Caribbean Fiesta - North Point Pky - Alpharetta Georgia

You can find Caribbean Fiesta at 4000 N Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30022 - this is one of those cut-through streets that parallels 400 to the east so you can travel from Mansell Rd and Windward Pky. Parking is out front - the restaurant is on the end of a row of brick storefronts.

I've eaten at this location a few times in the past, back in the later 2000s when I had an office near the mall. I've also eaten at the now defunct location on Holcomb Bridge when I worked near Technology Park. I loved that location - mostly because of the big Asian dude behind the counter with the islander accent - cracked me up every time I visited.

I was on the way to Jekyll Brewing for a mid-week tour with my friend Kymber W (meeting other friends) when she asked me if I was hungry (hint for "I'm hungry bitch, pull over so I can eat"). I asked what she was in the mood for and she said "Jamaican!" and I remembered this location of Caribbean Fiesta - so glad she said something as it's been a while. For this and the other location, you can order a few items off the menu or from the steam tables - tonight they had several items that were interesting.

The interior is bright with a row of booths and tables in the middle. The line of steam tables is to the back and there's a knee wall separating the customer line from the rest of the dining room. The place is quite cheery as these places go - you take a look at what's offered and the people behind the counter load up a to-go container.

I ordered the jerk chicken, rice and peas, and cabbage - this is one of my standard ordering combinations. If they had jerk chicken on skewers (something of a specialty at the other location) I would have went for that - the seasoning permeates throughout the meat and is something special. I thought this was damn good jerk. The sides were also good and piping hot.

Kymber ordered the Ox Tails, rice and peas, and the green beans. I tried the tails and beans and it was all delicious - the Ox Tails are very rich and filling - not something I can eat everyday. She also ordered some fried pie or empanada thingy for later.

The people here were really cool to us and allowed us to geek out over the food - that's a nice change from the usual bored attitude you often get at fast casual restaurants. In all this was a good precursor to many "tastings" of beer at Jekyll - I'd recommend this combo to anyone looking for a simple outing.

-- John
(also posted to Yelp)

Spice Bistro - Buford Hwy - Brookhaven Altanta Georgia

You can find Spice Bistro at 2857 Buford Hwy, Brookhaven GA 30329 in the Suntan Shopping Center just North of Peachtree Creek and West Druid Hills Dr - the same shopping center that currently hosts Little Szechuan. Parking is on the tilted lot out front (bit of a hill) - it can get rather hectic so be prepared to wait for a space.

I had no expectations coming to Spice Bistro - this was to meet up with my regular Buford Hwy Restaurant Crawl group hosted by John F. I got there just before 8:00 PM with two others from the group already there - we finally ended up with a table of about 7-8 people, looked over the menu and ordered drinks. The menu has your typical Caribbean and occasional African options you would normally see in Atlanta Caribbean restaurants. The Chef/Owner? (not sure but he had a chef's coat and stood behind the bar - he also took our order on this sleepy Thursday evening).

The menu has a lot of options with the most common theme of spicy food - mostly Caribbean with some unusual items like Breakfast (Bagels, Croissants, Muffins, Eggs, Ackee and Salftfish, Yam and Egg Stew, etc.). There were also Sandwichs, a short Kids menu, Appetizers including Suya Kebab Sticks, Salads, Some interesting Islander Entrees (Oxtails!) with Jambalaya, Jerk Chicken and Pounded Yam (sounds interesting, no?). Seems they also cater.

The restaurant is on the smallish slide with banquets along the right and tables in the middle. There's a tiny bar at the very end with some liquor options and a cooler housing a few dozen beers of various types. There are TVs hung high along all walls blasting the same Islander music videos (well produced rap, Caribbean or African renditions of some English songs or original music, mostly in French or some patois). There were 4 or so people basically hanging around along the edges that would occasionally leave to answer a phone call to return after a few minutes. While we were there a group of well dressed men and one woman entered and hung around, presumably until we were finished and the real party began (we guessed that the restaurant turns into a night club after dinner hours and the clientele seemed to support that idea - fairly common along some of these ethnic restaurants on BufHwy).

We ordered our food and waited. And waited. And Waited. Around 9:30 PM we started receiving plates -  some hot, some not so hot. I ordered some extra spicy jerk chicken with rice and peas and slaw. The rice and peas I thought pretty bland, the jerk was tasty but hardly any meat on the bones and the slaw was something I'd rather not talk about  (except to say it was some of the worst I'd ever had). Others at the table ordered a variety of items from the menu but nothing too special. I think by the time we got the food it was so late we didn't bother to complain, just ate what we could and left.

The funny thing is that the guy with the chef jacket was actually pretty nice and accommodating. The food took so long I speculated that they called up another Caribbean restaurant then sent someone to go pick it up (probably not true but from the crummy sides that may have worked better for them). I think they really weren't expecting us to come and order food or something? Who knows but they were very ill prepared to service a table, especially one this late in the evening and as large as our party (not that it was that large - who knows?).

Normally this experience would have rated 1/5 stars but I'm rounding up as the guy who waited on use seem to genuinely care.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)

Indigo Coastal Shanty - Brunswick GA

You can find Indigo Coastal Shanty at 1402 Reynolds St., Brunswick, GA 31520 - this is a small restaurant with a big deck and plenty of flavors. It's also the one of the best restaurants in Brunswick and the surrounding areas (like nearby St Simons, Sea and Jekyll Islands).

Emerging like a phoenix from the ashes of the popular Cargo Restaurant in downtown Brunswick, chef Kate B. and crew opened this down-sized establishment to thrill locals and visitors with world coastal cuisine. More than a Caribbean restaurant, Indigo Coastal Shanty fuses Asian, Indian, Creole, African and other exotic flavors into a melange of taste sensations at very affordable prices. This small restaurant powers a spice-filled one-two punch of great fresh ingredients with beautiful preparation and presentation, something you rarely see in remote destinations, yet tucked away in this little corner of Georgia.

For full disclosure, I have a bit of a connection with Indigo Coastal Shanty and the chef, Kate B, having originally worked with her at Indigo, her mom Alex' place in Atlanta (Indigo Coastal Grill on N Highland Dr). This was the last restaurant where I worked as a chef before hanging up that hat and taking up software development.

What I love about Indigo Coastal Shanty is that there are many very familiar items on the menu, only subtly different enough that the offer something more, a true improvement and interpretation of what we had at Indigo in Atlanta. The original restaurant is missed to this day by locals, but can be re-experienced down in Brunswick for those both Jones-ing for the original and looking for new vistas. I joined several other previous Indigo employees at a bit of a small reunion that centered around the visit to the Shanty. Besides plenty of rest and relaxation at the local beaches, we all enjoyed our visit at the restaurant and a sampling of what it had to offer.

Curried Mussels - these are pot-cooked mussels in vino and curry for an exotic aroma and flavor - delicious

Crispy Fried Plantains with Avocado Puree - this is an old standby from the Indigo days and a great starter.


Jerk Chicken with black-beans and rice, slaw and pineapple salsa - another very popular Indigo dish and one of my favorites from back-in-the-day. Often copied by other restaurants but always lacking in that certain something - this is the real deal at the Shanty!

Charleston Sauté... Shrimp  with ham, tomatoes, peppers and fried okra served over cheesy grits (the original dish we called the Low Country Saute - this is definitely an improvement!)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake - delicious mix of sweet and sour tangyness!

Cajeta Brownie - not one can resist the power of cajeta!

My other recommendations are any of the Southern favorites like the Fried Green Tomatoes. Also, check out the fantastic deck for a nice dining experience under the perfect blue skies! In all, a fabulous evening with great food, good friends and fantastic memories!

-- John

(shorter version of the review also posted to Yelp)

Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant - Norcross

You can find Kool Runnings Jamaican Restaurant at 5450 Peachtree Pkwy, Norcross, GA 30092 at the corner of Spalding Dr and Peachtree Pky. This is the same shopping center anchored by Goodwill that also contains the very good Samui Island Thai restaurant and my favorite growler store, Peachtree Growler Company.

I was thinking about my old standby, Caribbean Fiesta only to find that the Norcross location (on Holcomb Bridge Rd where it turns into Jimmy Carter) had closed. I had heard recently that my old East Atlanta spot Kool Runnings had moved out to Norcross - it used to be on Memorial Dr and was a regular spot for me and my friend Allen. That fun location was never horribly busy (probably why the moved) and staffed by some amazing, friendly people

 I happened out this way to scout out a few restaurants and noted the new location of Samui Island - it used to be on the Northern end of the shopping center and has moved to the Southern end. I then spotted Kool Runnings and since it was close to lunch time, decided it was time to revisit my old friend, Jerk Chicken!

So I dropped into Peachtree Growler and filled up on a very nice Bell's Two Hearted Ale, took it out to the truck and wrapped it in an insulated blanket and went into Kool Runnings. Amazingly, the person behind the counter remembered me from the Memorial location! I asked her how long she's been at this new location - 22 months! Crazy, I had no idea!

Anyway, I ordered up the Jerk Chicken with Peas and Rice and a side of cabbage with a few roasted plantains, maduros-sytle. Everything was oh-so-good as I remembered it. Do be careful with the chicken though as it's coarse chopped and there are small bones. The flavors are delicious - even the hot sauce, which is more of a vinegary pepper sauce rather than the sweet-hot you find at other similar restaurants, is very good (bottle on the table so don't bother with the little side-packages). Portions are large and there's plenty to sate the appetite.

The interior of the restaurant, while not as big as the Memorial location, is spacious and painted in bright colors (the old location had bright colored paint on the exterior). There's a buffet line that's maintained during lunch (this was a weekend so no buffet) but there were still some specials. They were out of the BBQ but I usually stick with the chicken or fish.

In all a terrific, filling lunch. Do try Kool Runnings it's one of my favorites.

-- John

(review also posted to Yelp)