545325 Mon Aug 04 05:18:53 -0700 2008 16 12 Boston Area 0 3927853 Hello Hounds! Is there a particular neighborhood or section of Boston that has the highest concentration of West Indian (Jamaican, Trinidadian, Haitian in particular) restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries? I am in Boston again this weekend and would like to walk around and check out the heart of the West Indian community in Boston and check out some good West Indian places to eat. Thanks! Mon Aug 04 05:18:55 -0700 2008 160179 Cind 1 3927870 Dorchester and Mattapan. Mon Aug 04 05:31:28 -0700 2008 3927853 25266 PaulB 1 3928426 Blue Hill Avenue is a main drag that runs through these neighborhoods. Mon Aug 04 09:16:15 -0700 2008 3927853 11275 Prav 1 3930447 Boy, how do I say this without coming off as a d-bag. For someone not from Boston and perhaps unfamiliar with our neighborhoods, you may want to exercise a modicum of caution in the areas mentioned. I just want to make sure our Chow Friend from the North has a great time and a fantastic experience while pursuing West Indian options. Mon Aug 04 20:46:55 -0700 2008 3927853 17937 Food4Thought 2 3930948 As with any traveler, as long as Cind exercises caution as one would in any situation, things will be fine. I regularly coach and ref in those areas and still have all my limbs. Recent thread on patties: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/545318 The area of Blue Hill Ave and Morton Street is home to Flame's, Ali's Roti (oxtail stew!), and Poppa B's (southern soul food) as well as Lenny's Tropical Bakery and La Belle Capoise. Tue Aug 05 06:12:23 -0700 2008 3930447 15217 gini 3 3947249 Has anyone been to La Belle Capoise? I have driven past it a couple of times recently and, from the outside, it looks like a really nice place - the decor clearly seems to have been done with care. Any info is appreciated. Mon Aug 11 10:40:59 -0700 2008 3930948 11172 Bob Dobalina 4 3947280 It IS nice. I could have sworn there were a couple of threads on the place recently, but I can't seem to find them. Mon Aug 11 10:48:56 -0700 2008 3947249 15217 gini 5 3947391 Any recs on what's to order that you enjoyed? I am not at all familiar with West Indian cuisine. Mon Aug 11 11:20:54 -0700 2008 3947280 11172 Bob Dobalina 6 3947492 Hey Bob - West Indian cuisine means a variety of things as varied as the islands: Greater Antilles: Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Dominican Republic; the Lesser Antilles; and the Bahamas. Mon Aug 11 11:53:53 -0700 2008 3947391 15217 gini 7 3950156 Thanks, Gini. Do you know what's good at La Belle Capoise? Tue Aug 12 09:12:35 -0700 2008 3947492 11172 Bob Dobalina 8 3950215 I don't remember what I had there. Sorry. Tue Aug 12 09:29:44 -0700 2008 3950156 15217 gini 9 3953018 You mean you do not have a photographic, encyclopedic memory of all meals? Not much of a chowhound. ;) No worries - perhaps the lack of memory speaks for itself. Hopefully, I will get over there and give it a try some day. Wed Aug 13 08:07:59 -0700 2008 3950215 11172 Bob Dobalina 7 3953972 Heck I'll hop in and split hairs. Though technically all of the above ARE in fact the West Indies, I usually don't think of the cuisines of Cuba, PR, The DR, and Haiti as being "West Indian" food. Usually the first three are referred to by the country of origin. In fact I think of "West Indian" food as being essentially Jamaican. If you Google "West Indian Food" you end up with essentially Jamaican items. Most importantly, noone from Cuba, PR, or The DR at the very least would refer to their own cuisine as "West Indian" whereas in Jamaica they use that term all the time and in fact sometimes if you ask someone from Jamaica where they come from they say "The West Indies." Noone from PR for example would ever give that reply... whew. Wed Aug 13 12:02:36 -0700 2008 3947492 10169 StriperGuy 8 3954071 All the traditional foods of the caribbean are different types of "creole" mixes of cultures. I think that part of your point is valid, but you take the argument too far the other way: Trinidad is a example of a culture with some different foods from Jamaica and I would consider West Indian. Monserrat is an even more different creole mixture. Jamaica is just larger and better known, but it doesn't make the other cultures less West Indian. In any case, I think the original post was intended as as a guideline or help... and good enough for a "Boston" board. Wed Aug 13 12:26:28 -0700 2008 3953972 12962 itaunas 3 3953361 Is the same Ali's Roti that is on Tremont or Columbus, near Melnea Cass? That place is great, but you have to get there early - once the goat is gone, its gone! Wed Aug 13 09:37:34 -0700 2008 3930948 153967 Cork 4 3953484 Ali's Roti has a couple outposts. The one on Tremont in Roxbury is the one you're referring to. Wed Aug 13 10:05:08 -0700 2008 3953361 15217 gini 1 3951193 Washington Street between Columbia and Codman Square has a good concentration. Santo Domingo Restaurant, Island Style Jamaican and Diallo's Halal Meat are all at a corner near Columbia (179 Washington). Further along there's Francisco's Cafe El Original, Lorenz Island Cuisine, Caribe Restaurant, Nikisha Roti Shop and many more that I can't remember. Tue Aug 12 14:41:55 -0700 2008 3927853 24250 deglazer