have much success given the Little Italy dinner crowd usually expects a little more flash and trendiness.