Negril Village

Since I am a HUGE fan of Mos Def, I couldn't help but make plans to see him for the second time in as many months. I miraculously was able to leave work early enough to have dinner before the 11:30 show.

Negril Village is down the street from Blue Note so it was the perfect location for the pre-concert feast.  The atmosphere was not exactly what I was looking for but I could deal. They had a live band, which was awesome but the MUSIC WAS SO LOUD!!! We could barely hear ourselves across the table. I definitely had a hard time hearing our server.  When it was time to place our order though, Ms. S kept it simple with the Curry Shrimp and Rice & Peas.

The shrimp was suuuper fresh. 

It tasted as though they caught it that morning. I must admit I had a little food envy, but then again I ordered more than enough to keep me satisfied.

Yup the Negril Sampler that allegedly serves 2 was my entree. It was filled with a great variety of treats – exactly what I needed. The Jerk Shrimp was a different kind of fabulous.

Spicy yet tangy. I loved it. Equally fabulous were the Chicken Ribettes.

I dreamt of these the following day and was quite sad that I left a couple on the plate.  The Collard Green Spring Rolls were my least favorite (maybe that's why the picture is blurry).

It’s not that I don’t like Collard Greens or that Spring Rolls aren’t delicious.  I just think they should lead separate lives.   Thankfully the Codfish Fritters were there to chase away the less than pleasant taste.

Man those fritters were great!! Usually when something is fried, I expect it to be dry but this was quite juicy and the guacamole was a surprisingly good dipping sauce.  The platter also had a couple of sweet plantains.

Literally, just a couple. Apparently they mostly had green ones so they weren’t frying a lot. Shame shame. Everyone knows how sweet plantain can change the game!

We were all sorts of happy when we finished eating.  I was quite satisfied with my meal and for the first time ever the service at Negril wasn’t horrible.  It also helped that the next stop was to see My Mos Def.  He was of course the most incredible.

He had a 5 person band that was very talented.  His banter was as witty as ever.  He paid his respects to Biggie and also gave a shout out to Nat King Cole. Overall it was a wonderful performance and definitely worth staying out late.  And in the end, Mos and I held hands. Some might call it shaking hands, but that’s their business.

Hungry yet?