Nebulous meat

Last weekend we clamored our hungry bellies up to Pam's Kitchen for some Trinidadian/Carribbean food, highly recommended by the Seattle Weekly. I should preface this by saying that I love the food section of the Seattle Weekly. This paper has turned me on to some great restaurants that I may never have had the inkling to check out on my own. That being said, food reviews are always hit and miss, and well, I've got high standards.

The "thing" at Pam's is roti, a shriveled up, tastier version of Naan in my opinion. It's floury and light, reminiscent of the homemade tortillas made on site at The Frontier in Albuquerque. The menu is sparse, to say the least, offering 4 choices of flavored meat with which to fill your roti, and two vegetarian options. We ordered the chicken and the lamb. I'm always a sucker for lamb - it tastes just as good as they are cute!

We also ordered a couple of sorrels, a drink that tastes very much like Oregon chai mix and looks like beet juice. It was delicious. Each dish is served in a small dish, half filled with the meat of your choice, and half with a side of potatoes and garbanzo beans cooked with seemingly generic sweet curry. The chicken was very tasty, the lamb divine and impressive for not being stringy and/or chewy and tough as lamb can often be, even in the best of marinades. The homemade hot sauce really pulled the whole meal together, amplifying the savory flavor of the meat while adding that nice kick that I always desire from, well, most food, regardless of origin. We were both surprisingly stuffed from the small plates of food, yet I had that feeling like I'd had a lot of tasty things going on in my mouth but it wasn't completely satisfying. The meal was cheap ($29 with tip), and I think everyone should try it once, but I doubt I'll be rushing back for more.