Delcious food, mon, at Island in the Sun

Island in the Sun
1236 MacArthur Road
(610) 435-4347

Need an escape from winter's low, dark clouds and bone-chilling cold? Try Jamaica--via MacArthur Road. Open since April, Island in the Sun serves authentic Jamaican food that will warm your soul like the tropical island sun toasts your skin.

As you can see from the image, the restaurant is in a non-descript retail strip on MacArthur road just south of Home Depot. A sign on the front door asks that guests not use profanity. It's a perplexing but wholly acceptable request made difficult by the quality of the food, which could easily evoke a phrase punctuated with a four-letter word like, "****, this is good!"

My culinary compatriot, Rob, joined me in trying two of the more unusual dishes: oxtail and curry goat. Both were simmered extensively, making the meats tender and savory. The oxtail was especially dark and flavor-packed. The goat awakened our taste buds with ample (but not overdone) curry. Side dishes were outstanding. A warm cabbage salad was crisp and toothsome. Plaintains -- fried to a perfect golden brown -- were expectedly starchy and delicious with hot sauce. The "best supporting side dish" award, however, went to the rice and peas, which were flavored with coconut milk and allspice for a sublime Jamaican side.

We also sampled a beef patty, the Jamiacan version of a turnover. A lightly browned crust encased a mildly spiced, almost pureed beef mixture. It had an odd texture, but alluringly subtle taste.

Of course, the menu includes expected Jamaican dishes like escoveitch chicken and fish, jerk chicken, and brown stew chicken and fish. Cow foot, manish water (goat soup) and cowfoot soup are intriguing options that beckon for trial next time. (I get the feeling that not all entrees are available every day.) Prices are reasonable. Most lunches are $5.95 - $7.50; dinners about $2 more. The decor is spartan, but acceptable. After all, you're not going for a visual experience. You can close your eyes and imagine sandy beaches, clear Caribbean surf and palm fronds swaying in the tropical breeze. Add the aroma and flavor of island food and you have a mini-vacation to Jamaica. Everyting is irie, mon!

Korean at Kim's Kitchen

Kim's Deli / Kim's Kitchen

5842 Main St
Center Valley, PA 18034

(610) 282-5857

I've written before about Kim's Deli (the sign says Kim's Kitchen), which occupies an inconspicuous building on northbound Route 309 across from the entrance to Southern Lehigh High School. Upon walking in, you might think Kim's is a typical sandwich joint. The deli case includes cole slaw, macaroni salad and potato salad. The special board lists a Reuben and turkey sandwich. Racks of chips and bottles of soda line the back of the entry area.

However, the real deal is the Korean food in on the second shelf of the case and back in Kim's kitchen. My visit with a friend tonight started with a nice conversation with the vivacious, diminutive Kim. We didn't look at a menu. We told her to just feed us Korean food. She readily complied.

The meal started with a thick, curried soup-like dish replete with diced carrots and other veggies. It was pleasantly spicy but not overly hot. Kim followed that with Kim Chee soup, which incorporated chunks of cabbage swimming in a broth. The typically pungent, fermentated Kim Chee was diluted just enough to impart the flavor of the signature Korean dish. Minced chili peppers throughout the bowl awakened the palate just enough, though the soup might be judged a bit salty by people not comfortable with assertive flavors.

Kim moved to solid foods: Korean dumplings. Stuffed with a piece of pork and nicely pan-fried, they were served with a chili sauce that added punch. Again, delicious. The entree plate had Korean barbecued pork tenderloin and chicken, sticky brown rice (with a fish sauce?) and colorful stir-fried veggies -- an unexpectedly exquisite plate for a "deli." Everything was cooked to perfection. The dish was a study in balancing texture: the silky barbecued meat, the almost glutinous rice and the toothsome veggies. We devoured it all. Fresh pineapple and a dish of walnuts and yogurt-covered raisins completed the meal with a subtle touch of sweetness.

I'm not sure if this is a typical meal that Kim serves, so I'm not going to say what I was charged. (It could easily change the next time I show up.) I will say that it was probably the best restaurant bargain I've had in years -- a fulfilling, authentic meal for a fraction of what you'd pay at a predictable American chain.

Be advised: Kim's closes at 7:30 on weeknights. And it's BYOB. But to my knowledge, it's the only Korean game in town. Whether you want to have some homecooked Korean food or experiment with something new, you can't do much better than Kim's.

Reviews forthcoming

To prepare my alimentary canal for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast, I plan to visit and review three restaurants in the next week:
1. Kim's Deli (Korean on 309 near Southern Lehigh)
2. White Orchids (Thai in the Promenade Shops)
3. Island in the Sun (Jamaican on MacArthur Road)

Also, I intend to report on an "American" ethnic food: barbecue. We've had several barbecue joints open in the Lehigh Valley in the past five years, including Grumpy's, Conway's and another place north of Easton (sorry, the name escapes me). We'll see how the Lehigh Valley matches up against Allen & Son in Chapel Hill, N.C. and Sonny Bryan's near Love Field in Dallas, Texas.