Two for Tuesday: May 22
Every Tuesday we feature two favorite local food items. This week are two island snacks, one from the West Indies and one from the East Indies.
1) Jamaican Beef Patties at Calypso Restaurant. Chef Dawn Gonsalves is a Jamaica native who once owned a bakery, so it is no surprise that she knows how to make Jamaican beef patties. A flaky pastry turnover, yellow from egg yolk and turmeric, encases spiced beef ground so fine it is nearly a paste. We had missed these snacks from our days in cities with larger Jamaican populations, so are delighted that the recently opened Calypso has filled the void.
2) Filipino Egg Rolls at Charlottesville City Market. We still haven’t been able to determine who likes these more: us or the two year old son of one of us. Whenever he catches sight of this booth at the market, he does a big dance, jumps up and down, and sings something that almost sounds (a little bit) like “Filipino Egg Roll! Filipino Egg Roll!.” Hand rolled cigar-thin egg rolls are stuffed with ground pork, carrots, onions, and spices, and then fried. A sweet chili sauce for dipping helps make them the perfect snack while strolling through the market. Six for three bucks.
