Sultry and Spicy at Sapodilla

Photo by Kent Henderson

Sapodilla’s sign-less storefront at 247 Smith Street doesn’t look like much yet — but things are already heating up in their recently opened kitchen. The air-conditioning wasn’t running when we stopped by Wednesday night, so we put in a take-out order at the tiki-style bar. We barely recognized the old Village 247 space — all the pastel murals have been pulled down to reveal brick-exposures and deep red walls. The friendly staff told us that the downstairs bar will be renovated into a lounge by the fall, “with banquettes and low-lighting to make thing a little sexier.” For now, it’s worth visiting for the food, which is definitely some of Smith Street’s spiciest fare…

Our sampling of appetizers included Caribbean crab cakes which packed some serious heat, but might have been improved by a crisp, seared crust. (Of course, the stifling humidity on the walk home might have contributed to their mushiness.) The jerk chicken wings were as “finger lickin'” as the menu suggested, but our in-house jerk chicken fanatic was more impressed by the jerk tofu puffs, which were indeed “bursting w/ flava” and packed with the friendly fire of Scotch bonnet peppers. When the heat breaks, we’ll be back to sample the main courses, Bahama Mama punch, and custard blocks with sapodilla syrup.