Calypso Café & Grill, Walton Street, Atlanta

Crab cakes with slaw

White Jerk Chicken with plantains and rice & peas

Calypso Cafe & Grill is a jamaican restaurant tucked away in a side street in Atlanta. It is pretty empty shortly after noon but starts to fill up as patrons (most of them seem to be regulars) duck in for a meal. I needed to get some input from the waiter since I’ve never eaten at a jamaican restaurant before. I order some crabcakes, followed by jerk chicken and a calypso fruit punch. The latter made him smile and he acknowledged that I was going for the full-blown experience. The crab cakes were okay, not a big fan of the cole slaw however. The sauce was tangy and fruity but served in a plastic container. Now Jerk chicken is apparently a staple food of Jamaica. It tasted like chicken with spices and this is exactley what it is. I’d order the plantains again, but I wasn’t too crazy about the rice and peas. I’ve never been to Jamaica, but I’m sure the place is authentic. There’s no Rastafari smoking weed out front, but I’m sure in Kingston that’s all just hearsay as well. Place is pretty cheap:

Bill