One of the great finds during my recent Toronto adventure was stumbling upon a terrific Jerk Chicken restaurant. But Latvian Jerk Chicken? Really?
There's a terrific food proverb that happens to be Latvian: "A smiling face is half of the meal."
Doing research for another piece, I stumbled upon an old Saveur Magazine piece on a chef in Latvia who adores Jerk Chicken and established one of the capital city's first restaurants, called Vincents. The chef traveled and cooked all over the world, ultimately returning to his parents' homeland and opening the restaurant.
Smiling faces abound in Toronto and the jerk place we found on Spadina was no exception. The place was clean and open and bright. Ackee Tree ("We're not fast food, we're good food fast.") is painted in colors of the islands. Judging by at least some of the accents, also frequented by Jamaicans. We were looking for a little something to carry us to dinner. Walking for hours and hours builds the appetite.
The counter man quickly offered his suggestion that we share a full plate - he'd substitute the side for the jerk fries we also wanted to try. Perfect. And Caleb had his first Ting. It's the grapefruit soda that you see everywhere in Jamaica. Hits right between tart and sweet and is perfect with the spicy jerk.
So, if you happen to be in Riga, Latvia or Toronto Canada - check out some jerk chicken, have a Ting and a smile.
