Saturday, July 28, 2007

Nous let us avons un gagnant de nuit de reggae!

There were some great entries for Reggae Night tickets, and I've excerpted some of the suggestions below.
I'm going to go with Lucy, who suggested TiGeorge's Chicken. It's appropriate since Haiti is certainly in the same vicinity as Jamaica, but I think it was the thought of the aphrodisiac conches (and a few band references woven in) that sealed the deal. Thanks for playing!

Here's Lucy's winning entry:
"OK technically it's Haitian, not Jamaican, but when TiGeorges Chicken gets your lips smacking to the sultry beat of the Caribbean, you're feet are sure to follow. Whet your appetite with the tender conch and let its spicy aphrodisiac powers put you in the mood for the hot pulsating rhythms of Reggae Night. For the main course, choose the whole rotisserie chicken, which serves four, and as it melts in your mouth, see if you can taste the delicate scent of avocado infused when the bird turned on its Burning Spear. Chef-owner TiGeorges is an incorrigible flirt so exchanging bon mots en francais usually satisfies my sweet tooth. If you're like me, you prefer heat to sweet, especially on sizzling Reggae Night, so I recommend TiGeorges Hot Pickle Pickliz to go. A jar of that, you'll be Wailing reggae with all the lost souls at the Hollywood Bowl. -- Lucy
***
Here's some other great suggestions from Eating L.A. readers:
Knowing that most Rastas prefer 'ital' style food, the first place that popped into my head was Chadni. Chadni is a great little Indian cafe serving vegetarian (ital) style dishes at very affordable prices. An always friendly staff combined with a staggering 70 item menu and their should be little trouble finding a tasty dish.
A perfect menu leading up to Reggae Night would have to include the following:
Makki Rotti (griddle baked cornmeal bread), Gajar Matar (carrots and peas in a tomato based sauce) and finally Saag (mustard greens cooked with garlic/tomaotes/and ginger.)
These dishes may not be prepared in the Jamaican style, but indigenous ingredient similarities are definitely present. -- Matthew
(Chadni, 1909 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica)
***
The ideal place to dine before Reggae Night is Cha Cha Cha in Silver Lake. Sure, they have a great take-away menu packages so that you can easily cart up food to the venue and enjoy it al fresco at the Bowl, but I recommend dining at the restaurant which has been at the corner of Virgil and Melrose since 1986 with its playful Caribbean decor and friendly waitstaff. The menu offers a terrific array of spicy grilled fish and succulent pulled pork. The rice and black beans served with many of the entrees -- along with fried plantains -- are cooked to perfection, not overly salty like they can be at other Cuban places around town. The mango salad is a particular favorite, especially in the summertime. And, don't forget the Sangria, which keeps the locals coming back for Sunday brunch, but it's refreshing at any time of the day. -- Christina
***
Although not Rastafarian -- Cuba's music and culture shares something soulful, so my vote is dinner at Bodeguita de Pico at 5047 Pico. Now, do they have Red Stripe? That I don't know.
-- Linda

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