- Jus Jerk opened last summer in a Publix-anchored plaza in Lehigh Acres.
- The restaurant serves authentic tastes of Jamaica, from bammy to escovitch to jerk chicken and pork.
- Service is casual. Order & pick up from the counter, enjoy a Red Stripe or ginger beer as you wait.
"Do you want the curry gravy with your pigeon peas and rice?"
The question came from the dreadlocked young man behind the counter at Jus Jerk. There was a twinkle in his eye as he said it. I didn't quite know what curry gravy was, but I knew my answer would be yes.
"It is good," he said with an approving smile as he tapped my order into an iPad.
He wasn't kidding.
Jus Jerk opened over the summer in the Publix-anchored plaza at the intersection of State Road 82 and Lee Boulevard on the outskirts of Lehigh Acres. Situated in a middle unit, this shoebox of a restaurant has the commercial appeal of a franchise (like a Jamaican iteration of Moe's or Jersey Mike's). A colorful menu board hangs above the counter. A sign over the trash bin urges you to please not throw away the baskets.
But the big-chain similarities end there. Behind a pair of saloon-style doors, there is magic happening in this kitchen.
There is jerked chicken grilled till the skin is blackened and crisp. It's served on the bone, cleaved into bite-sized hunks ideal for nibbling. There are jerked ribs, and jerked pork too. The former fall from the bone with the barest of tugs. The latter remind me of blackened chicharron — cubes of lusciously chewy meat and melting fat that keep you coming back long after that little voice warns you've had enough.
The sauces — the spicy guava barbecue has become an addiction — pack a kick. They're good for dipping, better when coating plump chicken wings fried to a toothsome crunch.
Order a Red Stripe, sit at the counter and you're not in Southwest Florida. The crowd here is young and diverse, their accents as authentic as the curried meat patties lining the warming case.
There is bammy, a sort of Jamaican fritter made from finely grated cassava that's been soaked in coconut milk, formed into wedges and deep fried — how could any of that be bad? And there is festival, a tropical cross between hush puppies and beignets, so named because eating one is a party. Jus Jerk's festival is made with flour and cornmeal and a touch of sugar. The batons of dough are fried till crisp yet fluffy, the perfect tool for sopping up, well, anything.
Bammy — check. Festival — check. How about some escovitch to round out the foods-little-known-to-mainlanders?
My experiences with escovitch have always been wonderful — sautéed fish (often snapper) smothered in a spicy sauce of peppers, onions and scotch bonnets. But Jus Jerk takes wonderful up a notch, frying the fish (two thick, forearm-length fillets of it) in a dusting of cornmeal to a greaseless crunch. Cost: $7.99. Add on a drink, a vinegar-laced side of apple slaw and a mound of curry-gravy soaked peas and rice and you're out all of $10.98.
The prices are up there with the jerked pork as the best things about Jus Jerk. A feast for three, including meat patties, entrees and a round of ginger beers, set me back less than $40.
As I was readying to leave that evening, the man at the counter showed me a slice of the lemon-rum cake.
"It's just from the oven," he said. "You want one?"
Of course I did. At Jus Jerk the answer is always yes.
Jean Le Boeuf is the nom de plume of a local food lover who dines at The News-Press' expense. Follow the critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf (Twitter).
Jus Jerk
5781 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres
• Food: ★ ★ ★ ☆
• Atmosphere: ★ ★ ½ ☆
• Service: ★ ★ ½ ☆
• Price: $
• Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday
• Call: 491-2390
• Web: jusjerkgrill.com
Noise level: Moderate
• Etc.: Beer and wine only, order and pick up from the counter, takeout and catering available
SAMPLE OF THE MENU
STARTERS AND SIDES
• Patties, $2
• Chicken soup (small), $3.99
• Bammy, $1.99
ENTREES
• Jerk beef sliders, $5.99
• 1/4 rack jerk ribs, $6.99
• Jerk chicken family meal, $19.99
