Savana Café

Description:

• Its tropical flavor, splashy Caribbean art, and peppery cuisine (a curious mixture of island cooking and pan-Asian) have kept this place superheated for more than 20 years. Lunches are pad Thai, spicy wraps, nothing out of the ordinary; but dinner shines. Start with the fabulous callaloo soup -- the real thing, with okra, spinach, thyme, Scotch bonnet peppers, and lime. Main-course offerings might include jerked chicken, Cubana chicken (which is stuffed with bananas and cream cheese), lemony seafood soba (buckwheat) noodles, a Guatemalan-and-Thai spiced shrimp with vegetables and bananas, or lamb glazed with guava; you can order most of these dishes spiced mild, medium, or hot (and they mean hot) according to your preference. There are daily fish specials, as well. The bar and front terrace fill early each night with young to 40-ish professional types intent on unwinding with good rum concoctions, and in winter a fire in the hearth adds a welcoming touch.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010