Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Rum House


When I was 17 I went with a friend and her family to the British Virgin Islands. We chartered our own sailboat, the Fantasea, and every day we would sail to the different islands. We went snorkeling through the reefs, took the dingy ashore to sample some of the local fare, and at night we slept on the boat underneath the Caribbean star-studded sky. It was my very first time flying, my first time living on a boat, and up until then, that 2 week vacation was the longest time I had ever spent away from home. I have the most incredible memories from that vacation; the friendly BVI locals, gorgeous salty blue water and, of course, the amazing food.

So I was super excited when a friend suggested we go to the Rum House on Magazine Street last week while a bunch of our friends were in town for a wedding. The Rum House is a Caribbean Taqueria that serves up food with Caribbean, Latin American, and Creole influences. And as most of you already know, I am a huge fan of the Latin/Caribbean food here, so I'm always willing to try other places with the same cuisine.

We went on a Thursday night, so it wasn't too crowded, and while we waited for everyone to get there, we ordered the Conch and Sweet Potato Fritters. I remember enjoying them in the BVI, but perhaps my memory deceives me because these fritters were pretty horrible. They were sweet in all the wrong ways and had an odd texture and shape. Every fritter I have ever had has been round, so what were these odd-long things on the plate in front of me? The breading was really the only thing I tasted and they were a little too greasy. We ended up leaving a majority of them on the plate for the waitress to take away.

Since the fritters were a bust, we ordered the chips with queso blanco and griddle roasted vegetable salsa. We all agreed that the chips tasted stale, that the salsa was mediocre, and that Superior Grill's queso is definitely better. Although it wasn't looking too good at this point, I still had high hopes for my Taco Trifecta entree where you choose 3 of the 10 tacos and a side. I ordered the Chopped Shrimp taco, which came with black beans, roasted peppers, pico de gallo, onions, and queso; the Brisket taco with chimichurri, barbecue sauce, cilantro, and fried shallots; and the Flaked Fish taco made with charbroiled black drum, asparagus and creole tomato chutney, and a dill tarter sauce. The Brisket taco was odd because of the bbq sauce and the fried shallots, which were cold and chewy. The Flaked Fish was forgettable and the Chopped Shrimp was just one big let down. While my friends who ordered the same thing got lots of shrimp, I only got one half of a shrimp. It was even more upsetting considering that the shrimp taco had the best flavor of the three.

We skipped dessert since we were all pretty disappointed and vowed that we would only go back for nachos and drinks. My "Painkiller" drink was pretty darn good and it definitely reminded me of my time spent in the Islands. Other than that, I'm glad there are other Latin/Caribbean restaurants in the city that do a much better job of satisfying my constant craving for this wonderful cuisine. Because if Rum House were the only option, then my memories would be all I would have.


Conch and Sweet Potato Fritters with Spicy Remoulade Dipping Sauce


Queso Blanco and Griddle Roasted Vegetable Salsa with chips


Taco Trifecta (from left to right): Flaked Fish, Brisket, and Chopped Shrimp with a side of Coconut Mango Rice (which was dry and lacked the big flavor I was expecting)

2 comments:

  1. Agreed! the nachos were great but nachos are pretty hard to screw up! everything fried i've ever had from there is too fried so you lose all the flavor! But the Painkillers were good - thicker & sweeter then I remember but still the right idea, and they did have Dark & Stormies on the menu...I can hear the reggae now!

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  2. I definitely should have gotten a Dark and Stormy... brings back many great memories!

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