Now, preschool principal Barbi Fay is going to give us the report card for her visit to a spot
for spicy island fair, this place has garnered high praise from the locals for serving up the
best Jamaican food in town, it's in Pembroke Pines and it's called Aunt I's Jamaican Restaurant.
My name is Marcia Cartwright, I'm a manager at Aunt I's Jamaican Restaurant.
Aunt I's was founded by my mother, my parents and my family moved to the United States in 1978.
Our number one seller is our ox tail, it's the tail of the ox and that's a Jamaican staple.
The Brown Stew Chicken and that's deep fried chicken, and then it's cooked down afterwards
in gravy with you know seasoning and it has a sweet/savory taste, and people love that also.
I would describe our food as comfort food, Jamaican comfort food,
it's very hearty and we want people to feel the down home taste of Jamaican cuisine.
Aunt I's is family.
You know that one viewer wrote in and she's Jamaican, and she wrote
that this place was the best Jamaican food in town and so we sent the three of you there,
so just tell me what you all thought about it.
I had never heard about it before.
[Michelle] Have you had Jamaican food?
Love Jamaican food, ox tail and goat are definitely my favorites,
so I ordered the goat and I was very impressed that it wasn't very
boney, it wasn't very spicy, so which was good and I got the rice & peas.
First of all, I love you for ordering goat, I think that's just awesome that you love goat,
there's a lot of people that won't eat goat, so it just makes me happy.
It was really good, we ordered the macaroni & cheese as well, that was so good,
it was like a macaroni & cheese pie, it was, you missed out, it was so good.
Yeah, it's a bake for sure and like I gotta say the macaroni cheese was
just like probably one of the best mac & cheese I've had in a long time.
So good, it was really good.
[Michelle] Oh, that's awesome. Chris, what'd you think?
I'm sad that I didn't have the macaroni & cheese, the restaurant, when you walk up to it,
it's just a strip mall place right next to a gym, so I didn't know what we were walking into and it
was really interesting, but once we sat down, the staff, they were super friendly and the food was
amazing, I've been to a lot of Jamaican restaurants in South Florida where it's
hit or miss, but everything they put on our plates was spot on and tasty.
[Michelle] So, what'd you have?
[Chris] I had the jerked wings because on the
menu it says South Florida's best place for jerked chicken wings, so
[Michelle] And?
[Chris] They were fantastic, cooked perfectly and they tasted great,
and my wife had the combo meal with roast beef, and Aunt I's chicken stew, it was amazing and
they gave us the rice & peas, and she was so nice, she came back with some ox tail
gravy to put on top of the rice & peas, and of course you know the way to my heart right there.
Was anything spicy? Like spicy, spicy?
The curried goat was a little spicy on, I had the combo as well, I had ox tail and curried goat,
and it had a kick to it, but it was the right amount.
Same with the jerked chicken, it was just that right amount of spice, not too much, just perfect.
It's mainly to go restaurant, right? I mean you see a lot of people picking up orders?
Yeah, I think so because when we were there, there was nobody
inside, it was really quiet, but once we were sitting down inside, there probably was
say 10 to 15 people coming in, getting to go orders, I mean they were popping them out quick.
Yeah I think it's really what people pick up to eat for dinner and that could be dinner for
two days, three days and it sits really well.
[Chris] They try to kill you with the food.
The plantains were good too.
So, how's the mall when you drive in? Is it easy to park?
It's super easy to park
[Brian] Yeah, plenty of room.
Yeah, plenty of room off to the side,
it's just a weird thing when you pull up to a strip mall and you see the gym next door,
and you go, "Do you wanna go to the Jamaican restaurant next to the gym?"
[Michelle] What's wrong with that?
It's like putting an icecream parlor next to a gym.
You guys are ridiculous. Did anybody have like a ginger beer or anything fun to drink?
I can't say the word of the drink that I had.
Sorrel?
[Michelle] Oh, you had the Sorrel drink?
[Barbi] Yes, yes and it was really good, I really enjoyed it.
[Brian] Hibiscus, ginger
[Michelle] So, it's Jamaica flower?
[Brian] Yes and it was
[Barbi] I'm not really a big fan of ginger, but I really did enjoy that drink.
They had a bunch of juices that you could pick from.
And they're all made there it says.
[Brian] And they're all made there.
[Michelle] They're made there?
That's what it says, it says that they're homemade juices
and they have their own little label on the front.
[Chris] My wife had the Grapefruit Ting,
which she fell in love with and now we have to go look for that.
[Michelle] Oh, yeah that stuff is the best.
[Chris] She was shocked at how good it was.
[Michelle] Oh yeah? Why didn't anybody have dessert?
They didn't, the only dessert that they had available
They were out, so I guess they make a certain amount per day and it's gone.
Yeah, I wanted the bread pudding, but it was gone.
They had other desserts, but I will be honest, I couldn't eat any more after I ate that meal.
I mean honestly, to get a rum cake or a bread pudding at Aunt I's is worth it. So,
how would you sum up your experience at Aunt I's?
I would sum it up as a little diamond in the rough, didn't know it was there,
but now that I do, I'll be going more often for sure.
Chris?
Go inside, give it a try, the food was a lot better than the place looks on the outside.
And skip the gym.
[Chris] And skip the gym, of course.
Okay, Brian?
When you get inside it, actually the decor happens to be really nice, so you don't
judge it from the outside, food was fantastic, probably some of the best Jamaican I've had.
Well, you can enjoy an island feast at Aunt I's, located at 10111 Pines Blvd.
in Pembroke Pines. Open daily for lunch and dinner, and for breakfast on Sundays,
reservations aren't accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $25.