Culpepper's Reborn and Reviewed

In what we hope will soon be a recurring feature, the folks at The Confined Nomad — a chronicle of three Kensingtonians' efforts to eat the native cuisine in all the countries of the UN without leaving the New York metro area — will be providing reviews of restaurants around PLG.

Here are some excerpts from the blog's longer entry on Barbados about (mostly) Culpepper's (1082 Nostrand @ Lincoln Road):

To all outward appearances, Culpepper’s is a typical West Indian take-out joint, and I briefly envisioned us eating off our laps as we sat on the curb outside.  Then, as I was still trying to sort out who was waiting for what and where if anywhere a line might have formed, I suddenly found myself following the Nomad and Noquar into a tiny, green, windowless dining room lined with portraits of five of Barbados’ seven prime ministers.  It was uncomfortably quiet inside compared to the bustle on the other side of the door, and completely empty except for one of the friendliest, most helpful servers you could hope for in such an awkward setting.  This strange little room was his domain, and it was clear from the moment we walked in that we would be well taken care of. ...

... we ended up having to wait what seemed like an eternity for our chicken roti because our order had disappeared somewhere amid the Saturday-afternoon chaos in the kitchen.  We had actually ordered a vegetable roti as well, but it never arrived, which was fortunate because the chicken roti was enormous and probably could have fed the three of us on its own. ... This particular roti might be the best I’ve ever had.  The roti itself had a perfect soft, chewy texture, and the chicken inside was tender and curried in a sweet, mild sauce.

The review includes praise for Culpepper's coo coo — both with kingfish or with oxtail (pictured) — and the pudding and souse ["a pile of pig’s ears, pig’s feet, and pork shoulder topped with a spicy chopped celery salad (the souse), accompanied by a mashed sweet potato mix cased in pig’s intestine (not exactly your run-of-the-mill Bill Cosby pudding)."]

Also mentioned, Cock's Bajan Restaurant (806 Nostrand near Lincoln Place) in Crown Heights, where our wandering reviewers went for a dessert of pineapple turnovers and an amaretto-flavored 'lead pipe,' which they appear to have enjoyed despite being stuffed from Culpepper's portions.

We hope to hear more from them soon.