Jamaican Pork Slider is fresh pork with special seasonings

Tag : Spices & Seasonings
At this time of year, some people are busy packingfor their winter home on a tropical island. Then there are the rest of us.
Fortunately, the Catch Island Grill gives diners a hint of what itis to fork fresh seafood from a warm tiki nudged against a sunnysand beach.
"We're trying to create a Caribbean-style atmosphere that is new tothis area," Price Williams said. "We're staying away fromtraditional freshwater fish like salmon and perch to bringsomething special, like ono and shark."
Tucked behind the Chase building at the former Left Bank restaurantsite in downtown Traverse City, the Catch Island Grill created abuzz by spreading sand outside its north wall and sprinkling itwith sandals and beach toys. The buzz continued when it launched a$2 Happy Hour menu and re-priced lunches to under $9, dinners under$20.
Williams -- who says he is not into titles -- learned his craft atculinary school in his hometown of Detroit, then perfected it atlocal eateries such as Folgarellis and North Peak Brewing Company.His dedication to creating authentic Caribbean dishes becomes clearwhen he laments the scarcity of finding fresh goat meat.
"I'm really into curry, jerked spices, poached seasonings -- doingsomething different and not go over the top on the pricing," hesaid.
Besides the Island Goat, other uniquely tropical entrees includeBlackened Grouper (ratatouille, red beans and steamed Jasminerice), Mojito Grilled Swordfish (mint, rum and lime marinated,served with pico de galo, red beans and rice) and CaribbeanCallaloo (crab, mussels, scallops and shrimp braised in a spicedbroth with chili peppers, okra and spinach with steamed rice).
Lunch-time becomes interesting again. The Catch Island Grill offerssandwiches such as Crab Cake, Caribbean Meatloaf and the Cuban.
Even desserts are handled with a tip to the tropics. The dessertmenu includes Banana Fritters with rum raisin ice cream and IslandSorbet Trio.
Once the clock strikes 4 p.m., a young crowd assembles their owntaste of the islands by pairing glasses of beer and house wine withregional delicacies such as Conch Fritters and Jamaican PorkSliders. These items and more are available from the special $2Happy Hour menu.
"One of my favorites is the Jamaican Pork Slider," Williams said."It's fresh pork with special seasonings, pimentos, mixed peppersand onions on a sweet dinner roll with ancho aioli sauce."
By "special seasonings," Williams means spiking the pork with jerkspices and rum liquor.
"We serve authentic rum from islands that you wouldn't find at aregular bar," he said. "Jim, our bar manager, is great. He workswith purveyors to know what's in and what's out with mixed drinks."
Hand-in-hand with offering an authentic taste of the islands isoffering an authentic feel of the islands. The Catch Island Grillpulls it off effortlessly.
Tiki panels, island art and tropical hues of mariner blue,chartreuse and orange wrap around the spacious dining areas. Agreenhouse dining niche basks in the sun. Flags from Barbados andJamaica flap over the entrance outside, while a pirate flag hoversover the bar inside.
"We're big into flags," Williams said. "Kids sit up here in thelobby and spin the captain's wheel. They think they're steering aship or something."
As he walks the floor of the restaurant, Williams points out hisfavorite piece of nautical art. Centered in the restaurant is astack of arrowed signs displaying the mileage from Catch IslandGrill to various island paradises, such as Hawaii. At 4,360 milesto Honolulu, catching a meal at the Catch Island Grill becomes anattractive Plan B for a winter getaway.
"Next year, we're looking at adding a patio out back and featuringlive music. We were really conscious of the competition and theeconomy, so we had to come up with atmosphere," he said. "We'rethinking of the average consumer who wants to come out and getsomething different."