The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Taste of the Caribbean
Atlanta restaurant Rock Steady pays homage to Afro-Caribbean food culture
The food of the Caribbean is a melting pot. The flavors and cooking methods of India, Asia, Europe and Africa are all reflected in the dishes served in the 13 island nations and 12 territories of the more than 7,000 islands in the Caribbean.
When Jacob Thomas opened West Midtown’s Rock Steady in November 2019, he and chef Christian “Lucke” Bell created a menu based on dishes of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. “My mother is from Haiti and I’ve been eating Caribbean cuisine ever since I can remember. When I was opening this restaurant with my partner Joe Russo, I wanted to present authentic food but using high-quality ingredients. I’m from the generation where we want Whole Foods, organic everything.” The business partners chose to include food inspired from Haiti, Martinique and Jamaica, paying homage to West Africa, where many of those dishes originated.
If you’re looking for a menu that lists the dishes from Jamaica as distinguished from the dishes of Haiti and those of Puerto Rico, you won’t find it here. Rock Steady’s menu is not laid out by country. “We let our servers have fun explaining the menu, and we’re constantly educating them on the inspiration behind the dishes.”
Some dishes, like their hugely popular griot and pikliz, are absolutely traditional. “You’ll find griot served with pikliz and plantains in every Haitian household, prepared exactly the same way we make it. But we also serve Oxtail Pappardelle, which uses a traditional Jamaican oxtail preparation and pairs that with Italian noodles. It’s a great marriage and not something you’ll find anywhere else.”
Thomas notes that the epise that seasons the griot is essentially Haitian sofrito, a mixture of onions, garlic, red pepper, green pepper and Scotch bonnet peppers blended with citrus juice. “It’s the foundation for Haitian cuisine. Start with epise and you can make stews, rice, marinades, use it to season fried snapper or fried goat. Haitians use it for everything.”
He says just as you would expect a food shack in Jamaica to serve jerk chicken, in Haiti, “It’s almost guaranteed to be griot. It’s the comfort food of Haiti.”
And served on the side, you’ll find pikliz, a vinegar- and citrus juice-dressed salad of cabbage, onions and carrots for a little color. “There’s acidity and sweetness and you’ll find it served with any Haitian dish like stewed chicken or griot. It’s like when you go to a Southern barbecue restaurant, you’re always served slaw.”
It’s the kind of thing, like griot, that benefits from being made ahead of time. At Rock Steady, they rest their pikliz at least 48 hours and make a new batch at least once a week. “It can sit longer. At home, my mother has jars that are probably 3 years old. It’s still good because the vinegar keeps it pickled.