Photo Credit: Joy Tienzo at Vegan Joy

"Eating at a Haitian restaurant may be one small way to ease the pain of the earthquake. In fact, it might help more than you know." - New York Times

Primarily influenced by French and African cuisine, Haitian food is flavorful, hearty and tinged with spice. The aromas of fried, grilled or broiled beef, chicken, goat, oxtail, fish and pig feet in light sauces and spices will appeal to even the most fussiest of eaters. Add a few slices of lime, helpings of rice, beans and plaintains on the side, and you'll have a feast worth tweeting about.

EF has compiled a list of a few of the best authentic Haitian dining experiences you can find in the U.S. If you don't live in a city with a sizeable Haitian population, however, authentic Haitian cuisine can be difficult to locate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 600,000 Haitians living in the America. Locales with significant Haitian populations include Miami (Little Haiti), New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Providence, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. So if you live in Wyoming or Alaska, you're probably out of luck. However, if you do manage to find Haitian cuisine there, please let us know in the comments section below.

Chez Le Bebe, 114 NE 54th St., Miami, FL 33137 (Little Haiti); Website: www.chezlebebe.com

"Short of having a Haitian grandmère up to her apron strings in pigs' feet at home, you aren't likely to find better-tasting and less-expensive Haitian comfort food than this." - Miami New Times (Best Haitian Restaurant 2008)

Located in the heart of Little Haiti, Chez Le Bebe recently celebrated 25 years of serving authentic Haitian cuisine to hungry diners. It was voted the Best Haitian Restaurant in Miami by the Miami New Times in 2008, and was featured on The Travel Channel's "Bizzare Foods" for its Saturday morning goat head soup. If chancing across an eyeball in your stew isn't your thing, other house specialties include oxtail ($10), pig feet ($7), fried pork ($8) and chicken ($7), which are all served with rice, beans, plantains, and salad. Come hungry, because portions are served large, and all at very reasonable prices. Chez Le Bebe is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Photo credit: plateoftheday.com

Krik Krak, 844 Amsterdam Ave, New York NY 10025 (Btwn 101st & 102nd St)

"Once a cabbie hangout dominated by a busy bar, Krik Krak has become a proper Haitian eatery." - New York Magazine

This tiny Haitian restaurant is located in the Manhattan Valley Neighborhood of New York City. Dishes include Cabrit En Sauce (goat), Poultet Maison (chicken prepared in a homemade sizzling sauce), Akra De Malanga (fried dumplings of malagna paste and original spices), Bananes Frites (fried green plantains); Griot (fried pork) ($12); Red Snapper with Sea Salt, Sour Orange, and Hot Pepper ($18); Lambi (conch) ($22), and; Watermelon Juice ($3). They do not have a liquor license, so feel free to BYOB. Krik Krak is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Photo credit: brownstoner.com

Kombit Bar & Restaurant, 279 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217; Website: http://www.kombitrestaurant.com/

"The food is homey and affordable, and those new to Haitian food could not ask for a better introduction. True to the cuisine, Kombit's kitchen coaxes flavor out of root vegetables, perfumes dishes with whiffs of nutmeg and clove and excels in fried seafood, which comes with the sinus-clearing piklis." -New York Times

"Some menu items are often unavailable—others perpetually AWOL—and the friendly service sure can dawdle. But when it gets around to it, this Haitian restaurant serves a righteous lambi (conch stew). Ours contained a boatload of the feisty mollusks vigorously beaten into tender submission and simmered in an herby, tomato-based broth." - New York Magazine

Entertainment to go along with your dining experience includes Comedy Wednesdays and Haitian Roots Music every Friday. Kombit is open Tuesday through Saturday 4:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Closed Mondays.

Photo credit: L.A. Times

TiGeorges' Chicken, 309 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026; Website: http://www.tigeorgeschicken.com/

"The birds of this unassuming joint have a positively Pavlovian effect as you approach Glendale Boulevard." - L.A. Weekly (Bird on a Wire)

The fowl here are no joke. To capture their succulent taste, they are placed over an indoor avocado wood-burning rotisserie spit and marinated with black pepper, parsley, onion, paprika, key lime juice, salt and a few other key ingredients that TiGeorges himself isn't about to disclose. Other dishes include lambi (conch), cabrit (goat), acra (taro), squash soup, pikliz (slaw), platanos fritos (plantains), rice, beans, and Haitian cola. TiGeorges imports his organic coffee literally from his home's backyard in Haiti, where his father was a coffee-grower. The beans are pan-roasted on site and then caramelized with a hint of brown sugar. Afterwards, the beans are ground and let loose in a Pasquini machine for what makes a delicious coffee with subtle bay leaf and key lime flavors. If you're in the mood for some Haitian specialties, but can't make the trip to TiGeorges', their online store features Oraganic Haitian Coffee, Hot Pickle Pikliz and Grapefruit Jam.

With a small Haitian population of 10,000 in the Los Angeles area, TiGeorges' has become a social gathering place for the community. It recently held a fundraiser at its restaurant for the families and victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti.

Photo credit: glahaiti.org

Bon Appetit Restaurant, 1132 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester Center, MA 02124

Considered by many to be the best Haitian restaurant in Boston, this small eatery serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The authentic Haitian breakfast dishes include minced fish over grits and boiled plantains. Regular menu items include taso with rice and beans, Creole fried chicken, and pigs feet in a tomato-based sauce. They also serve authentic Haitian coffee. Bon Appetit!

Photo credit: evanstonillinois.net

Au Rendez-Vous Restaurant, 337 Howard St., Evanston, IL 60202; Website: http://www.evanstonillinois.net/aurendez-vous.htm

This restaurant serves as social and dining spot for many Haitians craving dishes from their homelands. Island-inspired pictures and ornaments adorn the walls; seating is at two-person booths. The menu includes specialties like fried goat or griot (a traditional Haitian pork dish), plus generous sides of fried plantains and red beans and rice. Look for daily specials like vegetable stew, oxtail and goat and okra, all under $10.

Photo credit: chocholateandzuchhini.com

"Through the years the store has become well known for its tropical flavors, reminding many of the Caribbean and Latin tastes of their homeland." - Miami Herald

Lakay Tropical Ice Cream, 91 NE 54th St., Miami, FL 33137 (Little Haiti)

If your sweet tooth is throbbing for something unique, you can choose from more than 24 flavors of ice cream at this shop in Little Haiti. Flavors include passion fruit, coconut and soursop. Breads, pastries and milkshakes are also offered, most for less than $3.00.
____________________________________________
To donate to the earthquake relief efforts, please click the following link:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/01/13/haiti.earthquake.how.to.help/index.html?...

Words: