Ethno Caribbean Cuisine, a new restaurant featuring dishes from Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, has opened in Norwalk, Connecticut. The eatery opened for business on August 16, 2020, on Main Street, and its owner, Louis Nostain, said it will focus on providing local diners with a taste of the Caribbean islands. Caribbean cuisine fuses African, Creole, Cajun, Latin American, and European food traditions. Many island dishes feature plantains, beans, cassava, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and coconut. On its Facebook page, the restaurant describes itself as epitomizing “elegance in the finest Continental Caribbean cuisine tradition.”

Nostain, who is of Haitian and Cuban descent, plans to invite chefs from those three countries to prepare their special dishes at his restaurant one day a week. He describes his food as a “contemporary selection” that adheres to the “true spirit of the island cuisine.” The menu includes items such as jerk chicken, curry chicken, Jamaican patties, chicken wings, and a choice of several types of beans-and-rice dishes. In addition to its established menu items, the restaurant will also make special orders.

The menu features dishes such as stewed turkey marinated in a Haitian Creole sauce, Ethno Caribbean oxtail served with corn and green beans, curry goat cooked in traditional Jamaican style, traditional Jamaican jerk chicken, chicken wings cooked in Jamaican jerk style, and a variety of vegan selections as well.

Ethno Caribbean Cuisine offers indoor dining, but also provides takeout services and catering for special events. It has made partnerships with Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats to provide delivery services.

In the future, Nostain plans to build on his restaurant’s success to develop a chain of small restaurants that offer the dishes of the islands. At present, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he says he is just “trying to adjust” in ways that make his restaurant safe for his guests while offering “tasty and

Ethno Caribbean Cuisine is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Photo Source: Ethno Caribbean Cuisine