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| - Caribbean Fusion offers unique menu including many dishes beyond jerk for those looking for something a little different, friendly and efficient service, prices fairly easy on the wallet, and wonderful food!
This was my first Caribbean restaurant experience, and it was a great one. Like many overlooked dining gems, it's tucked into a strip mall on the east side of Scottsdale Rd. along with a Sleep America, a mexican joint, and a bar, but it's worth seeking out. When we walked into the darkly decorated but well-window-lit restaurant, our hostess/server, Judith, greeted us with a huge smile and continued through the meal with helpful menu hints, intriguing food information, and top-notch service. The tables were cleanly dressed, but even though it was a "cloth napkin setting," we felt comfortable in our casual clothes.
My bf ordered the sweet, fresh Fruit Fusion smoothie--a wine glass of mango, strawberry, and raspberry purees--and I ordered the tarter and refreshing Tropical Lemonade--lemonade with mango and strawberry and mango purees (each was $5). Wanting some new flavors, we started with the Ackee and Salt fish Strudel, described on the menu as "sauteed onion, peppers, dried codfish and julienne tomatoes with Jamaican ackee wrapped in flaky phyllo pastry, served with a spiced tomato sauce." For $4.50, we received two servings of the pastry, dressed in spicy red sauce. We could slightly smell the cod, but it wasn't overpowering, and the taste with the red sauce was awesome--buttery, savory, salty, with sparks of flavor from the cod and, I assume, the ackee throughout. It was just enough to whet our appetites.
My bf ordered the jerk pork ("leg of pork marinated in Jamaican herbs and spices, roasted over open spit and served with a jerked pork sauce"), roasted garlic & parmesan mashed potatoes, and fried plantains ($10.50). Every bite I tried was delicious, the components perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. For some reason, fried plantains have always seemed starchy or "green" tasting, but these were soft with a ripe, gentle banana flavor, without the sweetness of an actual banana. I ordered the braised ox tail (braised medallion cuts of ox tail with chunky vegetables, lima beans, and dumpling spinners), green beans with bacon bits, and french fries (I'd been hoping to try the fried bammy, but they were out)($12). The ox tail was perfectly cooked--melt-in-my-mouth soft and tender. I usually don't like thick-cut fries, but while these were wide, they were also skinny, so the crunch skin-to-soft hot mashy innards ration was perfect. Plus, they stayed crispy through the entire meal instead of going mushy within minutes. Our waitress brought two hot pepper sauces, which I enjoyed--one just a regular red pepper sauce, and the other a scotch bonnet sauce.
Dessert options included standard American offerings--carrot cake, strawberry cheesecake, hot fudge sundae--and we almost skipped until our waitress described the tuxedo cake: layers of cake, vanilla mousse, and chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream. A fabulous ending, even if it wasn't very Caribbean.
We plan to go back to try the Wednesday-night buffet. Judith gave us animated and excited descriptions of several of the dishes, and we're looking forward to returning.
Update: Went to the buffet with a few friends, and we enjoyed it--there were some nice, rich, savory flavors! It was gluttinous, getting to eat as much oxtail as I wanted. Janice was right--the curried goat does not taste gamy at all. The seafood ragout in white sauce was delicious, as was the escovitch fish (red snapper, according to the bartender, who was also bussing tables and visiting with tables). The jerk chicken was a little problematic--one friend's was overcooked, and mine seemed somehow grisly, which I've never encountered with chicken. Both of us left the chicken on the plate even though the flavor was fine. It was nice to see a chafing dish filled with their tasty mashed potatoes, as well as plenty of their tuxedo cake on the little dessert table, which also offered carrot cake and cheesecake. Other offerings included a small salad bar, chicken soup, rolls, steamed veggies, and seasoned rice and peas. My friend had a mojito but said it was too sweet; the bartender graciously remade it without a shrug--yet more kudos for attentive service. I do hope that they lighten their buffet selection as the weather warms, though!
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