Honestly, I don’t know why I’m telling you about Carican Flavors.
I mean, I wish them all the success in the world. I love the food. I love the atmosphere. It’s just … I don’t want to share with you.
Now, I can’t tell you how authentic the Caribbean (“cari-can,” get it?) food is, but I can tell you that I love it. I eat it and it makes me sad that I have taken this food away from the world, but happy that it will keep me alive long enough to return to Carican Flavors and eat more.
It’s a vicious, delicious cycle. The jerk chicken ($7.61) is good.
You should get it. And don’t worry if you’re not the type who likes spicy foods, because they do a flavorful, but mild version here.
The lamb stew is ($10.52) good.
You should get it. Big chunks of tender lamb in a broth good enough to drink from a glass and lots of fall-apart vegetables. It’s a feast for the senses, which is one of the many names I have for my stomach.
I was less taken with the stewed red snapper ($10.75), which was the first dish I wished had a bit more kick. If there are plenty of stewed peppers on top, you won’t have a problem. It’s pretty healthy, too, if you’re the sort who likes to live a long time.
And I do want to live. I want to live so that I can go back to Carican Flavors and get the dish that first made me fall in love: oxtail.
If you don’t like knowing where your food comes from, then the oxtail ($11.30) isn’t for you. And that’s OK, because the oxtail is for me! It’s mine. Leave it alone.
The oxtail comes on the bone, with a little fat, and it’s the absolute essence of beef distilled into meat and broth. I get it with an order of spinach rice so it can soak up all that broth.
Other sides include a baked macaroni and cheese ($3.75) that I’ve really come to adore and black-eyed peas ($3) or green beans ($3).
There’s also a sweet red drink called sorrel ($2) that is kind of like a tea brewed from a hibiscus that you should try while you’re in.
Carican Flavors is just one of my all-time favorite places. It’s impeccably clean. They are so friendly you will worry that it’s part of long con. And the food is just … c’mon. I cannot walk out of that place in a bad mood.
Oklahoma Gazette’s restaurant review policy is to highlight the positive aspects, and include constructive criticism regarding food, ambience or service when appropriate.
This article appears in May 23-29, 2012.