Kool Runnings

For my first two nights in Atlanta, my Caribbean experiences have been at night, enjoying the Carnival/Memorial weekend fetes. However, on my third day I had my first Caribbean experience under the shine of the Georgia sun. In the afternoon, Nevis picked me up and brought me to get some Caribbean food at a Jamaican restaurant called Kool Runnings. As we drove, Nevis told me that Kool Runnings was one of the few Caribbean restaurants in metro Atlanta. Located on Memorial Drive, the restaurant is part of a group of Caribbean businesses in Stone Mountain—Caribbean Atlanta central. Although I was in Stone Mountain the last two nights, I didn’t notice that the restaurant was located just down the street from the Caribbean clubs, including Club 426. I also didn’t notice how far Stone Mountain was from where I was staying in the Druid Hills Area of Atlanta. At night, everything seems a lot closer than they really are. Maybe it is the decrease in traffic at night. Or, maybe it is the excitement of the nightlife. Whatever it is, I found out that afternoon that we drove 25 minutes to get to the Caribbean section of metro Atlanta.

From the outside, Kool Runnings looked like every other fast food restaurant. It was a square shaped with large windows in the front and sides. It had a red awning with the words “Kool Runnings” written across it in white. Inside, it looked like most of the Caribbean restaurants I had been to in the northeast. Immediately when you walk in, you see a long metal counter with glass panels, like the counters you see in most school cafeterias. On the counter and behind the glass, there were about 15 trays of different Caribbean foods: stew chicken, rice & peas, festivals, curried chicken, dumplings, curried goat (my favorite), to name a few. Above the counter, there was a long billboard listing most of the food they served and their prices. Anyone who has been to a Caribbean restaurant in the States (US) or in the Caribbean knows that not everything they serve is on the menu. Most of the time they will tell you about other dishes they had cooked for the day or you have to ask if they had cooked certain dishes that day. Adjacent to the counter, there was a glass door fridge with bottles of different Caribbean drinks in them, from Ting (a carbonated grapefruit juice) to Tropical Rhythms (assorted fruit juices, such as mango, passion fruit, and pineapple).

Nevis and I approached the counter and ordered our respective meals. I ordered a large plate of curried goat, rice & peas, cabbage (salad), and fried plantains and he ordered a large plate of stew chicken, rice & peas, cabbage, and fried plantains. After we got our food, we turned towards the front of the restaurant and looked for a place to sit, which was not hard, since the place was empty. There were two main seating areas: an inside area and a covered outside area. We decided to sit at a medium sized square table in the middle of the inside seating area, which had booth seating on the sides and about 5 tables and chairs in the middle. The covered outside seating area was directly in front of the inside seating area, separated from it by a set of french doors, and it was structured similar to a cabana with large glassless windows and doorless entrances. In the middle, there were several white circular tables with white plastic chairs. It seemed like a nice place to sit, eat, and chat, but we decided to stay inside since it was over 90 degrees outside.

Overall, I liked Kool Runnings. It is close to the Caribbean clubs and open 24 hours on weekends (perfect for a post-clubbing snack). Plus, it is nice to know that I could get Caribbean food in Atlanta. Don’t get me wrong. I love soul food and I love love love chicken and waffles. But, I LOVE Caribbean food! I grew up on it. It feeds my soul (and my hips, thighs, and other areas…lol). I just couldn’t imagine not being able to get some curried goat, pelau, fish cakes, or some saltfish and bakes (no ackee in my saltfish.. sorry Jamaicans) anytime I wanted. I would walk 15 minutes each way, in 25 degree weather, in my Brooklyn neighborhood (Clinton Hill) to get a good plate of curried goat (shout outs to Buff Patty on Myrtle Ave). So, I was more than okay driving more than 20 minutes to get some curried goat at Kool Runnings. The food was good, although it was honestly not as good as the curried goat I have had in New York. I know it is wrong to compare any city to New York. But, I can’t help it. My palette has been spoiled by the rich (and delicious) variety of ethnic food in New York. Because it is an international hub, New York has fresher and cheaper food. Although Atlanta is closer to the Caribbean than New York, I don’t think that it gets the same quality and quantity of Caribbean products that New York does. I am not trying to be a food critic. But, I felt that the curried goat at Kool Runnings needed to be spicier, darker (in color), and meatier. I was expecting to get that feeling of satisfaction when I took my first bite, but I never got it. Me belly was full but me was still hungry.

I would recommend others to try the food at Kool Runnings for themselves. And, with few other options for Caribbean food I am sure that I will be eating there again. But, I will also be on the look out for other Caribbean restaurants and I will let you know when I find a satisfying plate of curried goat.

One Love.