My Marie's brings the Caribbean heat to new location

At its new location at 2146 William St. in Cape Girardeau, My Marie's certainly did the job of catching my attention. I had heard of My Marie's before it moved but kept forgetting to check it out. Now, in its newly painted building, a brilliant golden orange, I took the time to go inside of its doors and see what kind of unique Creole soul food it could offer.

Straight from the Caribbean, My Marie's offers food available nowhere else in the area. After a quick scan of the buffet, I forwent the menu and just jumped in. Jerk chicken, curry chicken, warm cabbage, stews and roasts and fish and ... so much to try.

I started with the jerk chicken, that traditional dish that echoes of foreign lands and exotic spices. Jerk chicken is roasted, grilled or smoked with a thick layer of spices. An example of a jerk seasoning could include cumin, nutmeg, allspice, smoked paprika, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and a touch of brown sugar. I'm sure that My Marie's jerk seasoning is probably different and top secret. Whatever is in it, it works. The chicken leg was juicy and appeared to come off of one monster of a bird. The spices were thick and blackened and very spicy. I'm picky about how spicy hot something is, and this was right on my personal border of enjoyable. I did enjoy the heat, and I could still taste the underlying meatiness of the chicken, so it was a win for me.

I was curious as to why it is called jerk chicken. A quick internet search revealed that the work jerk comes from the Spanish work "charqui," which refers to thin strips of meat similar to our modern jerky. The more you know!

Ah, cabbage. Some of us love you, some of us hate you, but all of us have taken you for granted at some time in our lives. I found a cabbage side dish on the buffet that was simple in appearance but complex in taste. With a flavor akin to sauerkraut but with more delicacy, this warm cabbage side was comforting and filling. If you like sauerkraut, you'll love this dish. If you hate sauerkraut, try it anyway. It really does stand on its own.

I found fried fish on the buffet, and of course I had to try it. When I was a kid, fresh to the work force, I landed a job at a family seafood restaurant. There, I eventually worked my way into cooking and was taught just about every way to prepare catfish that exists, or at least that's what it felt like. My Marie's fish is breaded with a wonderfully seasoned cornmeal base, and I believe they sprinkle it with a Cajun seasoning right when it's pulled out of the fryer (just an educated guess, don't hold me to it). The end result is steamy, flaky fish with just enough zing to make it sing. If you don't like spice at all, you should be able to handle this amount. It is really very mild and the flavor is excellent.

The coconut chicken curry was unmistakable with that rich golden yellow that almost tricks the eyes. I had to try it, although I've never met a curry that I didn't think was too hot for me. This one was also pretty spicy, but a rich cooling coconut wave ran underneath the whole dish, helping to balance the spice and cool the tongue.

The star of the show for me, however, was a very simple dish, both in appearance and ingredients, but it was so well done that I couldn't stop an involuntary "Mmm!" after my first bite. Chicken okra stew, with soft melt-in-your-mouth bites of chicken, small pieces of chunked up okra and a thick brothy base whose flavor was so savory and complex in its richness that the Japanese are the only ones who can explain it with their word "umami." This stew was so comforting and filling, such a hug in a bowl, that I could only anticipate the next time I visit My Marie's. If I were you, I'd order this stew over a scoop of rice, take it somewhere pretty, like a stream or a quiet backyard, and treat yourself to relaxation and simplicity, and just enjoying being. That's what kind of dish this is. Phenomenal.