CALYPSO CAFE / **June 11, 2004
IN A BITE
------------------------------------------------------------------------5211-C S. Harper; (773) 955-0229
HOURS:
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; Sunday brunch 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Dinner until 10 p.m.WHEELS:
Nearby lots; wheelchair accessible.TRY:
Jerk chicken wings, black bean soup, Gulf fish sandwich, barbecue chicken, barbecue ribs, Key lime pie.TIPS:
The atmosphere is pure islands and very pleasant: tin ceiling, beaucoup greenery, fish lamps in the booths, tables swing around the L-shaped dining room that is wall-to-wall windows. Service is good most of the time. Good for children. The wine list is a snore (but the prices are right).IN A BITE:
One of the better, nicer, more interesting restaurants in Hyde Park. The food is a creative blend of Island (as in Caribbean) and everyday home cooking. The barbecue dishes (house-smoked ribs, chicken, pork chops) are especially good, as are the sandwiches. Casual, energetic, and most enjoyable. Prices are reasonable, too.
BY PAT BRUNO
Calypso Cafe. The name alone is enough to think about eating to a beat. And that's quite possible in this Hyde Park haven of good food, since the steel drum music is ever-present, lively, and keeps you tapping your foot.
Calypso Cafe is serving some fine food. As the name suggests, the cuisine is rooted in the Caribbean. In fact, the second page of the oversized menu is like a launching pad to the islands, since it sports an interesting mix of "Island Cocktails." You can cuddle up with a "Funky Monkey" or jump on a "Banana Boat." Does the "Island Viagra" (rum, grenadine, coconut and orange juice) raise your level of interest? Maybe a mojito would move you.
Page 3 of the menu starts the eat parade. Cuban black bean soup is one possibility (Bahamian conch chowder is the other choice). I am a bean soup guy, so it was the black bean, which was thick, dark, murky, nicely spicy (praise be to the Scotch bonnet pepper), and good to the last drop. It came, for some strange reason, with two small slices of toasted bread.
Jerk chicken wings are, according to the menu, a "House Specialty." I could see why Calypso hangs its straw hat on this one. Two pounds (this is definitely a sharing situation) of "Jamaican jerked" and smoked jumbo wings were what we had here. Excellent wings. There was so much meat on these beauties it wouldn't surprise me if they had come off a turkey. The dark color sends out the right signal, so when you get into them it's a matter of tender, smoky-tasting, flavorful meat, right down to the bone.
The next page of the menu lists nearly 14 sandwiches. I was impressed with the "Gulf Fish Sandwich." The Cuban bread, an oval of perfect texture and good taste, got it going. Next the fillet of fish, which you can get either grilled, blackened, fried or jerked, was cooked just right. I went with grilled because I figured it was compatible with the lime-cilantro mayonnaise. And how well it did match up. I was very impressed with that mayo, which gave the fish a good hook in the overall flavor. Sandwiches came with blue water slaw and a choice of one side (for the price of these sandwiches -- average $7.25 -- this is a good deal). I could have gone with the slaw alone, which was terrific. My side choice was peas and rice, which was nice but not notable.
Under the menu heading "BBQ the Island Way," I feasted royally on the half chicken. The burnt mahogany color of the skin alone was enough to perk my interest. Excellent chicken. Moist, meaty, flavorful. Arranged on the plate with the chicken was the rest of the meal: saffron rice, fried plantains, green beans and blue water slaw. Extra barbecue sauce (tangy, but not too much so) in a separate cup added even more tasty support.
The ribs were house-smoked, and they were ravishing. A full slab of meaty and delicious baby back ribs will keep you "busy with the bones," and the flavor will linger long after you have licked your fingers clean. Ribs came with decent fries and slaw.
The one dessert to have is the Key lime pie. I would have liked it chilled just a bit more, but the graham cracker crust was thin and enjoyable, the tang of the lime was proper, and the rosette of whipped cream on top was, so to speak, the icing on the cake.
Pat Bruno is a local free-lance writer, author and critic
