De-Jred is Warm Spot for Jamaican Cuisine

Plenty of restaurants in the Chicago area try to use tropical dishes and decorations to lure in customers suffering from weather fatigue, but diners won’t find any fake palm trees or parrots at the Jamaican spot, De-Jred.

The downtown Skokie restaurant skips the kitsch, but will still warm patrons up with friendly service and large portions of excellent food.

The small spot at 4901 Oakton St. is easy to miss from the road. The interior features a mix of small tables and a set of booths, all topped with flowers. Potted plants sit in the corners, and a Jamaican flag is displayed alongside a flat-screen TV tuned to sports.

The rasta colors of red, yellow and green are worked into the décor, used in the color of the booths, the lights and a strip of paint along the walls. Most of the dining room has a view of the kitchen, where customers can see the cooks hard at work whipping things up.

De-Jred is a small operation and when two friends and I were there, it was just the chef-owner and one other employee, who was alternating between working in the kitchen and waiting tables. He quickly came over and when we asked for recommendations. He listed off his favorites and casually describing the oxtails ($13) as “off the chain.”

The employee brought along a pitcher of water, but mentioned the selection of Jamaican drinks offered. He seemed genuinely friendly, making suggestions of things he thought we would enjoy.

My two friends and I all decided to try a drink and were happy we did. The bottle of mango-pineapple-orange juice ($3.50) proved to be a potently fruity and creamy drink. The pineapple soda ($1.75) tasted like fizzy pineapple juice and the champagne soda ($1.75) turned out to be a particularly excellent cream soda.

After a little bit, our server came by to ask if we wanted to try some meat patties while our entrees was being prepared. We decided to order one beef and one chicken ($2 each), and he brought over the appetizers, which had been sitting under a heater on the counter. They were both great, with a bright yellow flaky crust covering curried chicken and a lightly spiced beef that had been stewed for so long it was as it if it had been pureed.

We were also happy we split the two appetizers between the three of us since the entrees turned out to be huge. Each was served with a big bowl of “rice and peas,” which is actually rice and kidney beans, plus sides of fried plantains and a mix of cabbage and steamed carrots. The plantains were sweet and crispy fried and tasted especially good when soaked in the oxtail’s rich sauce. The cabbage was still slightly firm while the carrots were very tender and the whole mix had a pleasant light spice.

I’ve never had oxtail before but I was incredibly happy I tried it at De-Jred. The ultratender braised meat could be cut off the tailbones with a butter knife, and the sauce had a solid after burn. The accompanying butter beans and potato dumplings made the dish even heartier.

We liked it so much that we wound up searching the plate for stray pieces of meat and one friend was chewing off the bones what he couldn’t access with utensils.

The jerk chicken breast ($9.50) was also excellent. The sauce perfectly blended spice and sweetness, tasting similar to a very complex barbecue sauce over perfectly cooked meat.

Our only disappointment was the ackee and salt fish ($14.25). Jamaica’s national dish, it’s a mix of light and flaky fish blended with the soft and fluffy cooked ackee fruit and sautéed peppers, onion and tomatoes. The fish was a little too salty, overwhelming the flavor of the other ingredients.

With plenty of leftovers to take home, we asked for the check. Jred, the owner, came out to give it to us. He thanked us for coming and said he hoped to see us again. He definitely will.