irie
Lexington, KY - Big ups to this small and comfortable authentic Caribbean restaurant, and to the person who led my guest and I down Fortune Drive in search of it.
“Irie” is a Jamaican Patois word to express one’s positive feelings of serenity and an absence of worries. After a hulking lunch on a recent afternoon, the only worry I had rested in my ability to function at work for the rest of the day.
Mi’irie Mon has the type of attitude and ambiance you would expect in a Caribbean restaurant –– casual and laid back, but serious about the food. Diners order in the rear of the modest dining area, where a hand-written menu flanks the buffet-style deli counter where you can get a look at some of the day’s fare. Spend some time looking over the menu before ordering, and ask questions about the food you see if you want; I made a last-second decision regarding my order after an inquiry about the “Rice ‘n Peas,” which is just what they call rice and red kidney beans in Jamaica.
The menu, aside from the daily lunch special, is basically broken down into two sections: meats that cost $7.95 and meats that run $9.75. All meals come with one side (such as rice and beans, coconut rice, macaroni and cheese, seasoned rice and “rasta pasta”), the veggie of the day and a Johnny cake –– a type of Caribbean sweet bread reminiscent of a doughnut; it’s a lot of food. Some of the meat options include boneless curry chicken, spicy curry chicken on the bone, jerk chicken quarter leg, jerk chicken wings, BBQ jerk wings, a Cuban sandwich and a Caribbean style hamburger (all $7.95), as well as pineapple chicken kabobs, St. Croix steak kabobs, oxtail and curry goat (all $9.75). A few “chef’s choices” –– written on post-it notes, which probably means they are daily specials –– included a whole red snapper and coconut shrimp.
You can also order many of these items a la carte from the “small eats, good treats” side of the menu, and they range in price from $2 (for items like fried plantains) to $6 (for an assortment of kabobs).
After some serious deliberation, I ordered a meal of the jerk chicken wings and my guest ordered the St. Croix steak kabob, which had pieces of flat steak, squash and onion. We also ordered a seafood kabob, which featured shrimp, white fish and onion.
I was particularly taken with the kitchen’s jerk sauce, which was much wetter and sweeter than I had tasted at other restaurants; the “rasta pasta” (curried noodles with slices of carrots and squash) was a fitting accompaniment. The steak kabob was also very tasty, and the baked mac ‘n cheese was a hearty companion. We could only muster a few bites of our Johnny cakes after we had made gluttons out of ourselves, but they were delicious treats.
Currently, Mi’irie Mon doesn’t serve alcohol, but they plan to in the coming weeks as their adjacent bar area is completed.
Our bill, prior to tax, came to $28 and included two meals, two ginger beers and a kabob side. It was a lot of food for lunch, but you can’t beat the price. Be sure to grab a ginger mint on your way out.