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JJ
Jerk Center
114-08
Merrick Boulevard
St. Albans, NY
718-297-5620
Cuisine:
Caribbean
Hours:
8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
There’s
a new restaurant on Merrick Boulevard that employs some of the nicest
people around anywhere, though you wouldn’t know it by its name.
The
JJ Jerk Center — a Caribbean restaurant a block south of Linden
Boulevard that opened two months ago — attracts many with its bright new
awning and interesting name.
Of
course anyone walking by would know that the name refers to the popular
Caribbean spicy sauce used on many of the restaurant’s meat dishes.
The
restaurant’s motto, “For All Your Jerk Needs,” should give it away
for anyone still wondering.
And
the restaurant itself isn’t the only thing at 114-08 Merrick Blvd. with
a great name.
The
restaurant’s chef, who wouldn’t tell his given name, said he’s known
by everyone as “Sweet Daddy Donald.”
And
where does someone get a name like that?
“Because
I was cookin’ and the food was so nice,” Sweet Daddy said of his
christening in Haiti. “Someone said, ‘Man, I gotta give you a name.’
And it stuck on me.”
A
warm and friendly guy, Sweet Daddy has 15 years of restaurant experience,
starting in his birth country of Jamaica.
He started his own restaurant back home called Sweet Daddy and
hopes to open one of the same name here in Southeast Queens.
And
how’s Daddy’s food?
Sweet.
The
most popular item on the JJ (named after owners John and Jacko) menu,
Daddy said, is the jerk chicken.
Jerk pork and any other chicken item sells well, too, he said.
Sweet
Daddy’s jerk sauce is a real treat.
It
packs a punch — not only is it spicier than most jerk recipes, but its
got a nice tangy edge to it, too.
All in all, it’s quite flavorful and interesting.
The
restaurant’s menu is pretty straightforward, covering all the dishes
you’d expect from a smart Caribbean restaurant.
Including
the jerk items there are just over a dozen entrées that cost between $5
and $9, including classics like ackee or callaloo with saltfish, curried
meats, oxtail, cow foot and stewed peas.
Stewed, steamed or fried fish and shrimp are also available for a
few dollars more.
Everything
is a little cheaper between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when slightly smaller
lunch specials are available.
All dishes come with vegetables, rice and a choice of either
plantains, dumplings or yams.
The
restaurant also has a small bakery section and—a remnant from the fast
food joint that used to occupy the space—an ice cream freezer with a
rotating cast of eight flavors.
With
catering services available and upcoming delivery service, it’s hard to
find a nicer place than JJ Jerk Center.
—
Shams Tarek
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