Yardie Spice in Homestead

Homestead is anything if not diverse. Mexican food, barbecue, traditional continental food, Brazilian food, it's all there to be found and discovered in a rural wilderness from the urban Miami Jungle.  With this, I had to try Yardie Spice, a Haitian/Jamaican restaurant with top ratings for years on yelp. The outside is a very unassuming decor, almost to be overlooked. The inside is not very large, enough to hold 15 or so people. When I arrived on a Thursday I was the only person there, however by the time I left it was completely full of people with more ordering take out.

The host/waitress was very amiable and helpful, I asked specifically for the Haitian/Jamaican cuisine experience and she eagerly recommend me the house drink, which was the mango/passionfruit/ginger/tumeric mixture and two dishes; the conch fritters and the curry goat. The house drink had a good tropical taste with a bit of a spicy kick to it from the ginger. 

The conch fritters were presented well with two wooden skewers keeping them towering above a half lemon and a bed of coleslaw. The presentation was lovely but also utilitarian as the lemon was able to have some of the acidity drip onto the coleslaw providing a acidic tanginess and balance to the spicy conch fritter which had a light, not overpowering, batter.

The curry goat was extremely tender and was easily pulled off the bone. The curry, present but not overpowering, provided a hint in addition to the savory flavor reminiscent of a well made beef stew. The bed of dirty rice and plantain it was served with was a good complement on its own and added to the curry goat. The salad and creamy ranch dressing was surprising and accentuated the heartiness of the goat.

I found this restaurant refreshing due to the novel cuisine and powerful flavors. I could tell I was not alone in this sentiment as by the time I left it was completely full of people trying to buy take out. I would say it's high yelp rating is richly deserved.