Blogmas Day 2- Trying Caribbean Food for the First Time!

Since I haven't been doing a lot of traveling in recent months due to New York commitments I've started to feel a little bummed out that I'm not able to explore a new country or try out new experiences. So when my friend suggested I try out a different country's cuisine that I've never tried before I thought it was a brilliant idea. After all, I call NYC home and its the culture capital of the US! There are so many different types of legitimate cuisines based right near me that I can experience without even having to hop on a plane. After some research, I decided to try Caribbean food at the famed Soho restaurant, Miss Lily's.

Miss Lily's menu offers a variety of jerk meat (chicken, pork, salmon), several entrees including a Guyanese option, and a plethora of delicious sides. I went with a friend who is actually from the Caribbean so she would be able to recommend items off the menu and tell me whether or not the food was an accurate reflection of what the country's food is like. We were so excited to try everything on the menu that we each ordered the jerk chicken wings plus two sides each (mac and cheese pie, jerk fries, rice and beans, sweet plantains). This ended up being way too much food for us (I'll be eating leftovers for two more meals!), but we were able eat a good variety of the restaurant's offerings. We also shared a yummy drink called sorrel and a coconut rum cake dessert. My friend gave her stamp of approval on the jerk chicken that it was what typical jerk chicken in the Caribbean would taste like. Although, the chicken ended up being a little too spicy for me (I'm a wimp...) it was still a positive experience. My favorite thing was definitely the macaroni and cheese pie. This was one of the best mac and cheeses that I've ever had- it wasn't overly oily and gooey and had a nice crunchy outer layer. The jerk fries were nothing special (just normal fries with minimal jerk flavor and I probably would not order this again.

I'm rating Miss Lily's 5 toasts because overall it was a wonderful culturally different experience and had delicious food. The menu has something for everyone and even the cocktails looked awesome! I'll be coming back to try some of those next time :) 

Have you guys ever tried Caribbean food before?