Cool Runnings Review

     FINALLY, back to reviewing places close to home. Cool Runnings is a new restaurant? take out place? Caribbean grocery store and head shop selling prepared foods? all of the above? in Essex Junction. Located in the front of the Park Place bar. Having never been to Jamaica, I can not comment on the authenticity of the food. But to me it tastes like something your Jamaican grandmother would cook, (if, of course your Jamaican grandmother also blared reggae music at ear splitting levels and sold hash pipes).

      Exhibiting not much charm, Cool Runnings is basically a one room store. You enter and place your order from a list on the wall of what is available that day. Your food is scattered around in several locations, outside on the grill, stove top, in the stove and around the corner in big rice pots. It appears to me the food is probably made in another location and brought here once a day? Not sure about that but nothing I bought was made to order but rather loaded onto plates by a rather "laid-back" young man. There is one table for four in the middle of the room, but looking at the amount of plastic forks, paper plates, etc. loaded onto it , I'm thinking eating here is not much of an option.

      So if you have read this far you are probably thinking to yourself , let's avoid this place at all costs. That would be a mistake, despite the ear shattering music, despite the Caribbean attitude for service, the food is really good and the portion to price ratio is INCREDIBLE. For my meal I got goat Curry, two huge scoops of rice and beans, another scoop of vegetables (mainly cabbage and a few carrot and beans cooked down all day) and two big spoons of curry. While very tasty, goat curry is ALOT of bone and a little of meat. Probably won't order this again. Not so the Jerk Chicken, two complete thighs with drumsticks attached, chopped up into pieces, with said two scoops of rice and vegetables for ...wait for it...wait for it, $6.50!!!!!! WHAT, are you kidding me ! In addition, I noticed the patties sitting in the stove , huge fried dough size patties filled with either spiced meat or chicken,  one each of those please. Now how much for this veritable feast of Jamaican goodies , UNDER $20.00. People, this was enough food to last the two of us over four meals.

      Now for true, authentic, jerk chicken fans, be aware the sauce was not baked into the chicken. The chicken came lightly spiced (better for Vermont palates) and you could choose which sauce to put on. Spicy but bearable or OH MY GOD, and yes, I did take a large taste of each before picking. Both of these sauces came from jars you can buy at the store/restaurant/head shop, along with many other food items and the previously mentioned "tobacco accessories".

On a scale of 1 to 5;
Food,                Quality means much more to us than quantity.

Beer and Wine,  Based on selection and pricing

Service,             Speaks for itself
Ambiance,          Does the look fit the food and pricing 

Price,                 And finally does the pricing equal the results we had.

Food,                     4   Huge quantities and very tasty

Beer and Wine,   No No alcohol is served
Service,                 3  Very "laid-back" but friendly

Ambiance,             1  What ambiance?.

Price,                     5  Really? This much food for this price? Really?

Overall                  3.25  Don't let the score scare you too much. Think of this as a takeout place and not a restaurant and you will be fine. A bigger concern for  me would be is it going to stick around. They are doing no advertising that I can see, they are not in a really great location, and their food to price ratio (while appreciated) is really off, though maybe "tobacco accessories" have a major profit margin . Go while you can and let me know what you think.