Jamaican, Mon! at The Island Spot

The Island Spot had been at the top of Haley’s Adventure list for a while now. So, we finally made some time to fit a little Jamaican into our schedules. The Island Spot is a tiny restaurant in a strip center in Carrollton that doesn’t lend itself to any excitement when you see it driving by. Honestly, we grew up in Carrollton and it’s been there for several years, but it just recently jumped onto our radar.

We walked in and grabbed a table – it wasn’t very busy. Upon surveying the place, we noted all the cute island decorations, the full bar, the Reggae jams and the chalk boards decorated with $2 Tuesdays drink specials. Too bad it was Wednesday! Oh well – mental note for the future. We started off our meals with some fried plantains. They were crispy, chewy, soft, sweet, starchy– everything you’d expect and want. Kind of like a banana French fry of sorts.

Then we ordered our meals. We already knew we needed to get the oxtail and the jerk chicken; it was just a matter of who gets what. I went with the jerk chicken and Haley went with the oxtail. We can be diplomatic, plus it’s not like we aren’t going to share anyway. I let the person waiting on us decide what sides I should get with my jerk chicken and he recommended fries. Who says no to fries? My plate came out with 3 pieces of perfectly crispy and spiced chicken (2 legs and a thigh) and a HEAP of crinkle fries that were so crispy and seasoned that we both couldn’t stop shoveling them into our mouths. The chicken was very spicy and piping hot. The meat was so juicy and came right off the bone, and the skin was crispy all over. I am typically not a huge dark meat fan, but this chicken was so well cooked that it rivaled Babe’s smoked chicken, our current chicken champ.

Haley’s “Uncle Rupert's Oxtails” came with about 5 pieces of braised oxtails in this super rich and flavorful sauce. She ordered saffron rice and spinach for her sides. The spinach reminded her of grandma’s which I take as a good sign and the rice was fine. The oxtails themselves were obviously the star here. They were meaty and fatty and just so flavorful. The meat came clean off the bone here too. Clearly, The Island Spot knows how to cook some meat. We were very impressed.

We were way too stuffed for any kind of dessert but we did linger a bit and jam to some more Reggae music. Overall, The Island Spot really impressed us. We definitely agree with the Dallas Observer on the “Best Jerk Chicken in Dallas” award. This is a spot we will be returning to in the near future for 3 reasons: $2 Tuesdays, First Fridays Live Reggae Music, and really well done food for a great price.

http://www.theislandspot.net/