I must admit, when I think of a Jamaican restaurant I think of Bob Marley playing in the background, walls decorated with beautiful beaches and crystal blue seas and a laid-back guy with dreadlocks taking my order.
Thankfully, The Real Deal Jamaican Carry-Out is nothing like that.
Not surprisingly, Jamaican cuisine has a far deeper history than the limits of my personal ignorance. The West Indian islands that include Jamaica were discovered by Christopher Columbus during the 1490s, though the Arawak and Carib Indian tribes originally inhabited them. The Caribs were cannibalistic but are credited as being the people who began ritually spicing their food with chili peppers. The Arawaks devised a method of slow cooking their meat by placing it over an open fire on a makeshift grate/grill made out of thin green sticks, which eventually became the concept of barbecuing.
After Columbus visited, so did Spain, Britain, France, Holland and a number of other European countries. The foreigners brought with them a variety of fruits and vegetables, and it is this variety, coupled with the native cuisine that eventually formed the basis for Jamaican food.
The Real Deal Jamaican Carry-Out brings the heart of Jamaica to Baltimore. You really do get "the real deal" at this Waverly takeout joint -- no gimmicks, no reggae music, no tables -- just some damn good food. If you're tired of Indian, Chinese and Italian cooking this is the place for you. Perhaps The Real Deal's best asset is that it's situated in Homewood's backyard; this imaginative alternative is ten-minute walk from campus.
One thing to keep in mind is that The Real Deal is not a restaurant, it's a carry-out, so be prepared not to have a place to sit and eat.
That said, The Real Deal isn't just lacking in d??cor--it has none. There's a window for ordering, a long counter where you pick up your order, and that's it. The walls are decorated like a college dorm room with posters hanging sporadically on the walls. This proves, however, that The Real Deal is surviving on food, not frills. The humble, clean surroundings guarantee that your food will be authentic, cooked up by mom-and-pop Jamaicans.
The menu consists of six items you'll never find at other nearby restaurants. There's curried goat, of course, a Jamaican favorite which is usually reserved for special occasions. The dish supposedly originated when Indian settlers opted for goat meat because lamb meat wasn't available.
Or, if you're adventurous, you could opt for Jamaica's national dish Ackee & Saltfish, a delicacy most likely served at breakfast but which can also be a main dish. Ackee is a fruit that was brought to Jamaica from West Africa and its color and flavor when cooked is said to resemble that of scrambled eggs. A "closed' ackee is unripe and poisonous and is only safe to consume when it ripens and is thus "open.'
Saltfish is fish (usually cod) that has been heavily immersed in salt for preservation, drying and curing purposes. But for the less adventurous, the most gringo mainstream dish is Jamaican jerk chicken, voted "Best Jerk Chicken" by City Paper in 1999. In preparing this dish, a dry seasoning mixture is rubbed directly into the chicken.
No matter what you order however, it will come with peas and rice (though it's really more red beans and rice), vegetables, and fried plantains.
A small portion is more than enough to feed two people, and it costs only six bucks! Take advantage of all this value and splurge on a $1.50 Jamaican beef patty, which was -- in culinary terms -- awesome. The food leans towards the spicy side, so it would be fortuitous to also pick up some Cola Champagne or Jamaican root beer.
The service at The Real Deal is relatively speedy, though you'll have a bit of time to reflect on the fact that you are most definitely the only Johns Hopkins kid in the place and you stick out like a sore thumb.
As you trek back from Waverly to Homewood, carrying your booty and sipping your Cola Champagne, I guarantee your steps will be substantially more brisk; the aromatic smell of your Jamaican dish will drive you back to the dorm to devour your meal.
All in all, The Real Deal Jamaican Carry-Out is a unique experience you won't easily find elsewhere. The food is solidly good and the people are friendly. This is a great pick for a morning sober-up snack or whenever you get tired of lunching at Levering. Remember: don't expect to eat your meal there. And certainly don't expect Bob Marley, blue beaches and dreadlocks.
