Jean’s Restaurant: 188-36 Linden Blvd., St. Albans, 525-3069

Cuisine: West Indian & American

Open: Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-11 a.m.

Jean’s Restaurant is one of a rare breed. Fueled by an authentic and friendly local flavor, the St. Albans eatery has quietly morphed from a neighborhood favorite into a veritable institution . . . and there’s no mystery why once you step inside from the busy corner of Farmers and Linden Boulevards.

This cozy corner dining room’s easy atmosphere carries with it the sensation of time standing still.

Don’t let the feeling of having found your own private island fool you, however. You are by no means the first to fall in love with this place. While the requisite portraits of Bob Marley and Martin Luther King, Jr. greet patrons at the door, the remainder of the entrance is festooned with autographed photos of professional boxers, local politicians, and celebrities who hail from the neighborhood like Shinehead, Yellowman, Q-tip, LL Cool J and the dearly departed Freaky Tah of the Lost Boys. Paneled in wood and covered with African and Caribbean art and glossy color photos of tropical beaches, the restaurant strikes a delicate balance between down home and dancehall.

Jean’s menu offers basic West Indian fare with few surprises but plenty of variety and a wine list that would be the envy of any islander. You can also rest assured that their notoriously healthy portions are no myth; so bring a healthy appetite. Since the soups, specials and entrees change daily you may be encouraged to experiment . . . I suggest you do just that.

My culinary tour of the islands included a stop at Bammy, which is a casava bread that was pleasant and fried with a light touch. I also tried Provisions, which are banana and yam dumplings which I personally found a bit tough on the tongue, but you may feel differently. One highlight of the meal was their ginger beer which was tangy and sweet and just the right consistency.

At almost any Jamaican restaurant you can name, jerk chicken is their signature dish. The same holds true at Jean’s but with one crucial difference – it’s good – neither overspiced nor served in a greasy heap. The chicken was seasoned both delicately and discriminatingly. They seem to have nearly perfected all the things that a Jamaican restaurant does well, and become pretty good at a few things that most aren’t.

If the staff isn’t family they certainly seem to feel that way about one another and the easygoing, jovial atmosphere they create is contagious. The service, while not the fastest I’ve ever seen, is friendly and professional — and besides, in case you hadn’t figured it out yet, the point of going to Jean’s is to relax.