Natraliart is a small Jamaican grocery with a cafe attached. The vibe in the cafe is mellow and unpretentious and there is waiter service as well as a TV set on the wall, conveniently tuned to the World Cup the day I visited.
Note that none of the dishes at Natraliart contain pork, as the owner/chef is a practicing Rastafarian, and as such abstains from all pork products.
On prior visits I had enjoyed the curry goat, the jerk chicken and the beef patties. On a recent visit, my dining companion had the stewed peas and rice and I had the jerk chicken. The beef patties were not ready so we had chicken patties. The jerk chicken was not as spicy or flavorful as it had been on prior visits. It lacked the essential kick of the dish. It was served with plantains, rice mixed with beans,and some vegetables. Before the main dishes arrived we had the chicken patties, which were delicious; the best part of the meal. Salads were also brought at the same time. They were fine but perfectly ordinary.
No alcohol is served, although an extensive menu of juices is available. The lunch items were around $11 or so. Not particularly inexpensive considering the location, atmosphere and ingredients. If this was my first visit, I would not likely return, but as I have had several great meals here, I hope this was an aberration and not the new state of things at Natraliart. I would continue to highly recommend the patties. One could make a meal out of them and be very happy.
Natraliart is located at 3426 West Washington Blvd, at 5th Avenue. Phone: (323) 737-9277. Website: www.natraliart.com
I used to eat at Natraliart pretty often back when I worked at Paramount. It was a straight shot south and that jerk chicken was always satisfying. I usually grabbed a pattie for the ride back to work. Sounds like a lackluster experience, but I'll probably still go back at some point.
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