Evanston Lunch Group™ Fri 2/19 12:30@ Sweet Nick's (Haitian)

It's small, and the menu is more a suggestion of what they might be able to make, rather than what they actually have on hand. But we'll sample La Cuisine Créole des Antilles Friday, February 19 at 12:30.

Hope to see you there.

Sweet Nick's Caribbean Restaurant
741 W. Howard St.
Evanston

I'll be there. When we first talked about a Haitian restaurant in early January at our last Evanston lunch, who would have thought that our Haitian friends would have been so much in our thoughts and prayers.

Looking forward to joining you at our second Howard Street lunch in a row.

Evy

Quick reminder - there's room for more to savor Haitian food from Sweet Nick on Friday. As Gary noted, when we first talked about this, we had no idea that the country would suffer such a catastrophe. Let's appreciate their cuisine together.

I hope to be there.

I wish I could be there. I'm a Haitian food neophyte, but just enjoyed a fantastic Haitian meal in Broward County. Tassot Cabrit was truly fantastic - on the bone, marinated goat, hacked into 1 inch or so pieces, then braised 'til tender and given a stint in the fryer to create a crispy exterior. A flavor and texture marvel: chewy meat, meltingly tender fat, and crispy crust all playing off each other, with real gamey goat flavor. Dipped into a sauce made from scotch bonnets, onion and reduced goat stock, these were some great eats. I look forward to learning more about Haitian cuisine.

Horrid cellphone picture of delicious fried goat:



Pines Café
6813 Pembroke Road
Pembroke Pines, FL
954-963-9499

no pics or feedback on this event?

nr706 will post photos, but in the meantime I was very impressed with Sweet Nick's. Sometimes when one visits a small or exotic restaurant one hopes for interesting or unusual food, but what really impressed me was how subtle the spicing was for their sauce (a sauce that was fairly similar for the conch stew, the fried turkey, and the goat stew. It must have contained some mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. In addition, the meat, which can be sketchy at small restaurants, was tender and delicious. The conch was particularly tender. The only real failure was the dried out plantain fritters, but this might have been a result of them not being prepared to order. We also had a bowl of cornmeal starch which was very worth ordering, a very aromatic mushroom rice, and a red beans-and-rice plate, which several of us (although not me) thought was the best of the group.

The Haitian cake was moist, but basically a pound cake. The chicken (meat) pie had a lot of flavor. Of course, a lot of the menu was unavailable and without us the restaurant would have been virtually empty with the exception of a few take-out orders. But I cannot think of a "Caribbean" restaurant on the Howard Street row that I have enjoyed more. I will certainly return. Many dishes on the menu were not available.

Should you drive, park on the north side of Howard, using the cheaper Evanston meters. Use your savings (or more) to contribute to the restaurant's attempt to help their countrymen (there is a plastic container on the counter).

Lunch with a nice tip was $13.00.

conch, goat, sounds like a winner.

I don't have much to add to GAF's excellent description of Sweet Nick's. I liked the goat very much, and the conch was expertly cooked--tender and delicious when it can so easily cross over into rubber bands. The chicken pie, which is available behind the counter and was heated up for us, packed some heat and had a pleasantly flaky crust. The sauces were similar on all the proteins and were spicy without being particularly hot. The corn meal dish was very tasty. The small storefront is bright with color and pretty, brightly colored tablecloths. I enjoyed my lunch very much.

Even though it was a relatively small group, I enjoyed the meal at Sweet Nick's quite a bit.

All the entrees came with a basic salad, and Just so-so dry starchy plantains. This is the marinated, fried turkey, along with a surprisingly hot/spicy coleslaw lookalike.

Griot de Dende, pikliz, plantains and salad


Lambi Créole (tender conch stew, left) and goat stew
Both sauces were similar; a version of the sauce also come on the side with the turkey.


From top, clockwise: Red Beans and Rice, Mushroom Rice, Corn Meal


Chicken Pie (flaky chicken pastry) and Haitian Cake

Sweet Nick's is a small interesting place. It could probably use some LTH love.