Tropix Caribbean Restaurant
3814 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA
510-653-2444
It isn't often that I venture out to a fairly pricey restaurant on Oakland's Piedmont Avenue. But when I do go out to dine there, rarely am I am disappointed. Tropix makes a tough critic at a loss for words: their food is effortlessly delicious. If you're not familiar with Oakland and have never eaten at restaurants in Oakland, don't miss going to this place.
The theme here is grandly a Caribbean one with bright orange and yellow walls, paintings of the life and cultures of the tropics, and my favorite fish throw pillows. The appetizers range from "pawpaw", a playful dish of grilled fresh papaya topped with curried vegetables and Fontina cheese, to a popular among the vegans called "stepback callo" which is a sumptuous concoction of braised collard greens, red chard, okra, and garlic. An appetizer that I mostly definitely wondered about and still need to find out the recipe for is this amazing plate of "accras aubergine." The dish is an exquisite blend of eggplant fitters served with a sweet mango-pineapple chutney. That mango-pineapple chutney was a little on the sweet side for my tastes but I don't think I've ever tried eggplant prepared as an appetizer that tasted so dainty and crisp.
Before the main dishes are served this restaurant brings out some of the most stupendous corn bread around. I'm not sure what kind of corn bread was served but it's got a mouth-watering flavor and pizzazz all it's own with only a mild hint of sweet unlike a lot of the typical "buffet-style" corn bread you end up getting at some of those country-n-western joints. No offense to country-n-western joints but I have to admit, this is the first time I've ever wanted a second helping of corn bread.
Another interesting appetizer to try is the "Plantanos Maduros Fritos" which a mixture of fried sweet plantains with black bean dip. It's a great plate when you're keen on ordering a more diverse range of appetizers because it's a bit sweet. I can't exactly say I've gotten past the banana/plantain phenomenon however. It's still a banana to me and have myself never grown to appreciate the fruit and probably wouldn't appreciate it as a vegetable either.
The main entree was the "Jamaican Jerk Chicken." I'm not sure yet how to describe it but all I could say of it was that it was just about as spicy as the home-cooking Indian food I'm used to. It's hard to get spice to absorb into the meat the way the jerk chicken I had tried was prepared. Bottom line. It's damn good. I'd give a 10 and I'm usually rarely impressed with meat entrees and especially chicken dishes in general. I sampled a few other plates including the "Bistec de palomilla" which is a marinated Cuban-style top sirloin steak with garlic-parsley sauce, beans, rice and plantains. This is a delicious steak dish but make sure to be picky on the tenderness of the meat because it makes a world of difference with steaks. Last but most definitely not least is the "Cajun Gumbo" and it sure beats my desperate attempts in gumbo 101 at my humble kitchen sanctuary. Do take my advice and try this restaurant because you'll probably want to go back there again. If you can't handle a spicy dish period then you're probably a colossal wimp and shouldn't bother trying Caribbean food. No hard feelings. Enjoy!
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