Cuisine: Soul Food

Hours: Open every day, except Monday, at 11:30 a.m. Closes at 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday; at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Phone: 525-0505

The first thing a customer notices about Jazzabell’s Soul Food, on Guy R. Brewer Blvd. in Jamaica, is how it seems as much like a jazz museum as it does a tiny neighborhood restaurant.

The second—but not lesser—thing the customer will notice is how good the food is.

The walls are lined, as the name may suggest, with big black and white photographs of jazz legends and instruments and figurines from co-owner Frederick W. Clarke’s personal collection. Jazz plays in the background.

Clarke, a jazz musician from a family of musicians who plays the drums, clarinet, saxophone and "fooled around on the piano," wanted the restaurant he owns and manages with his wife, Jacqueline Smith, to be unique.

"I’m a jazz fanatic," he said. "Most minority-owned stores that have a theme have a sports theme. When we opened the restaurant, we wanted to do something different. It’s history in here. You can learn from it."

And how about the food? Owners Clarke and Smith, one of whom is always in the restaurant, serve huge portions of southern comfort food (but don’t ask for Southern Comfort, or any other alcohol) like fried fish and chicken, glazed ham, barbecued ribs, smothered pork chops and turkey wings. All dinners for one cost between about $7 and $10.

The most popular dishes are the barbecued ribs and turkey wings.

The most busy times at the restaurant are Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as the Sunday rush right after church.

The food is not as spicy or pungent as Caribbean or Indian varieties of the same dishes—there’s actually a hint of sweetness to some of the dishes—but the flavors and textures are much more subtle. The barbecued and fried chicken from a recent visit were uncommonly soft and juicy.

There’s a long menu of sides available, from various salads to candied yams to cream corn, that are mostly very warm and very filling. The most popular are macaroni and cheese and collard greens.

The mixed vegetables are fresh and complement the meats well. The cornbread is fantastic.

You wouldn’t expect it, but a vegetarian could eat quite nicely at this authentic soul food restuarant.

It’s clear Clarke and Smith bring a lot of love to their restaurant, its food and its customers. All dishes are made homestyle, from scratch on the premises, Clarke said, right down to the french fries. And the two owners, who have been married for 23 years, are as friendly as anyone can be, chatting with all the customers, even complete strangers.

"We take pride in what we do," Clarke said Sunday after a busy day serving mostly church-goers. "Our motto is, ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression.’"

The only problem with Jazzabell’s Soul Food may be that with no seating—food is available as take-out only—such nice surroundings and warm service can only be enjoyed for a few bars at a time.