Jolly Bob's Jamaican Restaurant, 1210 Williamson St., offers good food and tasty drink specials without the tacky island décor many of its counterparts flaunt. Although the food is flavorful, the pricing may slightly pinch the frugal student's wallet.
Dinner entrées range in price from $12.50 to $18.50, with an average price of $15. All of the entrées include a dinner salad with mango curry dressing. Jolly Bob's also offers an extensive list of appetizers and sides, which range from $2.50 to $9.50. Pricing can be hit-or-miss, however. One empanada, only 3 inches in diameter and not very filling, was $2.50, but the $3.50 side salad was quite large.
Of course, Jolly Bob's wouldn't be a Jamaican restaurant if it didn't carry rum, but not to worry, Jolly Bob's has over 50 varieties in addition to an extensive list of tequilas and wines. The cocktail menu is longer than the dinner menu and gives detailed descriptions of each drink. The average price for a drink is $5, which is very reasonable given their large size, fresh fruit garnishes and creative concoctions. Most of the drinks blend dark and light rum, including the drinks Dark & Stormy (rum and ginger beer for $4) and Purple Meanie (Blue Curacao, lime and coconut rum for $6). I enjoyed the Pain Killer - rum, pineapple, orange juice and coconut syrup, blended and topped with nutmeg for $6 - although it is a very sweet beverage.
You have to get a drink [at Jolly Bob's]. The drinks are part of the experience,"" said Kathy Piliouras, a UW senior majoring in food science. Many students also venture to Jolly Bob's for salsa dancing on Fridays at 10 p.m. and Sundays at 9 p.m.
While others have criticized Jolly Bob's for slow service, customers may only have to wait during the summer months when the patio is open and everyone wants to sit outside sipping a blended drink.
The dinner included complementary hot bread and butter, which came before the watercress/hearts of palm salad ($3.50) and the orange jicama salad ($3.50).
The light vinaigrette dressing coating the watercress salad had a more robust lime flavor than anticipated, but the orange jicama salad was enjoyable. With crisp jicama mixed with red bell pepper, purple onion, cilantro and canned mandarin orange slices, this salad was refreshing and substantial.
Jolly Bob's advertises its patatas bravas, also known as ""angry potatoes,"" ($4) as ""twice-fried Yukon Gold potatoes sauced with an 'angry' salsa of tomatoes, herbs, garlic and Pimenton,"" but the dish we tried did not live up to its description. If anything, our potatoes were burnt-out, tired rebels who tried drowning their sorrows under a runny, extremely mild salsa.
The callaloo soup - a mildly spicy mix of Jamaican greens, crabmeat, ham, bacon, okra and coconut milk - was flavorful and unique, despite its unappetizing green color. The soup was somewhat reminiscent of ham and bean soup, but the crabmeat added a nice flavor. Don't let the odd ingredient list scare you because this soup is worth ordering.
Although I was disappointed with the portion size of the empanadas, they were still exceptionally good. The meat-filled empanada was stuffed with beef, pork, apples, pecans and golden raisins. The cinnamon and apple flavors were too noticeable and tasted remarkably similar to McDonald's apple pie. The mushroom empanada was filled with several different types of mushrooms and reminded me of the breaded mushrooms that many other restaurants serve.
The small jerk chicken skewer served with an applesauce-like dip disappointed us because of its lack of flavor and resemblance to dry, weakly seasoned chicken breast.
Jolly Bob's is on several major bus lines from campus and takes only fifteen minutes to reach from campus. Everyone should try the food and drinks at Jolly Bob's at least once, but I doubt I will return often.
