Jerk Chicken News

Island Spot restaurant brings Dallas more Jamaican joy with new location

Island Spot is famous for its fine Jamaican food.

Island Spot

If you're of the belief that Dallas-Fort Worth does not have enough places to get jerk chicken, then there's good news from The Island Spot: This Jamaican restaurant concept with locations in Carrollton and Oak Cliff is expanding, with a new location in the works for Farmers Branch, at 12900 Josey Ln.

Their goal is to open on Jamaican Independence Day, August 6, depending on construction and permitting.

Island Spot specializes in Jamaican food and tropical cocktails, particularly those made with Jamaica's trademark spirit, rum. Jerk chicken is the star of the menu but they also offer oxtail, coconut shrimp, BBQ ribs, and plantains, as well as a variety of curry plates including shrimp, goat, tilapia, chicken, and tofu — a result of a strong Indian influence on the island, says owner Richard Thomas.

A native of Jamaica and former consultant for McKinsey, Thomas opened the first Island Spot in Carrollton, at 2661 Midway Rd. #105, in 2010, followed by a second location in Oak Cliff, at 309 W. Jefferson Blvd. in 2016.

"The first time I came to Dallas, I visited a Jamaican restaurant, no longer open," he says. "The food and space were so underwhelming. I realized there was an opportunity to do good, authentic Jamaican food here. I wanted to change the way people experience our food and our culture."

That includes creating an immersive decor, with a colorful design that replicates the feeling of a restaurant in Jamaica, featuring elements such as corrugated zinc, bamboo columns, and wooden walls.

Placemats include an explanation of key words that are part of the menu, some in Patois, the language spoken preponderantly in Jamaica.

The bar is two-fold, incorporating a regular bar with a full drink menu, as well as a rum bar with 40-plus rum brands from the Caribbean. Rum is served solo, in rum flights, and in signature rum-punch cocktails, often in beautifully exotic colors. Of course, there is Red Stripe beer, brewed in Kingston, Jamaica.

Thomas grew up in a modest neighborhood in Jamaica, and his mom did all the cooking. To recreate that childhood experience, he put her together with a consulting chef to create a menu and bring it to life. All locations have a "mom Joyce’s kitchen" sign, to honor her influence.

Some of their dishes boast a fun twist, like their jerk version of salmon topped with a mango-red pepper chutney, or their "Jamaican fried chicken," highly spiced and with a golden brown crust. They're open for lunch and dinner, and also do a festive weekend brunch with mango mimosas.

But the experience is about more than flavorful food. "My intention is to create a true cultural immersion that makes a visit fun and exciting," Thomas says.

openings

Burger News

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Tommy LeBeouf

Big burger from Big Mike's in Plano

A charming family-owned restaurant with TV star ties has debuted in Plano. Called Big Mike’s Bar and Grill, it's an elevated sports bar that just opened at 3200 Alma Dr., in a former Pancho's Mexican Buffet where it's serving tasty Angus burgers and beer-battered onion rings, hand-battered in-house.

Big Mike's is from husband-and-wife Mike Cancelmi and Jennie Marie; she gained fame as the star of the 2018 TLC show Mama Medium. The couple is from Rochester, New York, but fell in love with the Dallas area with their four sons after visiting a friend in 2021.

Their signature Big Mike's burger is a biggie: a half-pound patty with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a brioche bun, served with choice of hand-cut fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, for $18.

They bring their Northeast influence with dishes such as a Reuben sandwich with corned beef on marble rye, and their own version of poutine, the Canadian specialty, which they make with fries, cheese curds, brown gravy, and thick-cut crumbled bacon.

One dish reflects their hometown roots: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish that's the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

Big Mike's version combines macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of hot dogs from Rochester-based Zweigle’s (which they fly in from New York), or two smash burger patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

Their menu also features a few entree items like NY strip steak, their priciest item at $35, served with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts; and chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for $24. Portions are abundant.

Big Mike's family: Mike and Jennie Marie and their four sons.Big Mike's

“I created the menu based on things I like to eat," Mike says. "Everything we make is made from scratch, the way I would do it if I was cooking for my friends."

They host weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2 pm with a cinnamon roll skillet, frittatas, avocado toast, and a hash version of the Garbage Plate with home fries, mac salad, onions, diced Zweigle's hot dogs, eggs, and meat hot sauce. There are mimosas — they have a full bar — and they also do a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm with appetizer specials and domestic beers for $3.50.

Mike's background as a former contractor can be seen in the restaurant's spiffy remodel. The space sits 270, with enough room to host events that include karaoke every Wednesday, live music during brunch, and a ticketed group psychic event where Jennie Marie draws from her TV show days, performing readings and mediumship, with food and drink.

The restaurant has a wonderful family-oriented atmosphere. Many of their employees are friends of their sons from school or ice hockey, giving the restaurant a comfortable, homey vibe.

“We try to visit every table — that personal touch is important to us," Jennie Marie says. "We want that hometown feel, get people what they want so they come back."

openings burgers