Outer Boroughs

Tips for Dining, Eating, and Food Shopping in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and The Bronx

1. did you go?

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   bklyngrl Apr 17, 2007 09:01PM

   1. re: bklyngrl

      My vegetarian friend swears by it, for what it's worth. Eats there once a week and loves the owners.

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      bhill Apr 18, 2007 08:48AM

      1. re: bhill

         i have never been there but am actually really interested. a while back i tried Cafe Dore on smith for the jerk flavors and was pretty much let down. fine enough food - wasnt terrible. but small portions, lame atmosphere and just not really, really good food let us all down. then i found out about Sapodilla also featuring lots of jerk and wanna go.

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         ben61820 Apr 18, 2007 10:36AM
   2. re: bklyngrl

      bklyngrl, no, we didn't go that night - (3 months ago!} - instead, we went to Chestnut.

      Nehna, thanks for the review.

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      korgy Jul 19, 2007 02:47PM

      1. re: korgy

         We walked past last night, by the way, and the door was shut and locked on a wednesday night, prime dining ours..pretty odd. Closing?

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         Nehna Jul 19, 2007 03:18PM

2. Stay away. Stay far away.

   Husband and I had quite possibly the worst meal we've had in the area (in 3 years) last night.

   We'd been toying with going there since it opened and finally gave in to curiosity last night.

   Place was nearly empty for starters. One table of two indoors and one large group on the back patio where we originally sat down. After a 10 minute wait or so with no server in sight, we decided to eat at the bar, where perhaps we'd get more attentive service.

   We ordered a mixed appetizer sampler of 'pies' or something like that, and fish cakes, to share to start. Followed by jerk chicken and the oxtails.

   There appeared to only be one chef, we could see her from the bar, and that woman was not in a rush. Very rarely did any food appear to be coming out of there. We noticed that the one table indoors didnt have any food yet either.

   The pies arrived eventually, supposed to be 3 different types, and they were indistinguishable from each other in their fillings. They just tasted like generic 'meat' and the pastries were far too dense and tasteless....honestly it reminded me of something you'd buy in a frozen grocer case and heat up in the oven. Just not good.

   The fish cakes never appeared. We decided to ignore it and not remind the bartender.

   After a wait that was no less than another half hour, probably more, our entrees arrived.

   Both the jerk chicken and the oxtail were really not good. Both dishes were 75% bone. And the flavors uninspired. Both dishes came with a bowl of (lukewarm in my case) poorly cooked rice with dry, over cooked red beans.

   Couldn't wait to get out of there....left hungry and went for some small plates elsewhere.

   It's rare that I bash a restaurant like this. And being an area resident, I love to see some variety with the French / Thai / Sushi glut we mainly have in the area. But I've rarely been so unhappy with a meal.

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   Nehna May 28, 2007 09:54AM

   1. re: Nehna

      Just a quick note to provide another perspective on this place. As everyone seems to have noted, the restaurant was virtually empty when I stumbled by in a desperate attempt to escape thai-infused cobble-hill drudgery. The server seemed friendly enough, but service was aloof at best, and completely distracted by the time I'd finally finished my meal.

      Feeling averse to heaviness, I sampled 2 salads: Jerk-Shrimp with mango-salsa, and Jerk Chicken (allegedly with the same salsa included, although it somehow failed to materialize, and I couldn't get the server's attention to remedy the situation before hunger got the better of me). Both salads came on fresh mixed greens, intermingled with a few cherry tomato halves and colorful pepper spears. The chicken was boneless, tender enough, and had a salty-garlic coating devoid of any perceptible (spicy) heat.

      The shrimp was intensely soaked in salt, pepper, and garlic with mild spicy undertones. I believe there were 6-7 large, tender specimens tucked into the salad. Both dishes were fresh and flavorful, but I found them a bit small - and uninspired - for the $11 and $14 price tags they carried. While the flavors lacked subtlety, the shrimp at least packed a minor punch.

      Personally, I found the experience underwhelming, although the place appears to have received a bit of pleasant interior decorating in the time since several prior reviews on this board.

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      CalJack Jul 29, 2007 10:02PM

3. Sapodilla has not surprisingly closed...saw the 'for rent' sign in the window last night. Certainly hope something better fills that spot.

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   Nehna Sep 09, 2007 06:37AM