|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Dining - Reviews |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Coley’s Caribbean Restaurant – A Delicious Entrée into the wonderful world of Jamaican hospitality. |
|
 |
By Rosemary Chiaverini
Dining out and weight control. Dining out
and maintaining good health. Dining out and
dieting. At first glance, these two phrases
appear to be an oxymoron. The perceptions
run the gamut from thinking it’s just not
possible, visualizing that on-so-succulent
“beef patty/cottage cheese/peach diet
plate”, or worse case scenario, that you
lacked willpower, blew it and will get back
on track on Monday.
Dining out is one of the world’s utmost
pleasures. With more than 50% of our meals
taken outside the home, to give it up for
any reason is not realistic in today’s
culture. But you don’t need to compromise
your weight loss efforts or health to do it.
Instead of willpower, which sets you up for
feeling you lacked it; think of dining out
as skillpower. “What do I need to do to eat
at this restaurant and have the best
experience while making the best choices?
Coley’s Caribbean Restaurant is a wonderful
local restaurant in which to practice the
new skill of mindful restaurant dining. I
had the pleasure of spending time with
owners Audrey and Don Coley two weeks ago.
I had never had Caribbean food, am a 100
pound loser, and wanted to learn and share
how to eat out without deprivation and with
an enhanced experience. So, I went to the
source.
The first thing I noticed when I entered the
restaurant was the atmosphere. (Actually, it
was the second thing; the Laker score was
the first!). A combination of tropical warm
and cool colors welcomed me while I shimmied
to the rhythm of the music as I introduced
myself to Don and Audrey’s
accommodating staff. It set the tone for
what was to come.
Starting your meal with one of Coley’s
Jamaican Patties is a must. It is a
“House Specialty”. They are baked to order
and come with beef, chicken, vegetable or
shrimp. My suggestion would be to start with
the veggie patty as the Dinner Delights and
Seafood Sensations will beckon you on the
menu. Since the patties are substantial in
size, share it.
All dinner entrees come with soup or salad,
rice & peas or steamed rice, steamed
vegetables, fried plantains and festival
bread. I’m a firm believer in doing with
less, not doing without; cutting down, not
cutting out. Common sense rules in
restaurant dining and we all have some basic
skills for navigating menus and walking out
with our pants buttons still fastened: salad
dressing on the side, steamed or baked
instead of fried, creamy sauces on the side.
The entrée sides are very healthy choices as
they are either prepared with your health in
mind (the steamed rice for example) or they
are a sensible portion (the fried plantain).
If you are concerned about the starch
portions, simply ask your waiter to bring
you “a small serving of rice, etc.” And
don’t make an automatic decision that the
festival bread is a four letter word. I’m a
self-proclaimed die hard bread-head. It is
my favorite aisle in the supermarket. My
favorite museums in France end with the word
“Boulangerie” not “musee” Fellow bread heads
– you are quite safe here as there is no
bread basket to wolf down and fill up on
while you’re enjoying the music and deciding
what to choose. So one piece of festival
bread is absolutely in order. It is part of
the Caribbean experience so be present in
that experience!
Audrey and Don were most cooperative in
helping me translate the Dinner Delights and
Seafood Sensations. Best choices? The Jerk
Chicken which is roasted and in Coley’s own
hot and moderately spicy Jerk Sauce. It is a
secret recipe and trust me, Audrey and Don
are good at keeping secrets.
Other meat entrees you could try would be
the Brown Stew Chicken, Curried goat,
Oxtail, and the Roast Beef. And by all
means, have some curry too! Don and Audrey
shared that new research shows that the
turmeric in this zesty staple may protect
you from the memory loss and eventual mental
decline of Alzheimer’s. When I Googled this,
I found that this study was actually done at
UCLA, where I currently work. This is where
we all want to be: where we know how to
prevent disease and the consequences of
aging through food.
If you’re a fish lover, you will be
hard-pressed to choose. You can’t go wrong
with the Port Royal Steamed Fish with a
medley of vegetables and Jamaican
seasonings. Cajun Filet of Red Snapper is
baked with Cajun spices. Just ask for the
sauce on the side. You only need a little to
get the flavor intended by Don. And if gas
prices have you using your bicycle as your
only means of transportation, the money
you’re saving will afford you the pleasure
of the Grilled Lobster.
While we were waiting for my dinner to
arrive, I took the opportunity to find out a
bit more about Don and Audrey, their
personal history as well as that of the
restaurant. They are often on property so
I’ll let you get to know them when you visit
as that is part of the true Jamaican
hospitality I mention in my headline. The
North Hollywood location is fairly new.
They’ve been there a little more than 18
months now and have plans to expand the back
outside eating area, and the more formal
dining area. I can see why as the food is
fabulous and once word gets out, they will
be packed. During one tasting, a woman
walked by us on her way to the car and after
being thanked by Don and Audrey for coming,
she said “Well, this was my first time in
your restaurant – and so far, I’ve been back
three times today alone!”
The original Coley’s is in Inglewood, and
people come from all areas of Los Angeles to
dine here, once they know there is a second
location. Don very modestly shared that he
felt badly that the new North Hollywood
location was the impetus of several fender
benders. I looked at him quizzically.
“Well,” he said. People would be driving by
on their way to the Burbank Media Center
perhaps and now and then I’d hear this
screech of the brakes, and a little thump
crunch and then a guest would walk in and
while still holding the door open would ask
the host, ‘Is this THE Coley’s – the same
one I love in Inglewood?’” Whether or not
it’s true, you gotta love that story.
I know it’s a cliché, but I support the
adage, “Life it short. Eat dessert first.”
Point is: you can have anything you want,
anytime you want it, as long as you do it
responsibly. So have the dessert, but do it
in a way which takes care of your health and
weight too. SHARE. And here’s a tip: Take
three bites in this order: The very first
bite (and make sure it’s full of all the fun
stuff); one bite midway with a fresh cup of
coffee or tea and then take the very last
bite. Haven’t you noticed that whenever you
share something the very last bite is always
left because no one ever wants to be
perceived as the selfish one? But the first
bite is absolutely the best, the second bite
quells the urge for more and then the last
bite gives you the FEELING you finished it.
This didn’t quite work out as I had planned
as Audrey and I took one bite of our dessert
and both said at the same time, “bring us
another.” Oh well….the best laid plans as
they say.
Our time together was drawing to a close and
it ended with hugs and kisses and a promise
to return. As I gathered my notes and
scooted out of the booth, I heard the sound
of a car making a sharp turn into the
parking lot, then its motor idling while a
family walked through the back door all with
a look of anticipation on their faces. And
guess what they said.
“Is this the same Coley’s we came to love in
Inglewood?”
Well, as I said, I love a good story – and I
especially love a good story with a happy
ending.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
