Rum Bar

Having little experience with Caribbean food, Napoleon and I decided to sample the wares of Rum Bar, a relatively new Caribbean/American fusion bar and restaurant. I am skeptical of places that attempt to be two things at once, because the food tends to be expensive and sub-par. For most people, aside from billionaires with no sense of taste, this is not a good combination. I was sure that another Caribbean restaurant that we had gone to before, Reef, would beat the pants (and most other articles of clothing) off of Rum Bar. I was wrong.

The food itself was very flavorful. Yes, it was on the expensive side, but armed with a restaurant.com coupon we slashed prices like a used car salesman. Unfortunately, we aren't rich enough to afford any of the exotic rums from the extensive menu that rivals Monk's pamphlet of beer. Maybe once this blog becomes an overnight sensation, and we sell it to Food Network who will turn this into an Iron Chef blog site, we'll be able to afford the rum. Are you listening Food Network?! Please fund our alcoholism!

We each had an entree. In a rookie mistake, Napoleon ordered a salad, which actually wound up tasting pretty good. I'll post the picture, but it won't factor into the rating, because it's a freakin' salad.

A Freakin' Salad

As for me, I had some great catfish with remoulade and rice and beans. I want to go on a tangent for a second before I talk about the dish. The Europeans got it right. They eat mayonnaise with their French fries, not ketchup. This is genius. Is there anything better than mayonnaise? The answer is a no. That's why remoulade, aioli, etc., are delicious. It's the mayonnaise. You could combine shards of metal with mayonnaise, and it would be delicious. Okay, now back to the show.

The catfish was very crunchy, with no hint of greasiness. The crust itself was not as flavorful as I would have liked it, which means they probably didn't really season the flour, but the texture was great. The lack of flavor in the fish was masked by the spicy and wonderful remoulade. The rice and beans were no run-of-the-mill side dish either, as they had a sort of spiciness one would expect from Caribbean cuisine. The dish was also served with chili cornbread and calypso squash au gratin, which made a seemingly small amount of catfish turn into a full and satisfying meal.

Fried Catfish and Company

And for dessert, we couldn't resist ordering the banana bread pudding, which was recommended to us by the waitress over the chocolate chip rum cake and the spiced rum cake. Why would she recommend a bread pudding over two rum cakes when the name of the place is Rum Bar is beyond me. That doesn't really speak well for the restaurant, but we'll let it slide since we didn't actually eat the two rum cakes. Plus, the bread pudding was served with remoulade. Just kidding.

Banana Bread Pudding

Rating: 3.3/5 shots of rum