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By: Greg Alexande COMMENTS
 
TALL PALM TREES sway and dance with a cool ocean breeze. White sand crystals
glisten in the sunshine as you sip a planter’s punch and flip through the
latest fashion magazine. Sound perfect?
Well, U Street in Northwest Washington might not provide the beaches and palm
trees found in the Caribbean, but the food at the Islander can make you feel
like you’re there.
The Green family, which immigrated here from Trinidad and Tobago and has been
doing business in D.C. for more than 20 years, owns the popular restaurant.
While trendy shops and eateries now populate most of U Street, the Islander
was there long before this strip again became the hip place to visit.
The restaurant’s main entrance is behind a cute white fence along 12th
Street that leads patrons through the Islander’s outdoor patio — a
perfect place for people watching when cool evenings set in. But the restaurant’s
trademark pink awning out front seems dated and could use a facelift.
Inside, an inviting lounge area beckons, especially when live music, including
jazz each Sunday, has patrons swaying to intoxicating rhythms.
On a recent visit, owner Addie Green welcomed us inside and encouraged us
to choose where we wanted to sit. We chose a table, complete with fresh roses,
in the dining room facing U Street where we could watch the busy pedestrian
traffic. Passersby included people heading to Between Friends, a lesbian-owned
bar a block away.
The Islander’s lounge has hardwood floors but the main dining room has
an unappealing carpet color and bland white walls. Some festive colors on the
walls, such as tangerine or coral, or Caribbean art, would serve the décor
well.
AS WE ENJOYED the reggae music floating from a sound system, a friendly waiter
urged us to try a cold Carib, a Trinidadian beer that we were told was much
better than Corona. Though service at the Islander is outgoing and friendly,
don’t expect to be served a meal quickly. The service mimics the true
Caribbean experience, which encourages relaxing and taking things slow and
easy.
The Islander’s menu is filled with a myriad of Caribbean favorites.
The appetizers include several soups made with ingredients such as crab, fish,
oxtail and seafood, as well as crab cakes and mango chicken wings.
The fried plantains, a starchy, larger relative of the banana, were perfectly
crispy and a fun way to start the meal. The chana, spicy chickpeas drowning
in a sweet and spicy sauce, also was pleasing.
Entrées at the Islander are plentiful. Poultry options include brown
stew chicken, curry chicken, Calypso chicken and pineapple chicken. Other seafood
choices include red snapper, king fish and mako shark.
The curry beef was deliciously tender and full of exotic spices that required
a full glass of water for relief. Curried goat also is available.
Some of the more popular side items, and for good reason, include the “cabbage
delight” and eggplant.
The Islander also has a wide range of rotis, which are spicy potato and meat
combinations rolled in a tortilla-like bread. Shrimp, fish, goat, beef, vegetable,
potato and chana rotis are available. We opted for the traditional boneless
chicken roti, and were not disappointed.
While the entrees were plentiful, dessert options at the Islander are limited
but change regularly.
Appetizers range from $4.50 to $9.50; entrees $6 to $27.50 and desserts $4.50
to $5.
1201 U St., NW, 1st floor
202-234-4971
www.islander-restaurant.com
Food: 
Service:
Comfort & Aesthetics:
Value:
Scene:
= Stay home and eat cereal
= Well, if you really must
= Fine for all but the finicky
= Worth more than a 20-minute drive
=
As good as you’ll find in this city
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