Sol Caribe delights with tasty Caribbean food

I have been wanting to visit the wee restaurant of Sol Caribe for quite some time now. The whole idea of Caribbean food is exciting to me; I had visions of mangoes, but other than that I did not know what to expect. You can imagine my pleasure then, when our November adventure group, consisting of seniors Ben Dueholm, Lucy Larbalestier, Senay Goitom, Adam Gratch, and juniors Debbie Edelman and myself, braved the cold night for some warm Caribbean sun. After squeezing through a somewhat sticky front door, we stood agape at the bright chartreuse surroundings. All of Sol Caribe's walls are painted a soft lime color, with plastic fruits hanging from the light fixtures. Soft tropical music was in the background, with exotic island photographs by each table. Lucy described the fruit as "tacky", but for me, it was just the perfect cap on my long day.

As relaxing as the interior is, the food is stimulating and unusual. We made our choices in record time, and delivered them to our friendly waitress. The bean soup of the day ($1.25) arrived first, to Ben, Lucy, Debbie, and myself. There were mostly good reports of the soup, a clear green broth with garbanzo beans, sweet onion pieces, and chopped pork. Senay received the tossed salad, and was entranced with the spicy tomato dressing, proclaiming that it was sweet with a pleasant afterburn. Our orders arrived after a decent thirty minute wait. Senay had the Brazilian Chicken Special ($8.95), which was a rainbow of Brazilian chicken delight. Not only was the dish colorful, but it was pleasing to the palate as well. Lucy's order of Jamaican Beef ($9.95) involved grilled rib-eye steak, drizzled with spicy cherry sauce, Spanish rice, and plantains on the side. Although she was alarmed by the crazy color of the cherry sauce, Lucy said it was just the right spiciness, and complimented the beef and plantains. The Spanish rice added a nice touch to her meal, but the vegetables did not.

Ben may have had the most colorful dish with his Chicken Calypso ($8.95), which included lime marinate, green onions, pineapple, dark raisins, tomatoes, Spanish rice, and black beans! Big Ben believes it was "robustly fruity". He enjoyed the Spanish rice, but was disappointed with the side of vegetables, which he deemed to be "limp and flaccid". I most definitely agree, for they appeared to be canned. Ewww. Adam experienced another grilled sandwich, but this time the result was very positive! (As compared to last month, eeek!) His Grilled Jalepeño Steak Sandwich ($6.75) left him happy with its plantains and spicy sauce. On a scale of 1 to 10, Adam rated the hotness of the peppers at an eight. "It left a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach", my Adam says.

Debbie ordered the Chicken Sugar Reef ($8.95), which is chicken dipped in Worcestershire sauce, a bright mango sauce, blends of spices, with plantains on the side. Her chicken was permeated with the sweet and spicy taste of mango, and the plantains were said to be delectable. Plantains are a tropical fruit, or a "potato-banana", that have a nice mellow flavor. My Ensalada Sol Caribe ($6.95), was perfectly sized, priced, and delicious. It had grilled shrimp on a bed of crisp lettuce, with tomatoes, avocados (oh, joy!), and sliced onion. The shrimp was wonderful, being lemony, peppery, buttery, and crispy all at the same time. Dessert was Key Lime Pie ($3.25) for Ben, who remarked that it was the best he ever had. Debbie and I split the Barbados Rum Cake (also $3.25). Three thumbs UP.

The overall effect of Sol Caribe was extraordinary. The prices were definitely reasonable for the exotic food we ate, and the service was calm and cheerful. The bathrooms were small, nice, but scary to be alone in. The atmosphere combined with the food had quite an effect on us all. Senay shook his booty all the way to the bathroom, while Ben commented that he had an urge to dance in a Caribbean breeze. Debbie wanted to let her hair down, as Adam decided that this was going to be his burial site, for he was so happy. Lucy was troubled about the entire evening, and termed the restaurant "freaky". As for me, I can only describe this relaxing little restaurant as a tiny, good smelling forest, and an absolutely lovely way to spend an evening.

By Francesca Jeffries

Source: The Independent -Madison Metropolitan School District

Year 1996