Grilled Conch and Pikliz
Helping people find a place like Le Kiosque is why I started EthnicNJ.com. Everyone in New Jersey is surrounded by delicious ethnic food from all over the globe, but the best restaurants and less well known cuisines can be difficult to find without a lot of leg work.
My wife noticed a sign – “French Caribbean Cuisine” – go up on Valley Street in South Orange last month. The place wasn’t open yet, but she filed it away for our next EthnicNJ “research” dinner. We visited yesterday and were richly rewarded with a cuisine we had never tried before, and a restaurant that is worth a visit for its atmosphere, service and delicious food.
Review
Le Kiosque, which just opened last Friday, is a welcoming, family-owned restaurant serving Haitian Creole cuisine. I had never tried Haitian food, a vibrant cuisine with French, African and native Taíno roots. Now I’m looking forward to learning and eating more. (There are large New Jersey Haitian-American communities in Orange, Irvington, Roselle and Asbury Park.)
Whole Red Snapper
According to a beaming Claudia Cesar, half of the husband and wife team behind Le Kiosque, all of the recipes are authentically Haitian. No Americanized translations of Haitian dishes – and that’s fine with me.
For appetizers, try the grilled conch – chewy sea snail morsels served on skewers with a spicy pepper sauce, alongside a small bowl of a really spicy Haitian onion-pepper relish called Pikliz (I saved this bowl of fire to add to my entree); or the very tasty Kibby – croquettes of ground meat with spices wrapped in cous-cous and deep fried, the Haitian version of Middle Eastern kibbe. Entrees include Creole Shrimp, whole Red Snapper, and fried beef, pork and goat. My dried and fried beef cube dish reminded me of a chunky version of Cuban vaca frita. Each entree comes with a choice of white rice, “black rice” (colored by black mushrooms), or rice and red beans; and sweet or green plantains (smashed and fried up like Dominican tostones). The dishes are all flavorful and slightly, but not overpoweringly spicy, unless you add that Pikliz. Even the mac and cheese off the children’s menu is Haitian style – a baked rectangular version that was a big hit with our family’s two mac and cheese experts.
Claudia and her husband Jean Guetty have turned the building that used to house an ugly Pizza Hut on Valley Street (at the corner of Massel Terrace between 5th and 4th Streets) into a smooth and upscale space with about a dozen tables, a handmade wooden bar at the entrance (but the restaurant is BYO only), and distinctive Haitian paintings on the walls.
Since Le Kiosque had only just opened, we were the only occupied table on a Thursday evening around 7 pm. A few customers stopped in to pick up take out orders. Service could not have been friendlier. Menu prices are moderate, about $30 per person for an appetizer and entree – Le Kiosque is not a cheap “hole-in-the-wall”. Portions are large and the food, service and setting make the restaurant an excellent addition to the local dining scene.
I can’t imagine a better spot to try Haitian food for the first time. Once the word gets out, I am sure Le Kiosque’s dining room will not be empty for long.
Links
Le Nouvelliste (French)
Tags: South Orange
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Fritz
on Jul 20th, 2011
@ 4:33 pm:
There are a number of Haitian Americans in Maplewood. You just haven’t realized it yet. Some ( the doctors, lawyers) live along prospect ave. Haitian food is great and it rivals Cuban or Brazilian food. If in Miami….try Tap Tap restaurant the most well known Haitian Restaurant in South Florida.
Hope to see you there. Enjoy.
Anthony
on Jul 20th, 2011
@ 9:17 pm:
Sounds good. I’m happy to try more Haitian food. Any other spots serving good Haitian food in NJ?
Patricia
on Jul 27th, 2011
@ 1:33 am:
An upscale Haitian restaurant is a great find. I would love to organize an outing for my Haitian group to try out the food. Join Ann Pale Kreyol if you’re Haitian-American and looking to connect with people who want to learn more and enjoy the Haitian culture through fun and educational events. http://www.meetup.com/Ann-Pale-Kreyol/
siegejoi
on Aug 16th, 2011
@ 6:53 pm:
Saveur Creole in Montclair, NJ is a nice spot for authentic Haitian food!
Anthony
on Aug 17th, 2011
@ 9:42 am:
Thanks – I just learned about Saveur Creole recently. It’s now the second Haitian spot on the EthnicNJ map.
fanm aquin sud
on Oct 8th, 2011
@ 11:50 pm:
Le Kiosque is the best. i was just there last saturday at a dinner party.. i must say the food was scruptious. especially the black rice.. #YUMMY.
Marion
on Nov 18th, 2011
@ 2:32 pm:
I went there for lunch for the first time and ordered chicken it tasted liked it was cooked days before. I was very unhappy and would’nt suggest this place to no one. I guess the waiter wondered why he did’nt get a tip. First and last time.
Nadine
on Dec 22nd, 2011
@ 12:01 pm:
I went to Le Kiosque this past weekend…..I had a great time I must tell you the food was delicious…. and guest what!!!!! LIVE BAND WITH AWESOME FOOD LIFE IS GREAT….. GO CHECK IT OUT
Jerry Soffer
on Feb 18th, 2012
@ 9:13 pm:
Just came home from Le Kiosque. Great food, good service, and a beautifully decorated room with interesting art. We live in the next town, and will become regulars there. Highly recommended!